other corner. “It’s a wonder I can keep my mind on anything else.”
A wave of shyness swept her. “You’re such a player,” she said, giving him a light tap on his chest. Regret was instant.
She saw the hurt in his eyes.
“I can’t blame you for thinking I’m no better than a tomcat. But those women out at the Sundance, they don’t mean anything— No. Wait a minute.” He frowned. “Have you ever seen me seriously flirt with one of the guests?”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I’m talking about since you’ve come back. No kidding now, at the Sundance or at the Watering Hole, can you name one time that I flirted?”
Nikki got up on her elbow and leaned back to get a good look at his face. “You flirt all the time, though I’m not saying you shouldn’t. It’s your business.”
“Now you think about this,” he said, no teasing in his gaze at all. “I usually respond when they flirt, at least I try to be pleasant. Sometimes they’re annoying as hell and it’s all I can do to make myself smile.”
“Trace, stop. You don’t owe me an explanation.” Laying her cheek back on his chest, she ran her hand down his belly. “We have more important things to do.”
“This is important to me,” he said quietly, covering her hand and bringing it to a halt. “It’s only you, Nikki. I’m not seeing anyone else.” He kissed her hair. “I don’t want anyone else.”
She didn’t even know how to respond to that, or to the flutters he’d set off. Was she supposed to say it back? Thank him? Briefly she considered asking him to be more specific, then discarded the idea. “Okay,” she finally mumbled when it appeared he wasn’t going to help her out.
He sighed, released her hand and cupped the back of her head. “So where were we?”
Good. This part she knew how to handle. She brushed her lips across his right pec, started to work her way lower, but he slid down, startling her with an openmouthed kiss that left her without air. His tongue demanded entry, then made a thorough sweep she could feel all the way to her core.
It wasn’t just his kiss that sent her reeling. Every touch made her hyperaware that it was Trace’s hand, Trace’s fingers. Each gasp was filled with more than lust. He wanted only her. This good man, the one she’d dismissed so flippantly. No wonder she didn’t know how to handle the pure want in his gaze.
She spread her legs, needing him closer. The way his eyebrows rose as his pupils dilated made her flush even more than his intimate caress.
When he was settled, resting on his elbows, his body blanketing her own, he smiled. “I’m not guaranteeing a thing,” he said. “You drive me crazy, you know that? Straight out of my mind. And when I’m in you, no matter how I try, I can’t seem to control myself.”
She brushed her fingers across his cheekbone, then curved her hand to the back of his neck. “Just the way I like you. Out of control.”
His eyes staying on her face, Trace turned to kiss her arm. “I know something else you might like.”
“Oh?”
He slid down further, and she could feel the whisper of moist breath on the skin between her ribs, the pressure of his warm lips just below her navel. She sucked in a breath, waiting, trying to watch, but she could only see the top of his head.
The first glide of his tongue sent a jolt through her. She automatically bucked, and he held on to her hips, keeping her still, and using his tongue to drive every last thought from her head until she completely shattered.
* * *
NIKKI HEARD THE COLLIES barking and glanced out her bedroom window. She didn’t recognize the blue Cadillac bumping along the gravel driveway, but then she hadn’t expected to. It was two minutes to four. The attorney was right on time. If only a flat had delayed him long enough for her to leave for work. Though she supposed that wish was a little unkind.
The man was only here to do his job, and she’d promised Matt she’d behave. Sitting quietly and listening wouldn’t kill her. It didn’t mean she had to agree or accept anything from Wallace. She still hadn’t gotten over the shock that he’d named her in his will at all. However, both she and Matt were offended on Lucy’s behalf. Loyal to a fault and she