Chapter 9
MELLY HAD NO clue how long she’d been locked inside of the building, but the heat had lulled her to sleep. When she fluttered her eyes open wide, she found Nix and it took her a few good long seconds to realize he wasn’t a dream. His fingers were in her hair, on her cheeks and touching her neck as if he were looking for injuries.
“No broken bones.” Her throat ached.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice etched with obvious concern.
Although her body felt warm, his long fingers moving along her moist skin made her temperature soar.
“Melly, talk to me. What happened? Are you hurt? Did you fall?”
“I-I’m okay. Just thirsty.”
He’d heard her, so then why was he still running his hands through her hair, over her shoulders, down her legs? Didn’t he realize he was making her blood boil and that was the last thing she needed at the moment. She pushed herself to a straighter sitting position and sighed. “I’m okay, really I am. I-I was locked inside here.” Her throat was scratchy.
“Who locked you in here?” he asked gruffly.
“I don’t know. I was watering Jewels and I noticed the door was unlocked and when I stepped inside, the door shut. The next thing I knew I was locked in. Did you see anyone outside?”
“No.” He slid one arm under her knees and another around her shoulders and easily stood, lifting her with him.
“What are you doing?” she mumbled.
“You’re burning up. You’re probably too weak to walk. It’s over a hundred degrees in here and you have to be dehydrated.” He held her tight against his chest, subtly nuzzling his nose in her hair. “When I looked through the crack and saw you...” He exhaled painfully. “Damn. You scared me.”
“You? Scared? Never.”
“Hard to believe, huh?”
“Put me down. I think I can walk. I’m too heavy for you to carry all the way to the stables.”
“We’ll grab a horse and I’ll take you to the house.”
“That’s crazy. You’ll tire out. Put me down,” she protested.
“Not happening. The more you squirm, the harder this’ll be so settle down and enjoy the ride.” He stepped out of the building, grateful for the little bit of breeze Mother Nature gifted them. Holding her steady against his body, he reached for his radio. “Randy, saddle one of the geldings for me.”
After getting an affirmative response, Nix pushed the radio back into his belt.
“This is ridiculous. I’m fine to walk.” She stirred.
“Sure, but why would you when you have me to carry you? And take the chance of you passing out? No way,” he said calmly.
Thankfully, she didn’t say another word because although she was light and easy to carry, having her close and her scent swirling his nostrils made his body tight. Luckily, by the time they stepped around the corner of the stables, Randy had just finished saddling the gelding Nix had ridden before.
Upon seeing Melly being carried, the foreman shot straight up. “Melly! Are you okay? Is she okay?” The man looked like he was about ready to fall over.
“She’s a little weak,” Nix offered.
“I’m fine,” she said.
“Someone locked her in the empty shed,” Nix said gruffly.
“Locked you inside? Why?” Randy looked shocked.
“Okay, I can walk now,” she demanded.
Nix didn’t listen. Instead, he carried her to the horse and slid her onto the saddle. “Now scoot forward,” he commanded.
“What?”
“I can’t let anything happen to you. Now scoot so there’s room for the both of us.”
Several seconds floated by and he expected her to argue but was glad when she moved forward. He grabbed the horn, put his foot in the stirrup and swung up to sit behind her in the saddle.
Nix put his arms around her, held the reins and clicked his tongue.
~~~**~~~
Nix put his arm around her waist and took hold of the reins with his other hand. His warm breath brushed her cheek and his masculine, leather scent floated around her nostrils. The roots of the soft hair on her nape tingled. He shifted in the saddle, sliding closer until their bodies pressed, the heavy thudding of his heart pulsed against her back. His broad, firm chest was flush against her, his zipper notched against her bottom. The intimacy of the position turned her on and, from the bulge nudging her ass, spoke a silent confession from his body. This closeness felt right. Like home. A moan escaped her and it was too late to pretend she wasn’t effected.
His arm snuggled tighter. “You’re tense, sunshine. Relax. I’ll take care of you,” he whispered next to her ear. Each syllable of his words was like a zap of an electrical current to her heart.
Didn’t he understand she didn’t need anyone taking care of her? Definitely not a giant of a man who made her think of her future longer and harder. If he was this protective now, how would he be once he heard that she was carrying his child? “I’m okay…I-I just…well, who would do this? Who would lock the door? The door was locked, right?” She was still in brain fog from both his touch and being stuck in the hot shed for too long.
“Yes. There was a lock. It hadn’t been there long because it wasn’t rusty,” he said in a gravelly voice.
“At first, I thought you had done this,” she admitted.
“For God’s sake, Melly. Why?”
“Only for a second. I know better. Anyway, I found a fresh candy bar wrapper left inside the shed. It was coconut flavored and you don’t like coconut.”
“How did you know?”
“At Lori’s, when you kissed me, you said you’d never liked coconut until then. I had been drinking a Pina Colada.”
“I’m not sure what you think I have to gain in making you roast your pretty fanny,” he growled.
“You might not like me much, but I know you don’t want me dead.”
“It’s crossed my mind to swat that ass, but never, ever, would I hurt you.” He hugged her tighter.
The melodic trotting of the horse relaxed her and she inadvertently eased against him, situating her body closer in the protective clasp of his body. As large as he was, there wasn’t a lot of room to pull away, and that was what she told herself as an excuse to cozy up.
His groan reached her ears. A firm knob became impressive against her bottom. She nibbled her bottom lip to keep from crying out in anticipation. They were discussing the lock, not the fact that every muscle in her body craved cowboy. Giving her head a little shake, she said, “It couldn’t have been accidental.”
“No. I don’t think so.” There was a noticeable hitch to his normal casual voice. He nuzzled his face in her hair, not even trying to hide the fact that something was happening between them. Something so dramatic and persuasive that she could forget the circumstances surrounding them. “How is it possible that I can’t get you out of my mind.” He found the nape of her neck and inhaled as if he wanted to take in her scent deep into his lungs. His lips brushed her skin and she shivered in delight. He didn’t stop there, he kissed the sensitive spot and left a trail of warm kisses to her ear lobe. She almost came out of the saddle when he swept the tip of his tongue along the curve. “I can’t resist you.”
Melly tried to keep the honeyed sensations from hypnotizing her logic, but she was incapable. He did something to her, something so primal that she couldn’t resist. Being here so close to him was a formula for disaster, and yet it felt good. “We can’t do this,” she said the words, but didn’t make a move to scoot away.
“I think it’s too late. It’s already happened,” he teased. “Tell me you haven’t thought about what we shared.”
His lips were on her neck, playing havoc on her senses. She should lie. Tell him she hadn’t been kept up night after night aching for his touch, touching herself to try and ease the need between her thighs. Nothing worked, not even cold showers. “I can’t tell you that, but nothing will get in the way of me and this ranch.” She meant the words as a firm statement, but they came out as a squeak.
His arm shifted and his palm flattened against her stomach. She tensed. Although she wasn’t showing a lot yet, just the thought of him touching her there sent anxiety through her. “There you are. Tense again. I don’t want to come between you and the ranch. I know we can’t do this,” his voice was a ragged moan, “but Lord help me, you do something so unbelievable to me that I’m vulnerable. I’ve never been this insane.”
Melly should push this fact, throw out more logical reasons why they couldn’t indulge in these erotic emotions, but she couldn’t quite shake the disobedient part of her that didn’t care about anything but satisfying a buried need. She swore that she’d be more responsible, less impulsive. Prove to her father that she was a grown up capable of doing something productive. This, falling into a hunk’s arms, would be something her dad would consider impulsive and reckless because she should be concentrating on the ranch instead of how good Nix’s arms felt around her or the building of pressure in her.
He must have sensed her ambiguity because he moved his hand upward along her rib cage, brushing his fingers over the underside of her breasts. She could feel his reservation, caught between what he wanted and what he should be doing. Nix wasn’t a man that took advantage of a woman and she knew this, yet he wanted to touch her. As if a link broke in his chain, his thumb brushed over her nipple, and obediently the nub tightened so subtly that she believed she could have imagined the touch. She leaned her head against his shoulder, defenseless and weak. They were on a horse together in the middle of daylight where anyone could see and yet she couldn’t control the tsunami of desire between them.
He chuckled and the sound vibrated her back. Did he prove something? Was that his intention?
She lifted her head and cleared her throat. She was glad the house was in sight and could scrape herself from the saddle and get some distance between her and the big, sexy man. Although they were close to the house, it seemed like it took a lifetime to get there, and partly because she believed Nix took the horse slower than necessary. Once they stopped at the steps of the porch, she immediately slipped from the saddle and squealed as she dropped to her knees. She wanted to blame dehydration for her weakness but knew perfectly well it was because he’d turned her inside out.
Before she could stand, Nix was beside her, lifting her in his arms again. She groaned. This was much like an adrenaline rush. She knew the affect but couldn’t manage denying herself.
He took the steps two at a time and was across the porch in a whirl. “We might have to call in the doctor.” He settled her on one thigh and opened the door, stepping across the threshold into the foyer. The air inside was much cooler but didn’t ease the heat between her thighs.
“No! I’m fine. Once I get some water in me I’ll be like new.” There was no way she could see a doctor and risk Nix finding out about her secret. She wasn’t ready. The ranch depended upon her and telling him about the baby would only complicate things. “Once I’m feeling a little better, I’ll be back out on the land.”
“Like hell you will. You’ll take the day off,” Nix said through tight lips as he lowered her to the couch.
“We have work to do.”
“Correction. The hands and I have work to do. You need to rest and get your energy back.”
She looked up into his concerned expression. “You’re here to show me the ropes, right?” He nodded in answer. “I won’t learn anything here on my couch. Truly, I’ll be okay.”
Nix studied her. “Woman, you’re as feisty as your father. No wonder you two butt heads.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
His grin reached in and ticked her insides. “I’m getting you some water. Stay put.” He wiggled his finger at her.
“Yes, sir.” She smiled widely.
“How about something to eat too? It’ll help get your energy back.”
“Come to think of it, I could use something.” Melly tilted her chin. “Does that mean you’re offering to make something?”
“I’m not completely inept.” He winked.
“There are makings for ham sandwiches. Why don’t you make us both lunch?”
He looked at her, brows lifted. “You want me to stay?” He removed his hat and dropped it to the coffee table. His hair was cut recently and he was missing some of his natural waves, but it was the sparkle in his warm eyes that got her.
Asking him to stay probably wasn’t the most logical thing, but if he was offering to prepare lunch, how rude would she be to show him the door? However, there was a sliver—or rather an ocean—of her that wanted him to stay for completely different reasons. Could she put aside her raging libido to eat a sandwich in a platonic setting? “I’m inviting you to have lunch with me. If you’re preparing it, I couldn’t possibly ask you to leave. But we must agree that you keep your hands to yourself.”
“Are you sure it’s not your restraint you’re more worried about?” Dimples bracketed his dreamy grin. She was a bit dizzy sitting in front of him, faced with his tanned, incredible looks, alluring blue eyes and wicked smile. His words were said in a sexy, casual drawl that reminded her of a trickle of water flowing over the rock-bed of a creek. All these enticing attributes were wrapped up in a tall, masculine, wonderful cowboy. The benefit, he knew his way around a woman’s body—around a woman’s heart. Making him a dangerous force. He shifted, stretching his worn Wranglers across thick thighs and her senses were stoked by an image…smooth saddle and a good ride. Without the horse.
Resisting the urge to fan her face, she hoped her voice worked. “I have to remind you that on the horse my hands were innocently in my lap and yours were misbehaving, as well as your mouth.”
Hunger flitted across his face, and that grin, the one that sent her near an invisible edge, deepened. “Can’t argue that one. So, if I’m staying to eat, I need to rinse off. I was mucking the stalls earlier. Do you have an outdoor hose?”
An image of him shirtless with the hose over his head, water trickling down his body certainly could make her tremble. “I have something better. A bathroom with running water,” she teased.
“I couldn’t use it.”
“Why not? Too modern for a cowboy such as yourself?”
“If you don’t mind. I won’t be long.”
“Up the stairs and fourth door on your left. Towels are on the shelf.”
After he grabbed a bottle of water and uncapped it for her, he excused himself and went upstairs.
The second he was out of sight, Melly jumped up, feeling much better, and hurried to the wall mirror and looked at her reflection. Just as she figured. Her unruly hair had tight curls, even a piece of straw was sticking in the mess. She plucked it out and went for a finger combing, but it didn’t work much. Thankfully her skin had some color since she’d been on the ranch because otherwise she was certain she be flushed with the pink of excitement.