“Before,” she repeated, “I didn’t have many good role models in my family for solid relationships, so I came up with my own rules.”
“Rules?” And his mind was racing with all sorts of possibilities.
“Not naughty rules,” she clarified, obviously noticing his expression. “I decided I wouldn’t get serious with a man until I’d met his family and had celebrated a one-year anniversary with him. I got close a few times, but I held out, waiting for that anniversary celebration. I figured if I waited, then I’d really know this guy and that I wouldn’t make the same mistakes as the rest of my family.”
“But from what you’ve told me, in some ways your marriage was a mistake,” he pointed out.
“It was in a lot of ways. I didn’t wait for the anniversary celebration with Louis. I should have.” She made a small sound of dismissal. “But then, I got William. I’d repeat those mistakes a thousand times over just to get him.”
Nick felt the same way about Joseph.
She turned toward him, her jeans whispering against the carpet. “What about you? What are your rules for a relationship?”
The question didn’t stick in his mind right away because the shift in posture made her blouse gape a bit, and Nick could see her extremely low-cut bra.
“Rules for relationship?” he repeated. “Cowboys don’t really have those kind of rules. It clashes with our otherwise manly images.”
He winked at her.
“No rules whatsoever?” Her mouth quivered as if she were fighting back a smile.
“Well, other than a drunk woman is off-limits and no playing around with friends’ exes.” He couldn’t resist. Nick slipped his index finger under her neckline and traced the top of her breast. She moaned her pleasure. “But I suppose it wouldn’t be smart for a rancher to get involved with a woman who was afraid of cows or horses. So, I guess that’s a rule.”
She stiffened slightly. “I’m afraid of horses.”
Nick pulled back a little so he could study her face to see if she was joking or telling the truth. “Really?”
She nodded. “When I was a kid, I was riding a horse at my cousin’s farm, and it threw me. Broke my arm. Horses are definitely not in my comfort zone.” Her forehead bunched up. “So, does that mean you can’t have a relationship with me?”
“It means,” he said, pausing. “We might have to rethink our rules.”
She smiled, and man, what a smile it was. It lit up her whole face, and Nick suddenly wanted nothing more than to taste that smile. To taste her.
So he did.
He lowered his head, put his mouth to hers and took everything that he wanted from her. Well, maybe not
everything.
But he knew a kiss would have to do.
She tasted better than her smile looked. And that was saying something. Nick savored that taste. It went through him like expensive whiskey. It must have had a similar effect on Kelly because she moved closer and closer until she was right up against him.
Even though the French kisses had ignited that roaring blaze inside them, everything seemed to slow down. The air became hot and thick. His pulse thudded to an easy rhythm that seemed as old as time. It was as if this kiss could go on forever.
Kelly broke away, gasping for breath. But as soon as she had recovered, she went back for more.
Nick slid his hands around her back, mainly so he wouldn’t be tempted to start taking off her clothes. Kelly’s palms went against his chest, adding just a small amount of space between them. Just enough so that her breasts weren’t touching his chest. And the kisses continued.
Mercy, did they ever continue.
They made love to each other with their mouths until the heat began to create an urgency inside him. That was the problem with a good kissing session. If it was done right—and they were definitely doing it right—then the body eventually began to clamor for more.
Kelly shifted slightly, lowering her hands from his chest to his hips, and leaned forward. Nick did, too. It wasn’t a good idea since they were trying to hold back, but he didn’t even try to stop himself.
Then he did something totally stupid.
He pulled Kelly into his lap. And she went willingly.
There it was. The body-to-body fit that he knew he should have avoided. Because when Kelly landed in his lap, her sex also landed right against his erection. A perfect fit.
Nick went from feeling flames to being engulfed by an inferno. He sucked in his breath and grunted, which she seemed to take as an invitation to do more.
She turned, moving her legs until they straddled his hips.
“This won’t go anywhere,” she said.
Yeah, right. Other than seeing massive stars and having his heartbeat deafen him, his body was starting to veto his brain, and his erection was already begging for him to strip off her jeans and take her right there. To hell with the consequences.
“You’re a great kisser,” she whispered.
Nick’s mind was a cloudy mess of raunchy thoughts. “Ditto. But you give a pretty darn good lap dance, too.”
She pulled back slightly and smiled. Not an embarrassed smile, either. It was as naughty and raunchy as the thoughts racing through his head.
Though there were two layers of jeans and underwear separating them, Kelly did a nice little slippery slide that made him believe that clothes were not a barrier. He wasn’t fast enough to stop her from doing it a second time.
His eyes crossed. He was ready to beg for mercy. And that’s why he caught her hips to stop her from more of the sweet torture.
They sat there pressed against each other. Man, he wanted her bad. He wanted to unzip her, peel off those jeans, slide into the welcoming heat of her body and move hard and deep inside her.
“Does this mean we’re quitting?” Her breath was fast and uneven, and she didn’t sound as if she wanted to stop.
But Nick knew they couldn’t continue. Even through the thick haze of passion, he was aware of that.
He wanted to suggest that they go elsewhere, but as hungry for her as he was—and he was hungry—Nick knew that dragging her off to bed wasn’t a great idea. After all, just that morning gunmen had gotten onto the ranch. They had a deputy standing guard, but it probably wasn’t a good idea to leave the babies alone.
Especially since Eric was going to come after Joseph.
That was all he needed, in order to accept that nothing sexually satisfying was going to happen tonight. He wouldn’t rule out future nights, though. In fact, he was certain that he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off Kelly much longer. Judging from the sexually charged look she was giving him, she obviously felt the same.
“We’re quitting,” he mumbled, cursing with frustration.
Kelly groaned. She brushed a kiss on his mouth and moved off him, and he felt the loss immediately. She’d felt damn good against him, and he couldn’t help but wonder just how much better it could get.
He didn’t want to know. Not now anyway. Now he needed to get his body and mind off Kelly and her extremely effective lap dance.
Nick forced himself to move. He locked the nursery door and grabbed some of the floor pillows and an extra crib blanket.
“Get some sleep,” he insisted.
He got down next to her, pulled her against him so they were spooning. Definitely not face-to-face. He didn’t need to be tempted to kiss her again. Kelly settled against him, and he prayed she would indeed get some sleep.
Nick wouldn’t. Not a chance.
As Kelly drifted off, he silently checked the slide holster in the back of his jeans to make sure his gun would be easy to get to if he needed it.
When Nick heard the soft creak, he snapped to a sitting position and went for his gun. Thankfully, he didn’t actually draw the weapon before he realized what made that sound.
It was Joseph.
He’d pulled himself up in the crib, and while he gripped the railing, his alert gaze landed on Nick.
Joseph grinned.
Nick was almost positive that he grinned back. Though he couldn’t be sure of what he was doing. His heart kicked into overdrive, and it felt too big for his chest.
Kelly got up as well, probably because Nick’s reach for his gun had startled her, but she soon smiled when she realized what was going on.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” she greeted. Kelly stood, gently took Joseph from the crib and brought him onto the floor with them.
Joseph immediately climbed out of her arms and toddled toward Nick. Nick soon figured out why. Joseph was interested in his watch. He wasn’t quiet about it, either. He babbled and tugged at the band, which woke William, who stood and began to clamor to get out of his crib. Kelly obliged, and Nick watched the magic happen when she took him in her arms.
Kelly drew William to her chest for a long hug.
Nick wanted to hang on to the priceless moment. Kelly holding William, Joseph in his lap. But unfortunately it only lasted a few seconds before there was a tap at the door. Nick reluctantly got up and unlocked it and faced Greta.
“Sorry to bother you, sir,” she said peeking in at them. “But you have visitors.”
Nick checked his watch. It was barely 8:00 a.m. “Who is it?”
“Paula Barker and Todd Burgess,” Greta supplied. “Ms. Barker phoned about a half hour ago and said she wanted to see you this morning. I told her you were sleeping in and that I didn’t want to disturb you just yet. Guess I didn’t make it clear enough about the non-disturbing part, because she and Mr. Burgess showed up anyway. I have them in the sitting room. They say they must speak to you right away.”
Nick groaned. What the heck did they want this time of morning? Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.
Greta’s gaze landed on Kelly. “
You
have a visitor, as well. Mr. Denny Russell. He said he’s a close friend of yours, so I let him in.”
That instantly alarmed Nick. “Russell’s in the house?” he asked.
Greta nodded. “In your office.”
Nick wanted to kick himself. He should have instructed his staff not to allow Denny Russell anywhere on the grounds and especially not inside the house. Not until he had the full background check he’d requested on the man that was likely waiting in Cooper’s office. Nick would get that report before he met with his unwanted visitors.
Kelly handed William to Greta. “I’ll get dressed and see what he wants.”
“Not without me, you won’t,” Nick insisted. He turned to the nanny. “Call Zeke for me. I want him armed and outside my office. I also want a surveillance camera on Denny Russell until I can get in there. If Russell makes one wrong move, I want Zeke to call 911 and get the sheriff out here to arrest the man.”
Kelly stared at him. “You really think Denny’s dangerous?”
“We can’t take the chance that he isn’t.”
B
Y THE TIME
Kelly hurriedly dressed and headed out of her bedroom, she was a bundle of raw nerves. With this impromptu early-morning visit and Nick’s cautious reaction, Kelly figured trouble could be just around the corner.
Nick was waiting for her just outside her suite door. He’d changed his clothes, as well, putting on jeans and a black shirt. He hadn’t shaved, and that dark stubble made him look even more lethal than he usually did.
“I’d rather you not meet with Russell,” Nick commented.
Kelly merely lifted her eyebrow. This meeting wasn’t negotiable. She started down the hall, and Nick followed her.
As they approached Nick’s office, she saw Zeke. The elderly ranch hand was in the open doorway, and he was indeed armed. He stepped to the side so that they could enter.
Nick went in first, naturally.
Though she’d held her ground about seeing Denny, Kelly had no plans to try to talk Nick out of his strong-arm mentality. Even though Denny was her friend and her late husband’s former partner, Kelly wasn’t in a trusting mood.
“Lattimer,” Denny practically snarled. He put his hands on his hips. Definitely a defensive stance. “I came to see Kelly for a
private
conversation.”
Nick didn’t say a word, but his posture and expression said it all. He wasn’t leaving.
“Why did you come, Denny?” Kelly asked.
Denny started toward her, but Nick blocked the man from getting too close. Kelly had to step to the side just so she could see Denny’s face. Except his gaze was pinned on Nick.
They were a study in opposites. Denny with his sandy-blond military-cut hair. He was at least four inches shorter than Nick and bulkier. And while it was obvious that Denny was upset, his intensity level was nowhere near Nick’s. Of course, not many people could ever match that level.
“I came because I’m worried about you,” Denny explained. There was indeed some worry and concern in his dark-brown eyes. Plus, he looked rumpled and tired as if he hadn’t slept. “And because I wanted to know how you were handling…things.”
“You mean the lab results,” Kelly provided. And she had to ask herself, how was she handling it? Probably not very well. She was a basket case and was getting emotionally involved with the man who would no doubt soon challenge her for custody of not only Joseph but William.
“I also mean the shooting,” Denny continued. “The sheriff called and asked if I had an alibi.”
“Do you?” Nick immediately asked.
“No.” Denny’s jaw and teeth clinched so tightly that she was surprised he could speak. “But that doesn’t mean I’d fire shots at Kelly.”
Kelly believed him, maybe because she wanted to.
But Denny had omitted any assurance that he wouldn’t fire shots at Nick. She tried to imagine him doing something like that, but she just couldn’t see him trying to kill anyone, especially if his motive was simply jealousy.
“I told Nick about the lab results,” Kelly admitted to Denny. “I decided it wasn’t a good idea for there to be secrets and lies between us. Not with so much at stake.”
Oh, Denny did not like that. The displeasure coursed through his entire body, and his shoulders squared. “You trust Lattimer now?”
“Yes.” And she didn’t even have to think about it. She trusted him with her son. With her life. With her…she refused to finish that thought. She was already in enough trouble without adding romantic emotions to the mix. “Look, I’m safe here—”
“Safe! Safe?” Denny repeated. “How can you say that? You’re not safe—someone shot at you.”
“True, but Joseph and I are safer here than we would be anywhere else.”
“That’s not saying much. Kelly, I can take care of you and Joseph.” His voice softened considerably, and he held out his hand to her. “Please give me the chance to do that.”
The sigh that left her mouth was loud and long.
“Kelly and Joseph don’t need you to protect them,” Nick snarled. “If you’re truly her friend, then my suggestion is stay away from her until I can resolve the situation.”
Denny slid his gaze in Nick’s direction. “You mean with your brother?”
Nick didn’t answer. Instead, he checked his watch. “I have other guests waiting for me. Zeke will show you out.”
But Denny didn’t leave. He reached out and took Kelly’s arm. “Come with me. Please.”
Kelly eased out of Denny’s grip. “I can’t.”
Zeke stepped into the room, and it was his turn to grab Denny’s arm. “The boss man said it’s time to go, and that means you’re going.”
Denny ignored the man and kept his attention on her. “Don’t you see? Nick Lattimer is dangerous, Kelly. He’ll get you killed.”
Then, with far more force than required, Denny flung off Zeke’s grip and stormed out. Zeke followed to make sure he didn’t backtrack.
Silence soon followed the conversational storm they’d just endured. Kelly wasn’t sure what to say, but she started with the obvious. “I’m not sure it’s necessary to treat Denny like a criminal.”
“It is,” Nick assured her. He took a folded piece of paper from the back pocket of his jeans. “This is the summary of a background check that I had Cooper run on Russell. I got it out of his office while you were dressing. Just how much do you know about his last days as a cop?”
She waited a moment so she could give that some thought. Kelly wasn’t comfortable with where her thoughts led her. “I don’t know much. He left SAPD a couple of weeks after Louis was killed.”
“He didn’t leave. He was forced to resign after an internal affairs investigation was launched into his conduct. The police thought Russell might have had something to do with your husband’s death, but the evidence was inconclusive. Well, inconclusive about his being involved in the death. But they were able to prove that Russell interfered with the investigation by intimidating an informant into not testifying. In fact, the informant went into hiding and never resurfaced. That was enough for the police to demand Russell’s resignation, but there wasn’t enough hard evidence to officially charge him with a crime.”
Her breath vanished. Sweet heaven, was it true? “Why didn’t someone tell me?”
Nick shook his head. “I don’t know. But until I find out more, I want you stay away from Russell. I don’t want him in this house, and I don’t want him around you.”
She managed to nod. But she didn’t want to stay away from Denny. Kelly wanted to run after him. She wanted to force him to tell her what’d happened. God. Had he really had some part in Louis’s death?
She felt the tears threaten and knew that Nick didn’t need her to cry on his shoulder again. She blinked hard, willing herself to keep her composure.
“I need some coffee,” she said. Or maybe a shot of whiskey. Something to steady her nerves. “You go ahead and have your meeting with Paula and Todd.”
He cupped her chin, lifted it and studied her eyes. “You’ll be okay?”
“Of course,” she lied.
But Kelly got out of there as quickly as she could and practically ran to her suite. She shut the door, buried her face in her hands and sank to the floor.
The memories of Louis’s death came back to her like bullets. Brutal clips of information. The lieutenant coming to her door at two in the morning. One look at his face, and Kelly had known that Louis was dead. A drug bust gone bad, he’d said. Kelly hadn’t asked for details. She feared each slam of bad news would put the fragile life that she was carrying inside her at risk.
The lieutenant had helped with funeral arrangements. Heck, he’d brought over a deli tray and phoned numerous times to ask how she was doing.
But he hadn’t mentioned one thing about Denny being involved in Louis’s death.
Looking back, the one person who’d been absent in those hours following Louis’s death was Denny. In fact, it’d been days, maybe even weeks before he’d called her or come by to visit. Kelly hadn’t thought much of it then.
Had Denny’s friendship with her been spurred by guilt? She refused to believe he’d intentionally harmed Louis. But then…her mind went where she didn’t want it to go. Denny had always been attracted to her. She’d known that on some deep level and had dismissed it because she was a married woman. What if Denny hadn’t?
God.
What if he’d “removed” Louis from the picture with the hopes that he could get together with her? And now what if Denny was trying to do the same to Nick?
The sound of voices interrupted her thoughts. She stood and spotted the video baby monitor next to her bed. But the video feed wasn’t coming from the nursery. The screen showed Nick’s office. She walked closer and saw Nick in his meeting with Paula and Todd, the agents from the Justice Department. Nick had asked Greta to put a surveillance camera on Denny while he was in Nick’s office, and someone had obviously forgotten to turn it off.
Kelly reached to turn off the monitor, but then she heard something that stopped her cold.
“This is our chance to finally get Eric,” Todd said. “We have proof that he’s been trying to assassinate a rival business associate—Marcus Durham.”
“I know Marcus,” Nick said. “We’re old acquaintances. But I had no idea that Eric wants him dead.” He shrugged. “Still, it doesn’t surprise me. Marcus and Eric have clashed often on business deals. I’m sure Eric would do just about anything to prevent future opposition.”
“And that’s why we’re here,” Todd continued. “Like you, Marcus Durham is assisting the Justice Department with collecting information. We need him alive.”
She watched as Nick shook his head. “I understand, but you still haven’t said what you want me to do.”
Todd opened his mouth, but Paula interrupted before he could answer.
“FYI, I didn’t agree with this plan when our boss came up with it, and I don’t agree with it now. It’s too dangerous. Todd and I don’t think you should go through with it.” Paula no longer sounded like an agent. Her tone had a frantic, unprofessional edge to it.
Kelly knew she should turn off the monitor. This was a private conversation. But she couldn’t make herself do it. After all, this concerned her, too.
“What’s the plan?” Nick pressed.
“Our boss intends to plant information that Durham is about to seal a very lucrative deal that would seriously hurt Eric financially. The deal involves Durham’s buy out of three companies that Eric needs for the manufacture and distribution of his heavy construction equipment. Durham will let Eric know that once he’s the owner, he won’t be doing business with him. Without those companies, Eric’s construction equipment business will fail, and he’ll lose over fifty percent of his income. That’ll be the impetus to make Eric want to kill Durham even more.”
“Maybe,” Nick agreed. “But Eric will still need the opportunity to get to Marcus.”
“And our boss wants you to create that opportunity,” Todd explained. He wasn’t frantic like his partner, but there was concern in his voice. “The Justice Department wants you to host a party for Marcus Durham so he can announce his engagement. We want Eric to believe he can use the occasion to come after Durham—especially since Eric hasn’t been able to get around the elaborate security at Durham’s estate.”