Bachelor Auction (16 page)

seconds before her invitation. She couldn’t have

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recovered from her fear so quickly. Which led him to

doubt the sincerity of her invitation. He wondered if

her seductive behavior in the past was her way of

dealing with and hiding insecurities. Up to now he

hadn’t considered she had any. He’d pay closer

attention in the future.

“Mr. Preston, your right hand?”

Marcus stared at the photographer he’d come to

think of as Slick Rick, then down at the tanned

appendage he wanted to touch more than he wanted

to breathe. But he couldn’t move his hand from her

hip, afraid Charlotte would start that infernal

squirming again and discover the exact nature of his

condition.

She twisted to look at him over her shoulder.

“Marcus?” Her worried, green eyes met his then

flared with recognition followed by amusement.

“If I had a beautiful woman like Ms. Reese in my

arms,” the photographer said from behind the

camera, “I wouldn’t have any problem cozying up to

her.”

“Here, let me help you,” Charlotte whispered,

seeming not to notice the guy’s flirtation or the

warning glance Marcus gave him.

She pried his fingers from her hip and placed his

hand on her thigh just below the edge of the ruffled,

denim skirt that had climbed several inches higher

than its already short hem. The smooth skin

beneath his palm was as soft as he remembered.

But, instead of the searing heat he’d stroked last

summer, he felt the icy chill of winter. And no

wonder when the outfit she wore barely covered her.

“Are you cold?”

“A little.”

Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around

her and began rubbing her bare arms. She snuggled

closer, reminding him why he’d avoided touching

her.

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“Mmm,” she murmured. “I’m getting warmer.”

“Now there’s the couple I expected to see.” The

owner of the stable and adjoining western wear

boutique, a statuesque woman in her mid to late

fifties with overly-dyed black hair and thick makeup,

pushed away from the stall door she’d been leaning

against. “I was beginning to wonder if all the rumors

about you two were false. I’d heard you were a hot

new item.”

Marcus frowned, taking in the woman’s jeans,

boots, and thick sweater. “I just don’t see the need

for Charlotte to advertise her body along with your

stable and in clothing not fit for the climate.”

The woman laughed. “Spoken like a jealous

lover.”

He bit his tongue to keep from correcting her.

He’d promised, though he must have been insane at

the time, and he wouldn’t go back on his word.

“But the fact is,” she continued, “sex sells. And I

don’t have the luxury of waiting ‘til it’s warmer. This

layout is going in the January issue of the resort’s

promotional packet for February reservations.”

“You’ll have to forgive Marcus,” Charlotte said,

tilting her head against his shoulder to smile up at

him. “He just doesn’t like to share me with anyone

else. Do you, baby?”

He grunted as she shifted again and dug her

elbow into an area of his belly way too close to

something else. “No, darlin’, I don’t.”

The photographer released a dramatic sigh. “If

you two are finished playing around, I’d like to finish

this sitting. Now, Mr. Preston, do you think you

could show us a little sex appeal instead of that

scowl?”

Marcus tried his best to smooth his frown into

something resembling a smile. Pretending to

pretend. That was a new one. And it took a lot more

concentration than he’d thought.

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“Why don’t you kiss her?” the shop owner asked.

“Mmm, I like that idea.” Charlotte turned to

offer her glossy red lips.

He looked at her mouth and felt his body jerk to

attention. She smiled, telling him she’d felt it too.

God, he wanted to kiss her if only to wipe that smile

off her face.

“Hold it right there. Don’t move.” The camera

began to click and whir. The photographer had

obviously gotten the look he wanted. “Now inch

closer.”

Kissing Charlotte was out of the question. It

would be like pouring gasoline on a match. And he

would be the one going up in flames.

He improvised by burying his face in the crook

of her neck and nuzzling the back of her ear. He

tried not to think about the familiarity of his actions

or the possessiveness behind them. He had a part to

play. And a point to make. “You’re enjoying this

aren’t you?”

“Immensely.” She arched against him, pressing

her butt against his crotch. “I’d enjoy
it
even more if

we were alone.”

Marcus released Charlotte and jumped up so

quickly both the shop owner and the cameraman

blinked in confusion. He rubbed his butt. “Piece of

hay stuck me.”

The woman looked at him as if she didn’t believe

him but nodded. “Okay, next outfit.”

He offered Charlotte a hand up and watched her

disappear behind a curtained area set up in one of

the stalls. The drape hung to her knees, giving him

full view of her slender calves. She stood on one foot

then the other to remove red ankle boots. A second

later, the denim skirt pooled at her feet.

Disgusted with himself, he turned away, only to

discover he wasn’t the only one ogling her legs. Slick

Rick was getting an eyeful. No wonder Charlotte

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thought sex was the only way to get a man’s

attention when every male between the age of

thirteen and ninety-nine stopped whatever they

were doing and stared as soon as she entered a

room.

A rusty chuckle from boutique owner and the

knowing look on her face kept him from suggesting

to the photographer that he keep his eyes in his

head and his mind on business.

“This just gets better and better,” she said.

Snorting, Marcus headed to his own designated

dressing area, determined to get
his
mind off

Charlotte and back on safe territory. Digging in the

jeans he’d worn on the flight, he pulled out his cell

phone and powered it up to check his messages. Both

Chad and Spencer had called; Chad to yank his

chain about Charlotte and Spencer to make sure his

flight went all right since the storm hadn’t let up.

Knowing his family would worry, he speed-

dialed Spencer’s cell number only to get his voice

mail. “The flight was fine, a little bumpy. I’ll have

my phone on except during the photo shoots. Call if

you need anything.”

Against his better judgment, he called Chad. He

lucked out and got his voice mail as well. “Don’t call

me again unless you have something of interest to

say. Later.”

Marcus tossed the phone next to the clothing he

had yet to change into. Two other shirts, one red

flannel plaid, the other similar to the one he had on,

hung on a nail along with a fleece-lined denim

jacket. Another pair of jeans and a pair of corduroys

sat on a stool. Snake-skin boots stood on the floor

beside it, brown calfskin lace-ups next to them.

With a shake of his head, he pulled the curtain

back to ask which outfit he was supposed to wear

next. Instead, he caught another glimpse of

Charlotte’s legs, and his mouth went dry. Then the

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saliva flowed as she used the top of her foot to rub

the back of her other leg.

He slammed his eyes shut, but it was too late.

Images of her foot sliding up the back of his leg then

locking with its mate at the base of his spine played

against the back of his eyelids. He shuddered.

Two more sessions. He didn’t know if he could

make it.

“Oh, Mr. Preston,” the shop owner said, drawing

his attention. “I’d like to offer you and Ms. Reese a

couple of my horses. There’s a nice trail that leads to

a clearing beside the mountain. It’s lovely there.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Charlotte said from

behind the curtain, her voice full of excitement. “I

haven’t ridden in long while.”

A ride alone with Charlotte? No way in hell.

He opened his mouth to decline when she swept

the curtain aside and stepped out wearing a red

leather skirt slung low on her hips and no longer

than mid thigh. Her white blouse had long, puffy

sleeves, but they were sheer, and he’d swear the

bodice covered only enough to keep her from getting

arrested.

She looked at him, a slight smile on her face.

“Unless you’d rather go back to the hotel and get

some...rest.”

“A ride sounds good,” he said and pulled the

drape into place.

As much as he enjoyed the way Charlotte had

snuggled against him on the plane and during the

promo shoot, holding her had to be the dumbest

thing he’d ever done. But being alone with her in a

hotel room bordered on the height of idiocy. On

second thought, that prize belonged to his actions

the night of July Fourth. A night that would forever

haunt him. Long after this weekend had come and

gone and she had forgotten he existed, he would

remember it.

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Darah Lace

And like that night, this weekend would take its

toll. Hell, it already had. There would be no peace for

him these next forty-eight hours. Not when he

could—would be forced to, expected to—hold her soft

body against his. Not when his fingers could delve of

their own free will into her silky moon-kissed mane.

Marcus snorted. And not when his woody

wanted to peck.

****

behind Charlotte’s, his heart beating a mile a

minute in his chest. She turned the mare with ease,

and his breath caught in his throat. He might have

fared better at the hotel.

“I win. You lose,” she said, her voice full of

triumph.

He could have beaten her, won the race by

several lengths. It would have saved him the agony

of watching her writhe in the saddle, hugging the

horse’s sides with her thighs while he imagined her

doing the same to him. He wouldn’t have had to see

her long blonde hair whipping at her back.

She’d been a vision to behold, racing with wild

abandon across the snow-covered meadow, a veil of

white spraying behind her. The laughter in her voice

as she urged her horse onward had held him back,

and the smile on her lovely face now made all his

suffering worthwhile.

“Geez, I haven’t ridden like that in years. I’d

forgotten how exhilarating it can be.”

“I didn’t realize you rode.”

Leaning forward, she rubbed the mare’s neck. “I

wanted to barrel race when I was little. But it wasn’t

dignified enough for my father. He bought me a

jumper instead.”

She murmured something to the horse then

straightened and smiled again. It was a dazzling

smile, like that of a child, completely unguarded,

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totally without guile. He’d never seen her this way

before.

“I got pretty good at it, too. Even won a few

ribbons.” She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.

His gaze delved between the edges of her red goose-

down vest to the open collar of her flannel shirt

designed to match his. The curve of her breasts

peeked over the top of lace-edged long johns. The

shop owner had gifted them with all three

ensembles, and they had opted to remain in the ones

worn during the last session of the promo.

He’d been relieved to see almost every inch of

Charlotte’s body covered, even if the tight fit of the

scarlet jeans did nothing to hide her figure or curb

his hunger.

“But I don’t get to ride much anymore. And

when I do, it’s much more sedate. The kids aren’t

used to riding, but they like it when they get to visit

the stables. Sarah’s taking lessons and actually

coming along nicely. Amy’s a little timid around the