Surrender to Temptation (20 page)

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Authors: Ednah Walters

Tags: #Romance, #Contemporary

BOOK: Surrender to Temptation
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“Twenty more minutes.” She grabbed his shirt and kissed him back.

“The rolls should be ready in half-an-hour.” He picked up a sharp knife, sprayed it with oil, and made several slashes on the surface of each mound. He lifted the first tray, reached to open the oven, and froze. His jaw flexed. He yanked the oven door and shoved the tray inside. She’d kill to watch him prepare an entire meal. Nikki handed him the second one when he could have walked away. Rolls in the oven, he stepped back and made a beeline for the door as though running.

“Tell the guys lunch will be ready in forty-five minutes,” she called out.

He stopped and looked back at her, a weird expression on his face.

She cocked her brow. “Yes?”

“Thank you.”

Nikki frowned, not sure whether he was thanking her for helping out with lunch or bringing him back to the kitchen. Instead of going outside, he headed toward the living room. Nikki checked at her watch. There was plenty of time.

***

Chase’s heart was still pounding when he reached upstairs. He wasn’t sure whether working alongside Nikki was the cause or just being in the kitchen. Whatever it was, it made him feel wired.

He splashed water on his face and heard movements behind him. He looked up, his eyes meeting Nikki’s in the mirror. The way her eyes ran over his body told him she wanted him. When she closed the bathroom door, he turned.

“Nikki—”

“Don’t say another word.” She pulled her sundress over her head and let it drop, a naughty smile on her lips. She put a familiar silver foil between her teeth then, moving slowly, shimmied her thong over her generous hips. In seconds, she stood in front of him in all her glory. Her skin all golden and smooth, generous breasts plump and inviting. God, she was gorgeous, all curves and dips, heat and sweetness.

He was toast.

A different fever burned in his veins as he closed the gap between them. He removed the condom foil from between her teeth and cupped her face, crushing her lips with his. She grabbed his shirt and pulled, buttons flying.

He wasn’t complaining, but whatever pushed her button, he wanted more of it. He cupped her breasts, trailed kissed down her neck, but she wasn’t about taking it slow. She yanked at his belt, undid his pants, and pushed them down. She wrapped her hand around his erection and squeezed.

“Nikki, what—”

“The bread will be out of the oven in twenty-five minutes, so let’s try less talking, Chef Fitzgerald.” She pushed him back until he sat on the toilet lid. Straddling him, still standing, she took the condom from his fingers and removed the foil.

“You are truly magnificent,” she whispered sheathing him. “Some may even say gifted.”

His mouth was dry, and every cell in his body focused on her. He had nothing to do with how endowed he was, but if she didn’t mind, he was okay with it. He sucked on her nipples, while his hand moved down to squeeze her butt cheeks. He moved to the front, running his fingers between the folds at the apex of her thighs. She was dripping wet.

“Babe, we need to slow down. I need to taste—”

“Oh, I’m ready,” she said.

He closed his hands around her waist as she guided him inside her. He hissed. She felt amazing. Hot. Tight. She started to move, slow at first, then faster. He went back to playing with her nipples as she took control of his body and senses. She was riding him hard, fast, hands braced on his knees, body arched so he could continue suckling and caressing her breasts.

She was close, her movements frenzied and uncoordinated. He gripped her hips, lifting his hips to meet her thrusts. Her eyes grew heavy-lidded, her mouth slack as she panted, her skin glowing.

It was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen, and he wanted the image engraved in his brain forever. She threw back her head and yelled his name. Her walls convulsed around him, triggering his orgasm. He went a little wild. The rush of feelings yanked a cord in his brain and damn near stopped his heart.

He wrapped his arms around her and held on tight as the waves continued to slam through him. He was trembling hard, his lungs hurting, his stomach contracting. At that moment, he knew he didn’t want to let her go. Ever.

She was stroking his hair, murmuring soothing sounds. He loved it when she did that. Stroked his hair. His back. It was soothing yet sensual.

“What happened to bring this on?” he whispered.

She stroked his cheek. “Can’t I rip your clothes off whenever I want?”

“Anytime. As long as you understand I’m allowed to do the same.”

“Deal.” She kissed him deeply. “Just so you know, watching you work magic with your fingers in the kitchen is the greatest turn-on.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah. Crap, the bread.”

“Screw the bread.” He gripped her hips and rocked his hips. He was already becoming hard.

“Later, cowboy. I’m not going anywhere.” She kissed him and slowly stood. She slipped on the sundress and looked around for her thong.

He picked it up from the floor and twirled it around his finger like a trophy. “Are you looking for this?” She tried to grab the thong, but he shoved it into his pocket. His jeans were still around his knees. “Finders keepers.”

“Just remember, I’m going downstairs to remove the bread from the oven and serve your men lunch.” She gave him a slow smile before leaving the bathroom.

Damn it. Knowing she was cruising commando was going to screw with his head. He pulled up his jeans, shrugged on a different shirt, and headed downstairs.

***

                                                           

Mrs. B started to collect the lunch utensils, but Nikki pressed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. “No, you still need to rest. I’ll take care of this.”

Chase picked up his bowl and reached for the trays. All the loaves of bread were gone.

“Not you, too,” Nikki said. “Go back to work. I have this covered.”

He smirked. “Sure you do.”

“Doubting Thomas.” She glanced at Mrs. B. “I let him help me cook bread, and now he thinks I’m inept.”

“I didn’t say that,” Chase protested.

“You implied it.” She pointed at him. “I saw your expression, you… you food snob.”

His eyes twinkled. “You wanted to cook rolls while they were still frozen.”

“I did not, you snitch. Don’t listen to him, Mrs. B. I would have come up with something.”

“Children, stop it!” Mrs. B ordered, but her expression wasn’t stern. “You are giving me a headache on top of my other ailments.”

“Now see what you’ve done,” Nikki reprimanded him, turning to enter the house. She caught the twinkle in Mrs. B’s eyes before the door closed behind her. Seconds later, Chase joined her in the kitchen.

He put the bowls in the sink and turned to watch her as she put the large bowl of leftover chili in the fridge. She glanced over her shoulder and grinned. Bet he was wondering if she was still cruising commando. She wasn’t. “What?”

“You may want to start on the frozen dinner rolls for tonight.”

Trust him to be thinking about food. She threw him a mean look then pulled out a bag of frozen dough and studied the instructions. “Okay. What to do first…”

Chase chuckled, pushed away from the counter, and walked to where she stood. “Do you cook at home?”

Nikki nodded. “Of course. When I’m not eating takeout, I cook boxed, canned, and bagged meals.”

He winced.

She grinned. “Occasional fast food or PB&J doesn’t hurt either.”

He shuddered.
 
“I can’t remember the last time I ate peanut butter and jelly.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing.”

“Oh, believe me, I do.”

“Food snob. It’s a shame really because I was actually beginning to like you.”

“You like me plenty, sweetheart. In the only way that matters.” He stole a kiss, sliding his hand down her hip as though to check that she wore panties. He let her go, took the bag of frozen scones dough, and showed her what to do.

Nikki soaked him in. The man was beyond sexy in the kitchen. Every woman’s fantasy in the flesh, and he was hers. He just finished with half of the dough when the door opened and Mrs. B stepped inside.

“They need you in the barn, dear,” she said, looking at Chase.

“Is it Philly?” he asked.

She nodded. “Tucker thinks she’s going into early labor.”

He raced out of the room. Nikki started to follow, but then she remembered the dough.

“Go with him. I’ll finish here.”

She raced after Chase. Inside the barn, the men were by Philly’s stall. The mare was swishing her tail and kicking at her stomach. Surely, that couldn’t be good.

“How long has she been doing this?” Chase asked as Nikki came to stand by his side.

“She just started,” Mac said.

“We should make sure it’s not colic,” Tucker said.

“Is she drinking and eating?” Chase asked.

“We don’t know yet. I’ll observe her and let you know, boss,” Winston said.

“Is colic bad?” Nikki whispered.

Chase nodded. “Very. It’s an abdominal pain that comes and goes. It is caused by infection in the organs. Spleen. Liver. Urinary tract. Intestinal tract. The horses don’t eat or drink, become gassy and uncomfortable, and can kick and hurt themselves or others when the pain hits them. The worst part is the symptoms are similar to labor, except for the eating and drinking part.”

Chase made a phone call to his uncle and mentioned someone called Dobbs. Within minutes, he was talking to Dobbs. After consulting with Tucker and Winston, Chase chose to stay in the tack room, where he could observe the horse. The foaling stall was in the middle of the barn and had
closed circuit TV monitoring in the tack room.

Nikki kept vigil with him in the tack room, watching Philly on the screen. Even Mrs. B joined them for a little bit before going back into the house. The others continued with their chores but kept coming back to see how the mare was doing.

“She’ll be fine,” Chase said, sounding confident, yet Nikki knew he was worried. “Her sire and dam both come from a line of hardy winners. When I bought her, I had to outbid several national and even international horse breeders. She’s a tough girl.”

“Where and when did you buy her?” Nikki asked.

“At an auction in Ohio last year before my accident.” He frowned. “Did my uncle explain what happened at the restaurant?”

“No.” Knowing the details of that night had ceased to be important. He had suffered enough and deserved justice.

His expression grew thoughtful, and the silence stretched. “Do you want to know?”

Nikki thought about it and then shook her head. She already did, and rehashing the event wasn’t going to do them any good. She wouldn’t beg him not to go after her sister or get angry. Like Mrs. B had said, he’d lost a lot and the person responsible should pay penance. The courts would decide whether Dee was guilty or not, and Nikki would stand by her sister.

“Not if you don’t want to talk about it,” she said.

He stood and walked to the doorway, his eyes on Philly. It was as though seeing the mare on the screen wasn’t enough. He was worried. “I was having dinner with a friend that night. Keira Higgins. Actually, I was going to propose to her.” He frowned. “I went to the office to get the ring when someone knocked me out. I caught a glimpse of one of my employees, Deanna Marshal, before I blacked out. When I came to, the restaurant was on fire and Deanna was arguing with Keira.”

That was news to Nikki. “About what?”

“I don’t know. They sounded incoherent.”

“Did you see the person who hit you?” Nikki whispered, her heart pounding.

Chase walked back to the couch and sat beside her. “No. At first, I thought Deanna had done it, but the expression on her face often bothered me. It wasn’t the expression of a woman out to hurt me. She looked shocked. Also she was too far to have hit me.”

Nikki swallowed. “Did you tell anyone about this?”

“I told the Fire Marshal, but he was convinced Deanna started the fire.”

“Did she?” Nikki’s voice was barely above a whisper.

Chase rubbed her arms. “I don’t know if she started it or not. When I regained consciousness, I called nine-one-one and crawled my way to the kitchen.” His expression grew bleak. “There was smoke and fire everywhere. Keira was out cold, and I couldn’t see Deanna. I assumed she’d left the restaurant. I picked up Keira and started for the door when I heard Deanna scream. I yelled for her to follow my voice.” He let go of Nikki’s arm and rubbed his eyes. “Then the glass surfaces exploded. I was carrying Keira and tried to protect her from the shards.”

“And so you didn’t protect your face,” Nikki murmured.

He nodded. “We were lucky to make it out of there alive. Deanna wasn’t. Her burns were severe. In fact, they didn’t expect her to survive. They put her in an induced coma while they operated on her and allowed her body to heal.”

Nikki’s throat thickened, and tears rushed to her eyes. Not just because he was talking about her sister’s horrifying accident. He almost lost his eyesight that night, and from his voice and expression, the incident still haunted him.

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