Surrender to Temptation (6 page)

“Yes, you did.”

“Chase is all talk and no bite. Even as a child, he’d promise to put bugs on Jade’s bed if he ever caught her in his room, but he never went through with it. In fact, he was the one she went to when she needed to talk and Lex wasn’t around. Even Ashley…”

As Mrs. B went down memory lane, Nikki recalled her video conference with the Fitzgeralds. First was Mo, then the mother, next came the boys—Lex and Baron—and finally Jade and two women. She had been impressed by the length the family had gone to get her vetted before she was given the contract.

“But when he turns on the charm… watch out!” Mrs. B said, chuckling. “So what can I do for you, dear?”

Nikki focused on the housekeeper and her computer dilemma. “I was wondering if the mail is delivered daily to the ranch.”

“Oh yes. Why?”

“A friend plans to mail me a few things I forgot. What’s the full address of the ranch?” Sally gave her a weird look before scribbling down the address on a notebook. Nikki could just imagine what she was thinking—she should have asked Chase for the address. Fact was, she’d needed a breather from her gorgeous host.

“Dinner is at seven, so bring your appetite,” Mrs. B said after giving Nikki the piece of paper with the address.

“Thank you.” Nikki left the kitchen and hurried to the stairs, her eyes going to the door of the den. Was Chase in there? Even thinking about him made her heart trip in her chest.

Back upstairs, Nikki pulled out her cell phone and dialed Amelia’s number. It was picked up after a ring.

“About time you called,” Amelia scolded. “I was worried. How’s the ranch? Met any hot cowboys?”

“It’s beautiful and spacious, and I have an amazing view from my bedroom.”

“The cowboys, woman. I want to know about the cowboys.”

Nikki laughed. “I met one. Winston. He’s an absolute doll, but he’s old enough to be my grandfather. I need a favor, Amelia.”

“You will call me when you meet a drool-worthy guy, won’t you? If this is a dude ranch, there’s bound to be a few around.”

Nikki already met one, and he was full of himself. “Sure, Ms. One-track-mind. About the favor. My mother removed my laptop from its case and—”

Amelia laughed. “Love your mother. Happy to know I’m not the only one who thought you needed to unplug.”

“Amelia—”

“You are on vacation, not a business trip, Nikki.”

Nikki ground her teeth. “I need it to stay in touch with Surita.”

“Use your phone.”

“Not the same. Please, just mail the laptop.”

“But your mother—”

“Don’t you dare jump on her bandwagon! Do you know what she did to my clothes?” Amelia was laughing hard by the time Nikki finished. “It’s not funny.”

“Actually, it is. Me think the cowboys are in for some sexy city slicker outfits.”

Nikki rolled her eyes. “Thanks for enjoying my predicament. I’m going to look ridiculous, which reminds me. Throw in a couple pairs of jeans, T-shirts, and a pair of sneakers, and I’ll love you forever.” She couldn’t create Chase’s website without the software on her laptop. “Please. I don’t want to ask Surita, but I will if you blow me off. Then I’ll make you suffer when I get back, and you are so not going to like it.”

“Okay, okay, no need to go postal on my ass. Unplugging is good for the soul, you know. Try it sometime. How soon do you want it?”

“Yesterday.”

Amelia sighed. “You’re addicted to electronics, Nikki Savoy. Why can’t you do what normal girls do on vacation?”

“What is that?”

“Find a guy, have cheap, meaningless sex, and forget about him when you return home.”

“Oh, you are so bad.” Even as the words left her mouth, Chase’s words rang in her head. She imagined herself sneaking into his bedroom and having her way with him. The problem was he wasn’t the forgettable type. Nikki gave Amelia the Eagles Hill address then added, “Mail it overnight. Call me once you do, so I know it’s on its way.”

“You have trust issues, you know that? And FYI, cheap, meaningless sex, or in your case riding some cowboy, would make you a little less anal, missy.”

“I’m not anal, but I have to go get ready for dinner.”

“Ooh, I can just imagine. Beef jerky, beans, and bread and drinking whatever poison goes for wine from a canteen while singing
Home on the Range
.”

Nikki chuckled. “This is an upscale horse-breeding ranch, not Girl Scout camp, smartass. Talk to you tomorrow.”
 

Putting the phone down, Nikki stripped and entered the bathroom for a quick shower. Blow-drying her thick mane took forever, so she had little time left for anything else. She grabbed the first skirt at the top of the pile, which hugged her hips and came to just above her knees. The top that went with it wasn’t any less appropriate, but she had no time to whine about it. She applied makeup, slipped on sandals, and left the room.

Heading downstairs, she felt a little self-conscious. What if Chase hadn’t changed and still wore his jeans? She’d look completely ridiculous over-dressed. Her obsession with how she looked disappeared when Chase appeared in the foyer.

Her breath caught.

He’d changed into a dress shirt and khaki pants. His hair was still wet. The man was too beautiful for words, totally delectable.

As though he’d heard her, he turned and gave her a slow perusal, a heated glint entering his eyes. Nikki’s feet faltered. The sexy smile that curled his lips had her gripping the banister. She swallowed and watched him warily as he sauntered to the foot of the stairs and waited.

“You look beautiful,” he said, his voice low and smoky.

Nikki blinked, surprise and pleasure coursing through her. “Thank you,” she said.

He chuckled. “You had to think about my compliment before responding?”

“Actually, I was thinking about something else entirely.”

“Woman, you are chipping at my ego.”

“How?”

“By thinking about something else in my presence.” He offered her his arm, and once again, she hesitated. He sighed. “I don’t bite, you know. Or smell. I just showered.”

She laughed and took his arm.

“What were you thinking about?” he asked, his voice low and intimate.

“You won’t like it,” she said.

“Try me.”

She rearranged her thoughts as they entered the dining room with its bi-pyramidal chandelier. The ten-chair elliptical dining table was laden with platters of food. Two bottles of red wine were by a pitcher of water.

“If you waited at the foot of the stairs for your previous web designers and complimented them, you can’t blame them for sneaking into your room.”

He pulled out a chair for her, waited until she sat, and said in low voice, “Does that mean you are planning on it?”

“No-ooo. I don’t sneak. If I want a guy, I let him know.”

He chuckled. “I didn’t compliment them or escort them to dinner.”

Nikki looked at him over her shoulder and caught the naughty grin on his face. He was so close and tempting that she had to force herself to turn away.

“Then what was that back there?” She waved toward the foyer.

“That was me apologizing for being rude to you earlier when you arrived. I was much nicer to the others.” He finally moved from behind her chair, took the chair across from hers, and indicated the table. “Mrs. B outdid herself, so you must try everything. We have roasted glazed ham, roast beef, smoked salmon, pasta salad with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives, and stuffed manicotti with ricotta and spinach.” He pointed to a wooden serving bowl. “Caesar salad, grilled vegetables, fresh bread, and herb butter. For desert we have sponge cake layered with Bavarian cream and berries and, of course, fresh fruit salad.”

“But there are only two settings. Aren’t Winston and Mrs. B joining us?”

“No. This is for us.”

It was a lot of food for two people.

Her expression must have mirrored her thoughts because Chase added, “I have a healthy appetite.”

Nikki’s stomach growled. She’d been too nervous about her trip to eat anything since breakfast and even that had been a piece of toast. They dug in.

She’d died and gone to food heaven. Flavors exploded in her mouth, and since she wasn’t a picky eater and Chase kept asking her to try every dish, she sampled everything. He was right about his appetite. He didn’t shove food in his mouth either. He savored every scoop, making eating seem sensual.

“Your uncle was right,” Nikki said after finishing the last piece on her plate. “Mrs. B is an amazing cook.”

“Thank you.”

Nikki cocked her eyebrows. “The compliment belongs to Mrs. B, not you, Fitzgerald.”

“But she uses my recipes.” He sipped his wine, leaned back against his chair, and grinned. “I can tell you all the spices she put in every dish.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Ye of little faith. Choose a dish.” He leaned forward.

She studied the near-empty dishes. “Glazed ham.”

“To refresh my taste buds.” He forked a piece from his plate, placed it in his mouth, and closed his eyes as he chewed. “Ground ginger, tarragon, cinnamon, black pepper, freshly ground garlic, salt, and brown sugar for glazing.”

“Salmon.”

He didn’t taste it this time. “Sprinkled dill, lemon-pepper, and garlic powder on the salmon then marinated it for an hour in a mixture of brown sugar, chicken broth, canola oil, soy sauce, and green onions. The pieces were then grilled over medium heat, skin side down, after adding slices of lemons and onions. The result is tender and flaky with a savory taste.”

Nikki sat back when he finished. “You should open one of your restaurants in San Diego. People would book months in advance to eat like this.” The light in his eyes dimmed. “What is it?”

“I’m done with the restaurant business.”

Nikki’s heart thumped loudly in her ears. From his grim expression, this wasn’t a favorite topic, but she couldn’t pass up on the opening. “Why?”

Chase shrugged. “I lost interest. I like new challenges. The ranch is my new venture.” He smirked. “So tell me about you, Nikki Savoy. Why a web design business?”

“I wanted to be my own boss.”

“Didn’t like taking orders, huh?” he teased.

She laughed. “You could say that, although I once dreamed of dazzling the art world with my pieces.”

“What happened?” He studied her from above his wine glass. “You don’t look like the type to give up on anything, not if it matters.”

Nikki shrugged. “It’s a long, boring story.

He sipped his drink. “We’re not going anywhere, so bore me.”

She sighed. “Okay. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. When I finished high school, I wanted to major in fine art, but, uh, my parents convinced me it wasn’t a sensible career choice. The way they saw it, artists ended up broke, living in their parents’ basement or some dingy apartment while trying to make ends meet.” Chase’s eyes grew fierce as she talked. “They, uh, suggested I try education instead,” she finished.

The anger was gone from Chase’s face, but he didn’t mask his annoyance. “I have a few artists in my family who would disagree with your parents. Did you major in education?”

“No, I didn’t want to be a teacher, so I went into nursing, graduated, and got a job at a private hospital.”

Chase’s eyes narrowed. “You are a nurse?”

“Part-time.”

His lips tightened. “Does my uncle know?”

“He should. It was in the resume I gave his firm. During my interview, your mother seemed more interested in my nursing career than my web design business.”

Chase muttered something under his breath that sounded like, “Damn family.”

“Is that a problem?” Nikki asked.

The corner of his lips lifted in a derisive smile. “No. More wine?”

She covered her glass with her hand. “No, thanks.”

He drained his glass and leaned back in his seat. “So how did a nurse become a web designer?”

Nikki explained how she took evening classes in computer graphics and how a website gift to her best friend, Amelia, opened doors for her. He hadn’t lied about being a good listener. He even asked the right questions. She finished with, “So I get to express myself artistically when I design websites and work part time as a nurse.”

“Sounds like you found the perfect solution. Is your mother happy with your choices?”

Nikki smiled. Her mother wasn’t going to be happy until Nikki got married.

“Yeah, Mom’s happy and I’m happy. But we really should be discussing what you want for the website, not me.”

He dismissed her words with a wave of his hand. “There’s time for that. I want to know more about you.” He leaned closer, his eyes not shifting from her face. “When do you have time for fun or to meet
your
type of guy? Unless, of course, he’s the kind who does the same things you do. You know, take care of injured people during the day and work on computers afterhours. I heard that Skype dinners are the rage now.”

Nikki laughed. Her last boyfriend had loved to Skype and Facetime. “Don’t mock virtual dinners, Fitzgerald. Many relationships have been saved because of Skype.” Or destroyed as was in her case.