Surrender to Temptation (8 page)

“In various rooms, if that’s okay with you. I was hoping Mrs. B would show me where the vases are. She said you had a few.”

“We sure do. After you.” He indicated that she should walk ahead of him. Smiling weakly at him, she headed toward the foyer. He loved the way her jeans hugged her ass and her long legs. The top didn’t leave much to the imagination either. He reminded himself again that Lex was interested in her, making her off limits.

“Remember what I told you earlier. Wear a hat outdoors,” he added. “The sun here is not like in California.”

“I guess I’ll have to go into town and buy one. Winston told me Dillon was the nearest town.” When he didn’t speak, she looked back at him and caught him staring at her ass. She stopped, her eyes narrowing again.

He grinned, not in the least bit sorry. “It’s about forty-five minutes away. We can drive into town tomorrow if you like.”

“That’s okay, Fitzgerald. If I can borrow a car, I’m sure I can find my way.”

“I’m not letting you drive out here in Montana on your own, Nikki. One wrong turn and you could be lost for hours. I’ll find someone to drive you. In the meantime, Mrs. B can find you a hat. My sister and cousins left a few behind during their last visit. This way.” He pointed to the hallway that led to the back door. When she continued to stare at him, he cocked an eyebrow. “Do you still want the vases?”

She nodded, but she didn’t move. “Lead the way.”

“Ladies first.”

“Never claimed to be one,” she said, still not moving.

Chase chuckled. She hadn’t liked him staring at her ass. He walked past her and entered the hallway. Ahead was the door leading to the kitchen, and to the right was the door to the basement. He glanced over his shoulder before opening it and caught Nikki checking him out. He didn’t mind.

“Enjoying the view?” he teased.

She shot him a challenging smile. “I haven’t decided yet.”

Chase laughed. He liked that smart mouth of hers, liked that she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. Bold and honest? Would she be like that in bed? He really should stop thinking about her that way.

He touched a switch and light flooded the stairs. Downstairs, he flipped another switch and waited for her to catch up, his arm resting on the wooden stair rail. Her hair swayed as she moved down the narrow steps. It was thick and glossy, and the urge to run his hand through it washed over him. Never one to miss a chance, he saw one and took it.

“Just a second,” he said when she reached the last step.

***

Nikki held her breath while he did something to her hair, his expression serious.

“What is it?” Nikki asked.

He showed a piece of a dry leaf. “Were you rolling on the grass?”

Her hand flew to her hair, imagining the worst. “No.”

“Don’t worry. I took care of it.” He stepped back and grinned.

One dry leaf and he’d practically run his fingers through her hair? The man was flirting with her. Again. She wasn’t sure whether he was serious or just playing games. In fact, his unpredictable behavior threw her off.

Was he the arrogant guy she’d met yesterday when she’d arrived, or the charming, flirtatious, and incorrigible host he was quickly morphing into? Whatever the case, she liked his charming side. It might make things easier for her.

“You have beautiful hair,” he added.

“Thank you.” She fought looking into his eyes, which appeared to watch her every reaction. Instead she focused on his hair. Though short on the sides, the longer top was curly and silky. “So do you.”

He grinned. “Want to run your fingers through it? I don’t mind.”

Shaking her head, she turned and faced the room. “So where are…”

Her voice trailed off when she took a proper look at the finished basement. It was an entertainment room with a giant-size screen, comfortable couches, a pool table, a dartboard, and a wet bar. Two doors were visible from where they stood.

“This is beautiful,” I said.

“My cousin’s wife gets all the credit. She did the interior decoration. Ah, here we are.” Chase threw open a cabinet.

Nikki grinned with pleasure at the collection of beautiful blown glass vases displayed inside the cabinet. She picked up one and studied the flawless design.

“Whoever bought these has impeccable taste.” Nikki loved fresh flowers, but she collected vases. Whether they were metal, ceramic, or glass, her home had dozens of vases. Her favorite was blown glass.

She put the basket of roses on a table and pulled out two vases. “Gorgeous. Look at the design, the intricate blend of colors. You should display these in every room.” She placed them by the flowers and reached for two more. “These look like they were inspired by a nebula and a coral reef.” She placed them down and reached for another pair.

“How many do you need?” Chase asked.

He sounded amused. A glance over her shoulder caught an indulgent smile on his lips. “You find my reaction amusing?”

“I’ve never seen anyone show this much passion for vases.”

Nikki laughed at his dry voice. “You should see me at a flea market or an estate sale. It’s kill or be killed. I can outrun, outsmart, and outbid any savvy hunters.”

His brows shot up. “Vase hunters?”

“Oh yeah.” She ignored his skeptical expression. “Vase hunting is a serious business among collectors. Last year, a friend of mine landed in jail for sneaking into a private auction. To Seth, it was so worth it. The worst kind of hunter, of course, is a scalper.”

Chase chuckled. “Is that like ticket scalping?”

“Worse.”

Chase chuckled. “Now I know you’re joking.”

“I’m not. They camp outside venues early or buy outright on e-bay and gouge the prices. Damned vultures.”

He laughed.

“It’s not funny,” Nikki scolded him. “I’ve lost some interesting pieces to a hoarder because of a scalper, and it was very painful.”

“Let me guess. A hoarder buys and locks the vases in a private, fortified safe and doesn’t share them with the public.”

“You got it.”

The smile disappeared from his handsome face. “My brother Lex is a collector, too.”

“He’s your older brother, right?”

“Yeah. He loans his pieces to Baron’s gallery. Baron is my twin brother. He’s married, but Lex is single and a serious collector, just like you.”

Nikki grinned. “That’s nice that he shares his collection. All I do is blog about the pieces and where I found them.”

“That’s a start. If you want to open a store and need a backer, Lex can help. He’s an amazing guy. Salt of the earth type. Takes family seriously and is pretty generous with his money.”

Nikki realized what he was doing. It was funny. “I’m not interested in owning a vase store, Fitzgerald. Vase collecting is just a hobby.”

“I’m not talking about the store, Nikki. Not really.”

“I know. You are pimping your brother. I don’t collect bachelors, not even billionaires.”

Chuckling, Chase pulled down his sunglasses from his hair, where he’d shoved them, and put them back on as though to hide his eyes or his reaction. He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall, his eyes not leaving her. “Lex likes you.”

Nikki let out a snicker. “He doesn’t know me.”

“You made quite an impression on him, and knowing him, he’s done a more detailed background check on you and knows a lot more about you than you think.”

Nikki stiffened. “If he did, that would be rude and intrusive.”

“No, that’s Lex. He doesn’t do anything in half measures. He might visit the ranch before you leave.”

Not what she wanted to hear. If his brother did a thorough background check on her, he probably knew about her connection to Dee. Feeling a little sick, Nikki turned and picked up the basket of flowers. “I hope he’s not coming here on my account, because he’s not my type.”

Chase grinned as though pleased with her response. “What exactly is your type?”

Her chin shot up. “My type doesn’t investigate me or pimp me to his brother.” She picked up two vases and started for the stairs. “I’ll come back for the rest.”

“How many do you need?”

“Enough for most of the rooms upstairs,” she threw over her shoulder.

“I’ll bring up these four. If you need more, I’ll get them.”

Nikki stopped, turned, and eyed him. “Um, are you sure? What if one, uh, slipped? These vases are delicate and could easily break... What I’m trying to say is I can make several trips to get them,” she added quickly, hoping she hadn’t offended him. But with the sunglasses covering his eyes, she couldn’t tell.

Chase titled his head as though studying her. “Are you saying that I shouldn’t be allowed to do anything because of my eyes?”

“I didn’t say that,” Nikki protested.

“Or are the vases more precious than my ego, which you’ve just thoroughly flattened?”

She winced. “Did I really?”

“Yes,” he said in a deadpan expression. Then he gave her a naughty grin.

Arrogant cowboy. She hadn’t put a single dent in his ego. It was too inflated for that. “Fine, carry the vases. Take as many as you can. And FYI, I wasn’t talking about your eyes.”

“Then I apologize for jumping to conclusions.” He picked up two vases, placed them under his arm, and deftly picked up four more between his long fingers. “See, easy?”

Show off.
She couldn’t help teasing. “You sure you can’t take two more, Fitzgerald? You could balance them on your inflated head.”

He chuckled, walked forward, and blocked her path. “Call me Chase.”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “You got your vases, Fitzgerald. Don’t let me stop you.”

He didn’t move. “Say my name.”

“Chase. Can we go upstairs now before my flowers start to wilt?”

He grinned at her disgruntled tone and stepped aside. “After you. I rather like following you.”

“Don’t you mean you like staring at my ass?” She marched upstairs, his laughter following her. The impossible man was toying with her and enjoying every moment of it. She was already arranging the flowers in the vases when he swaggered into the kitchen. He stopped in the middle of the room and watched her, his gaze unnerving.

“What?” she asked.

“Aren’t you going to help me put these down?”

“No. I’m sure you can manage just fine.”

He chuckled and put the vases on the counter beside her. “You’re one cruel woman, Nikki Savoy.”

She nipped a stem of a bloom and dropped it into a vase. “And you’re a fraud, Chase Fitzgerald.” She pointed at his sunglasses. “And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your eyes.”

Chase straightened up. “You are right again. There is absolutely nothing wrong with my eyes.”

That was probably pride talking. “Then why do you wear sunglasses indoors?”

“It’s an image thing.” When she shook her head, he added, “You have a very suspicious mind, woman.”

“You said I was right again. What was I right about before?”

“Your gorgeous ass. I love staring at it.” Then he strutted out the kitchen door, whistling under his breath.

Nikki snapped her jaw shut. The man was impossible. If he thought he could fool her by flirting and keeping her off balance, he had another thing coming. She meant to find out all his secrets before his billionaire brother came and exposed her.

She distributed the vases of flowers in the downstairs rooms, starting with the kitchen then the dining room. Next, she crossed the foyer to the living room, which she had barely glanced at last night. It was located on the right side of the foyer.

The room was spacious and conservatively done in earthy colors. She liked the fireplace. It was done with native stones, the corners smoothed and curved. The artwork on the wall was eclectic; a mixture of contemporary and traditional paintings. Nikki left flowers above the fireplace and on the coffee table.

She entered the kitchen to get the last two vases just as Mrs. B walked in. “Oh, look how pretty you’ve made my kitchen,” she said, staring at the flowers on the kitchen table. “A little bit of outdoors indoors. Thank you, dear.”

Nikki chuckled. “I got them from
your
flower beds.”

Mrs. B dismissed Nikki’s comment with a wave of her hand. “Lunch will ready in just a few minutes. We eat it on the patio with the ranch hands, but if you prefer to eat in here, no one will mind. The other girls did and no one cared. It takes some people a while to get comfortable with strangers.

“I don’t mind eating on the patio,” Nikki said. “I saw a few of the guys while I was cutting flowers, and they seemed so nice.”

“They are the most wonderful people you will ever meet. Little Joe is adorable, and Mac is the nicest young man you ever saw. Then there’s Tucker…” Mrs. B giggled and fanned herself. “He’s a
fine
young man. Unmarried and a charming Texan.” She winked at Nikki.

Nikki was still smiling when she took the last two vases upstairs. Mrs. B was too much. And she must have picked up Nikki’s room. The bed was made, and the shoes she’d dropped from her suitcase were nicely arranged by the foot of her bed. The only thing she hadn’t touched were the clothes, which still spilled from the suitcase.