by Karen Kelley
Cal sighed deeply. “They all wanted something from me.” That was the truth. When he’d become popular with the media, he’d had women crawling all over him to get in the spotlight. “And then I met Cynthia.”
“But she couldn’t accept your past.”
“That, and the affairs.” He almost laughed out loud at the affronted expression on her face.
“Affairs?” She sat up. Nope, she didn’t look happy.
“Well, yeah. I’m a star player. She should’ve known I couldn’t be faithful to one woman.”
“And why couldn’t you…keep your pants zipped?”
“Well, hell, that should be easy to figure out. Talk about temptation. I mean, look at you.”
Her frown deepened. “What about me?”
“Honey, you’ve been all over me ever since you got to the ranch. You just couldn’t resist the Braxton charm.”
“You know, it’s getting a little chilly.” She stood and went to the bag of things she’d brought with her.
He silently laughed until he saw her pulling on a pair of sweat pants and a sweatshirt. Well, hell, he should’ve realized his last lie would put her in a tiff. No woman wanted to think a man was a cheater. The bad part about it was that he’d never cheated on a woman in his life.
But apparently, as his lies had progressed, he’d gotten pretty good at it. Enough that Nikki bought every word, and the only way to undo it would be to tell her it was all a lie. He really doubted that would help matters. It was a lose-lose situation.
He had a feeling it was going to be a long, cold night. He hadn’t brought anything to sleep in. He hadn’t thought he would need it.
He was wrong again.
Nikki watched Cal out of the corner of her eye as she yanked her shirt down. What she wanted to do was pick up the iron skillet and throw it at him.
She could forgive him for his wayward youth, even the steroids and the alcohol, but cheating on his fiancée? And because he thought he was some kind of macho football player?
Oh, that burned her up!
She grabbed the flashlight off the ground. “I’ll be back.” Mountain lions didn’t scare her a bit right now. In fact, if she happened on one she’d feel sorry for the beast.
She couldn’t believe Cal had even admitted to his wild youth, but then to add wood to the fire, he’d told her he would never be faithful—when he was sleeping with her!
Dumb jock.
But boy, did she have a story now. She’d probably get a raise out of this, along with a nice vacation. Cal would get exactly what he deserved: his career ruined, his life down the tube. That would suit her just fine. She could easily picture him as a broken man drowning his sorrows in drugs and alcohol.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Is that what she wanted? To ruin him? She looked toward camp and saw him laying out sleeping bags. He’d pulled on jeans but he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Her mouth went dry. He had a magnificent body. Her heart broke at the thought of him wasting away.
Desolation filled her. Politicians were one thing, but Cal? She couldn’t help remembering how gentle he’d been with her, how his touch had inflamed her.
And when they’d ridden to the pond, he’d been patient as he’d taught her how to ride Taffy. And even today, when he’d shown her how to fish.
She didn’t want to ruin him. She wouldn’t mind seeing him suffer a little, but not total ruination.
Her shoulders slumped. What was happening to her? Where was her edge that she’d honed over the years?
It hit her in one big whoosh.
Oh, Lord, she’d fallen for the guy. It wasn’t just his body she lusted after. It was Cal. If she wanted a man with a buff body, she could get one, but she didn’t. Not that it didn’t help to have a buff body, though, which he did.
No, she wanted the one man who made her heart beat faster every time he glanced her way. She frowned. At least, she did until he’d opened up to her. Why did he have to ruin everything?
One thing for certain, she couldn’t write a story that would destroy his life. She’d tell Marge there was nothing exciting about the breakup. Nikki would lie to her boss. She could do that. She was good at lying.
When she returned to camp, she made an excuse about wanting to turn in early, but it was hours before she fell asleep, and even then, she tossed and turned, which wasn’t easy in a sleeping bag.
Cal already had coffee made the next morning when she dragged her eyelids open. It smelled great. She’d missed her coffee.
She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, and stretching her back. Good Lord, she pitied the pioneers. Sleeping on the ground wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. She longed for a real mattress.
“Morning,” Cal said, looking entirely too cheerful.
She grunted.
Mornings weren’t her favorite time of day, and she wasn’t the best at communication this early. She glanced around. She kind of missed seeing the crazy rooster, though.
After mumbling something that she was pretty certain was unintelligible, she pulled on her boots and headed for the trees. There was another thing she hated about living off the land.
She finished and headed toward the river to wash. For a moment she could only stare at it. The water was so clear as it flowed over the rocks. There was something pure about being outside this early.
A fish jumped into the air, twisted and turned before it plopped back into the river. For just a second, she wished she had her fishing pole.
Oh God, she was going country. She needed to get back to the city as soon as possible.
Back at camp, Cal handed her a cup of coffee. She cupped it in both hands and blew across the steaming liquid before taking a sip.
Bleh!
“Is there cream or sugar?”
“We’re pioneers, remember. They didn’t have cream, and more often then not, they didn’t have sugar. Nothing fancy here. They’d call this wake-up coffee.”
It would certainly do that and then some. She squatted on the ground noticing that even though her back hurt from sleeping on the hard ground last night, her thighs weren’t nearly as sore. She took another sip. The coffee was so strong it curled her toes.
“I take it you’re not a morning person.”
She raised her eyebrows. “I would’ve thought you’d have figured that out by now.”
“The coffee will help.”
She wasn’t sure she wanted to get woke up. If she was awake, she’d have to think about everything Cal had told her last night and she wasn’t sure she was ready to face the truth. Maybe it would be better if she left, went back to Fort Worth. That was the only way she would be able to get over Cal.
“I think I have enough for my story,” she said. “I should probably leave so I can finish the book.”
“I’d like to help you out, but Tornado picked up a stone and is favoring her leg. She should probably rest it today. We can head back in the morning.”
But she didn’t want to spend another day in his company. That would only make it harder for her to leave even knowing what she did about him.
It would seem she didn’t have a choice in the matter. She looked up at him then and realized maybe she didn’t want to leave. God, she was such a fool and that was one thing she’d never been, at least not over a man. She guessed there was a first time for everyone, but it didn’t mean she had to like the situation!
Chapter 25
For just a moment, Celeste thought about sneaking back inside the therapy room when she saw Brian at the reception desk talking to Rhonda. Drat, she had to face him sooner or later. That knowledge didn’t make her feel any better.
What had gotten into her yesterday? She couldn’t believe she’d told him anything, let alone spilling her whole sordid family history. She never talked about her past to anyone.
But then to make love with him…no, there had been nothing wrong about what they’d shared. Maybe it was the most right thing that had happened in her life in a very long time,
and she refused to feel regret.
A whole lot embarrassed, but she figured that was only natural. But, damn, he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.
He turned from the reception desk and saw her at the door of the massage room. There was nothing for her to do but walk to the front desk. It wasn’t as if she wouldn’t run into him sooner or later.
“Hello,” she said.
His gaze slowly swept over her. Tingles spread down her body in the wake of his heated gaze, but then, she knew he wanted her. That had been evident last night. There was definitely a mutual attraction going on here.
“Have lunch with me,” he said.
She twined her fingers together and glanced at Rhonda. The receptionist quickly looked down at the desk and began to thumb through the pages of the appointment book.
Celeste could feel the heat rise up her face. “I can’t,” she blurted as she silently wished for him to go away. She needed time to think about what was going on between them. Things were happening way too fast for her.
“Actually,” Rhonda said, “you don’t have another appointment until two. You can take a nice long, leisurely lunch.” She was smiling when she raised her head but apparently noted Celeste’s not so pleased expression and downed her head again.
“Good. I’ll drop by around noon and we can walk over together.”
Brian didn’t wait for her to protest. He strode to the door and left her to wonder how she was going to get out of having lunch with the boss.
“I think he likes you,” Rhonda said.
“I think you need to mind your own business.”
“Are you really mad at me?” Rhonda looked genuinely worried as she fiddled with the top button on her blouse.
“No, I guess not.” She had to work with her and she was more mad at herself than she was at Rhonda.
Rhonda smiled brightly. “You like him, don’t you?”
“He’s the boss.”
“And he’s still a man.”
Oh yeah, that he was, and she couldn’t stop the thrill that swept over her as she remembered just how much of a man he was.
But she had a feeling no good would come out of their relationship. Her past experiences should be enough warning that nothing would work out between them.
Nikki glared at Cal’s back as she sacrificed a worm on the sharp hook. What she wouldn’t give to jab him in the butt with the barbed piece of metal. Cal had used her. Made love to her all the time he planned to dump her. No, not dump, just have other women. He probably expected her to make appointments for his time.
Not that she even remotely thought their relationship stood a chance, but did he have to be so blunt about not being able to stay true to just one woman?
It was a good thing she’d chosen to fish downstream from him or she’d be tempted to whack him over the head with her pole!
“I bet the town loves having their star football player back in town,” she said sarcastically as she tossed the line out. It whistled through the air, and then the sinker plopped into the water, sending out ripples.
“They like making a big deal. I don’t see the harm.” He glanced over his shoulder and winked. “Especially the ladies. They trip all over themselves trying to get to me.”
Anger coursed through her.
He suddenly frowned. “But I won’t mess around while we’re having so much fun. I’ll wait until I start getting bored.”
“How nice,” she said between gritted teeth.
He was thoughtful for a minute. “I’ll probably wait until you leave town.”
“How generous.”
“I’m really trying to do better.” He turned back around, throwing out his line.
She glared at him. There was a tug on her line. She quickly reeled it in but there wasn’t anything on the hook, including the damned worm.
“You missed that one,” he told her, then went back to his own fishing.
Ohh, she’d like to…to…How could she ever have thought she might love him? She needed to have her head examined.
She threaded another worm on the hook and flung her line out, except it didn’t go anywhere. She whipped it back and forth—still nothing.
His laughter filled the air. “You have to let some of your line out—give it a little slack—and don’t forget to push the button.” He turned his back to her, but she could tell he was still laughing. He’d probably been laughing at her every time she came on to him.
She released some of her line.
“But I will say that I’ve never had such good sex as what I’ve had with you.”
Oh, now he was comparing her to his other women! That was just great.
She whipped the fishing pole at the same time she released the line. It sailed through the air, but not toward the water.
“Ow!” Cal jumped, grabbing his butt.
“Oh, crap.” She threw her pole down. He jumped again when the line tightened. “I’m sorry.” She scooped the rod back up and ran toward him but stumbled and jerked the line tight again as she tried to catch her balance.
“Just walk, don’t run,” Cal said between gritted teeth.
Nikki immediately slowed. Dammit, she might have been thinking about jabbing her hook in his butt, but that was all she’d been doing—just thinking it. Oh, maybe she was telekinetic. Darn it, she hadn’t meant to hook him. She stopped beside him, carefully laying the pole down.
“There’s a knife in my pocket,” he said. “Get it and cut the line.”
“I’m so sorry. I would never…”
“Just cut the line.”
“Okay, okay, you don’t have to bite my head off.” She stuck her hand in his pocket and dug around. Her fingers encountered two hard objects. A frown turned her lips downward. How could he get a hard-on with a hook in his ass? She had a feeling the knife was the smaller of the two.
She was right.
She quickly opened it and cut the line. “Now what? Do you want me to pull the hook out?”
“No!”
Sheesh! “I was just asking. How the hell do I know what you want me to do if you don’t tell me?”
“Help me back to camp.”
He put his arm around her shoulder, his hand landing on her breast. On purpose? Probably. She was not going to be the next girl in the Cal Braxton harem. She moved his hand to a safer place as they made their way back to camp.
“Hey, you’re not mad at me because I can’t be faithful, are you?”
“Why should that bother me?” she grumbled.
“You sound mad.”
“I’m not mad.” The sooner she returned to Fort Worth, the better. She would throw herself back into her work and she’d forget all about Cal—eventually.
Once back at camp, she helped him ease to his knees. Their bodies came into close contact, his chest pressing against hers. An ache began to build inside her, but she quickly thought about all he’d told her the night before.
It didn’t work. She still wanted him. For a second, she closed her eyes, letting his body bathe her in heat. Her nipples hardened.
“The hook,” he said. “I don’t think I’m up for lovemaking right now, darlin’. Maybe later.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t need servicing.” God, you’d think she was one of the cows and he was a frigging bull!
Nikki moved out of the way a little too fast. He grunted in pain as his hands reached out and his palms landed on the hard ground. He lowered himself the rest of the way.
Okay, she felt bad, a little, that he’d landed so hard when she moved out of his way. “Now what do I do?”
“Cut an opening in my jeans where the hook is.”
She knelt beside him. “I don’t have any nursing experience. Not that I’ll faint at the sight of blood or anything. I just wanted you to know that I really doubt I’ll be able to perform surgery or anything.”
She’d been at the emergency room a couple of times when a shooting victim was brought in, but that had been a long time ago and really earl
y in her career. She’d decided the political arena was messy, but at least it wasn’t quite as gross as a bullet wound and blood spilling out everywhere. A hook shouldn’t pose any problems that she couldn’t handle, though.
Until she’d cut away his jeans a little too much and exposed his butt. She normally wasn’t a butt person but Cal had a really nice one. She liked that it was tanned. It took a supreme effort not to caress it.
“Now, baby, you have to stop ogling my ass. You’ll have plenty of time to look at it after the hook is out.”
She raised the knife, then closed her eyes and counted to ten. She would not plunge it into his back. They put people in jail for stuff like that. She had no intention of spending the next ten years locked up in a correctional institution. Even though her actions would be justified.
But the temptation was really strong.
Cal figured Nikki was about ready to kill him, and since she was holding the knife, he decided to quit pushing her. He’d hate like hell if she plunged it into his back. Besides, his ass hurt every time he moved a little.
“I wasn’t staring at your ass,” she spat out.
He grinned. She probably had been staring at it. Nikki was easily aroused. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out that one look, one caress, and she was ready to make love. Well, that was until he’d pissed her off.
It should have made him feel better that she was furious with him. Now the shoe was on the other foot and maybe she was starting to feel used. But it didn’t. All he could think of was what he’d be missing when she left. But it wasn’t like they had anything going for them. She was a reporter. She and Cal together were like oil and water.
“Do you want me to cut the hook out?” she asked, sounding a little too pleased at the prospect of carving him up.
“Look in my saddlebag. There’s a pair of wire cutters. Grab the bottle of whiskey, too.”
“Do you really think this is a good time to start drinking?”
“It’s to disinfect the wound.”
“Oh.”
She stood and went to the saddlebag. When she bent over to dig through it, he had a nice view of her ass. Damn, she had a nice ass. He couldn’t help remembering how it had felt when he’d cupped her cheeks and brought her in closer to him. The way she moved perfectly to the rhythm of his body. An ache started to build inside him.