He then watched as she rushed off toward his office.
Six hours later, Dani pumped her fist in the air in triumph. “Yay!” She had finished the Barker project a day early. Aftersending the file to Paula, she leaned back in her chair and released a deep breath. She had been working steadily and hadn’t realized she had missed lunch. Good thing she’d had a candy bar in her purse.
As he’d promised, Wade had not gotten underfoot. In fact, she hadn’t seen him since that morning when she had talked his ear off. She still didn’t know what had gotten into her. She usually didn’t share so much of her family business with someone she barely knew.
And she definitely didn’t usually share so much of herself…the way she had done last night. Kissing him should not have been such a big deal. It was only supposed to be a good-night kiss. But it had quickly become so much more than that.
It had felt so good to be held in his arms, while he’d taken her mouth with such expertise and greed. Before long, they’d both gotten carried away. Thank goodness she’d had the good sense to put a stop to it before either of them lost control.
The sound of horses and riders made her glance out the window. She saw some of Wade’s men returning. He’d said the branding would end today. Then she saw him coming out of the barn to greet them. She couldn’t resist sitting back and admiring how good he looked in his jeans, a western shirt, and a Stetson.
Right now, he looked the way he’d been last night in her dreams…until he had undressed. Not content to deal with reality, her dreams had taken her to a place where they’d both been naked and ready to make love. The image of her gliding her hands up his sexy, well-built body, before returning to his sculpted abdomen, and then grasping hold of his shaft was still engrained in her memory. Her alarm had gone off right before he’d been about to penetrate her. She’d woken up covered in sweat, and desperate for release.
It had been years since she had dreamed about making love with a man. She wasn’t a lusty twenty-something anymore. But she was a thirty-one-year-old woman with sexual needs—needs that were starting to make themselves known. And it had all started with Wade...
Then again, there was no reason she wouldn’t be sexually attracted to a man since she and Steve had stopped sleeping together months before she’d left. But somehow, she felt bad putting Wade and Steve in the same thought. Wade was nothing like her ex, and she thanked God for it.
And speaking of Steve… He had called her again today, and she’d let his call go through to voicemail. But she’d decided to listen to his message this time.
He was still trying to convince her to come back to him, telling her they needed to start planning their wedding. She wondered what part of “I don’t want to be with you,” he did not understand. There would be no making up this time. He had shown her a part of him that scared her. She’d seen just how aggressive he could become if things didn’t go his way. So, after listening to Steve’s message, she took the final step to end things by blocking any future calls from him.
Feeling proud of herself, she indulged in watching Wade. Then as if he sensed someone watching him, he glanced straight at his office window, and saw her. There was no use pretending she hadn’t been staring, so she waved. He smiled and waved back. That Wade Harrison smile would be her downfall if she weren’t careful.
Now that she had finished the project, there was no reason for her to hang around or even come back here. She was grateful she didn’t have any other pressing deadlines, so she wouldn’t need to use Wade’s internet. Hopefully, that Jerryguy would return next week to fix whatever electrical problem existed at her sister and brother-in-law’s ranch house.
Dani glanced back out the window. Several other cowboys were riding away, and Wade had turned to go back into the barn. He stopped and looked at her again, and unable to help herself, she looked back. She felt it, through the windowpane and the thirty or more feet separating them - a primitive force of sexual energy that suddenly overwhelmed her.
Knowing they had to stop staring at each other, she broke eye contact and looked down at her laptop. Minutes later, after turning her computer off, she looked out again and saw that he had gone into the barn.
Dani stood and packed up her things. It would probably be best if she was gone by the time Wade finished for the day.
Wade pulled up in the Mercer’s driveway. He had been disappointed when he had finally left the barn and noticed Dani’s car was gone, which meant she had left. Upon entering his home, he’d read the note she had left on the table in the foyer that thanked him for allowing her to use his internet, and that she had finished the project a day early, so she wouldn’t be there tomorrow. The note didn’t offer any opportunity for him to see her again. Well, he had news for her. Whatever this thing was that they were feeling, it needed to be explored. The attraction between them was too intense, too volatile.
Wade had taken a shower before leaving his place, and the night air had him tightening his jacket around him. Taking the steps two at a time, he knocked on the door. He figured she had seen his truck come up the driveway.Was she going to pretend she wasn’t home? He had raised his hand to knock again when the door opened.
She stood there in one of those short caftans, and her hair was tied up on her head as if she’d recently gotten out of the shower. “Wade.”
“Dani.”
At least she hadn’t asked why he was there. “You left,” he said softly.
“I left you a note.”
Yes, she had. However, he had expected more than that. He had wanted to see her again before she left. Instead of commenting on what she had said, he met her gaze through the haze of desire that he knew covered them both. Why were they fighting this thing between them? They were adults and way too old to play games. So why were they?
Evidently, she had asked herself the same question because she released a deep breath and then asked, “Would you like to come in and share a glass of wine with me?”
He wanted to share more than a glass of wine, but he’d take what he could get for now. “I’d rather have one of Rich’s beers.”
A smile touched her lips. “That can be arranged,” she said, stepping aside to let him in.
Wade put his hat on the rack by the door and watched her stroll toward the kitchen. He followed. “I’m glad you finished your project.”
“It’s a relief,” she said, over her shoulder. “Tomorrow, I’m just taking the day to rest and relax.”
“Good thought. I plan to do the same.”
She glanced at him when they entered the kitchen. A bottle of wine was sitting on the counter next to a glass, whichmeant she’d been ready to enjoy a drink before he got there. “Don’t you have chores to do on the ranch tomorrow?” she asked, opening the refrigerator.
