travel over him in a slow appreciation of his tall, lean, muscular frame. She guessed he stood at least six-three in his boots. âI suppose not,â she said. âIt would be only prime grass-fed beef and Idaho potatoes for you.â
He crossed his arms over his broad chest and leaned on the door frame studying her. âMiz Powell, if I didnât know better, Iâd think you were undressing me with those pretty blue-green eyes of yours.â
A guilty flush infused her face but she refused to give him the advantage. She opted for a strong offense instead. âSo what if I was? Werenât you quite fixated on my ass at Denver airport?â
He raised a sandy eyebrow. âYou noticed that, eh?â His confession came with a shameless grin attached.
She jutted her chin. â Quid pro quo , Counselor. What do you say to that?â
He approached her slowly, the smile in his eyes transforming in a blink to a wicked gleam. A gleam that promised very bad things. His reply sent a warning signal to every nerve in her body. âIâd say, why just use your eyes?â
Dear God, he was trouble with a capital T .
He closed the space between them in two long strides. Instinctively, Nikki backed up as many stepsâbut her ass hit the desk. Before she realized what he was about, heâd caught her hips and lifted her onto it. He held her hostage with his gazed locked on hers, his arms braced on either side of hips. âThereâs something real interesting going on here,â he remarked at length.
Nikki swallowed hard, her gaze wavering. âI already told you Iâm not interested. I donât do casual hookups.â
âYou think thatâs what this is about?â
âIsnât it?â she asked, intentionally blithe.
He shook his head. âHell, I donât know. Maybe. Iâd be lying if I said I didnât feel a damn powerful attraction to you.â
Sheâd never had such a strong reaction to another man either. All he had to do was look at her to get her pulse racing and her insides quivering. And right now he was too damned close for comfort. She shifted backward, trying to create some distance, but there was nowhere to go.
âDonât you have to be in court soon, Counselor ?â she reminded him in a voice that came out breathless.
âYeah, I do,â he replied. âGuess I got a bit sidetracked. Youâre turning out to be a big distraction, you know that?â
She bit her lip. âIâm sorry. I didnât mean to be such an imposition.â
âI said a distraction not an imposition. Thereâs a big difference. I didnât realize until now just how badly Iâve needed such a distraction.â He stepped away with a reluctant sigh.
Her pulse still hammering in anticipation, Nikki exhaled the breath she hadnât realized was trapped in her chest.
Wade spun toward his office. âHelp yourself to the phone and anything else while I get cleaned up.â He paused again on the threshold. âOf course, youâre welcome to use my office if you need greater privacy,â he added over his shoulder with a look of devilment. âOr in the event any wild impulse overtakes you while I shower.â
He went to work on his shirt buttons. His collar was soon wide open revealing a generous show of muscular chest that make her hands itch to rip it off him. She diverted her gaze and curled her itchy hands by her sides.
âHave no fear, cowboy,â Nikki replied in a tone meant to disguise the warm flush that had come over her. âI corralled all my wild impulses long ago.â
âDid you, now?â He still stood in doorway, head cocked. âSomehow, I think you may have missed a few strays.â
âMaybe I need to make myself clearer. I have an aversion to cocky cowboys.â
Just keep telling yourself that, Nikki. Maybe if you repeat it often enough itâll become true.
âIs