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“I’m here,” she said.
He smelled her signature scent of vanilla and stood. Why wasn’t she coming out? Why weren’t there any lights on except one lonely lamp? Why did her tone indicate nervousness instead of ease? Something in him stilled and went on alert as all the possible answers to those questions made themselves known in his mind.
“Lexie?” he asked again, his voice more cautious than it had been a few seconds ago. His gun was hanging in its holster with his jacket. He could make it there in two seconds, maybe three.
He heard movement again. Something dropped to the floor, something light. Fabric? Then Lexie stepped out of the shadows.
If he’d died right then and there, Nico decided he would die a happy man. The sight of her standing in his living room, not a shred of clothing on her, was the most perfect thing he had ever seen. Lexie’s porcelain skin was smooth as silk, the dull light caressing her body like a lover, accentuating every curve, every delicate contour. The blonde waves framing her face were damp, tumbling across her shoulders and down her back like a waterfall of liquid gold. His eyes lingered on her breasts, her stomach, her toned legs, all of it an exquisite blend of grace and strength. The apex of her thighs was almost hidden by her intentionally modest pose, but he saw enough to send his pulse racing. The room seemed to hold its breath as his gaze locked onto hers, piercing blue orbs taking him deep into her soul. Her chest moved up and down rapidly, her mouth parting to let the shallow pants in and out. It was not lost on him how vulnerable she was in that moment, how trusting.
Nico swallowed. “Come here.”
Chapter twenty-two
Lexie couldn’t move. She sent the message to her legs, but they flat out refused to obey. When it became clear she was frozen in place, Nico stalked toward her. His eyes glinted like coals, warming her already feverish skin. She did not protest as he crowded her space, ran sure hands down her bare back, cupped her bottom, and lifted her with ease into his arms. Lexie wrapped her legs around his waist, loving the feel of him against her. She glided her hands up his arms, over his strong biceps to his shoulders. His skin was warm and smooth beneath her fingertips. Her breasts swelled against the firm wall of his chest. Nico kept his gaze fixed on hers as he carried her to the kitchenette and placed her atop the counter. The cold granite shocked the skin of her thighs so much that she gasped. He stepped back. His eyes raked brazenly over her unclothed flesh. He was completely masculine. Totally lewd. Insanely sexy. The sheer eroticism of having him see her like this was so unlike anything she had ever experienced. Lexie felt herself burning up.
Nico exhaled, the ghost of a smile touching those perfect lips. “You’re going to ruin me.”
“What happened to you?” she whispered, seeing the cut on his cheek, the bumps, bruises and scratches covering the rest of him. His knuckles were especially damaged.
“Later,” he said, pulling his shirt over his head.
Her jaw dropped at the sight. All taut, tanned skin, he stood between her legs wearing nothing but a pair of faded jeans that hung low enough on his hips that the muscles of his pelvis displayed a crisp vee. A thin layer of black hair spanned the length of his chest, telescoping down a wall of solid abs toward his navel. He took her face in his hands.
“Right now, I just want to taste you. Every. Inch. Of. You.” He kissed her between each word, her mouth, her throat, her shoulder . . .
Lexie let her hands wander across the warm, broad expanse of his chest, skimming the hair-roughened skin with a whimper. She felt his heartbeat under her palm, felt the rise and fall of each heavy breath he took. Shifting her lips to his cheek, she hummed into the graze of his stubbled jaw. His firm grip on her hips tightened with every little nip of her teeth.
Nico sucked in air, muttering, “Christ,” as she licked a sensuous line to his mouth.
Lexie savored his reactions, marveled at the power she held over him. She let her hands travel lower, found his belt buckle, and unfastened it.
Déjà vu.
The last time she’d done this, it had been to save his life. Her hands shook then too.
Cradling the back of her neck, Nico kissed her with an unhurried passion that curled her toes. He was taking his time, building the tension with superb slowness. He slipped his tongue inside, exploring her mouth with thorough, practiced finesse. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back like he was as essential to her existence as oxygen.
Nico rocked into her. The rough fabric of his jeans grinding along her pussy was electrifying. Sweet, thrilling torture. Lexie’s heart pounded. Her bones liquefied. Every nerve ending in her body came to life under his big, roughened hands as they moved over her. She pined and moaned, needing him closer. Needing more. She plunged her fingers into his hair while her other hand began rubbing him through his pants. Nico groaned. It was the sexiest sound she’d ever heard. Desire coiled and throbbed, a terrible ache building.
She was touching the button on his jeans when the sharp shattering of glass exploded behind her.
Lexie yelped as Nico pulled her behind the protection of the bench and covered her with his body. In the moonlight, he’d seen the rock hurtling through the kitchen window a nanosecond before it hit, sending glass spraying across the room and landing on the floor with a thud. His muscles tensed. A cold sweat broke out on his skin as he waited for what might come next, but nothing did. Seconds passed. The cabin stayed silent. Hair-raisingly so.
He pulled Lexie into a crouch. She was white as a ghost, her bare body trembling uncontrollably.
“Stay quiet and don’t move,” he whispered, taking his cell phone from the pocket of his jeans. He pressed it into her hand. “Call for help.”
She nodded, terror in her eyes. Whoever put it there was going to be sorry.
Nico crept to the end of the counter. He risked a lightning glance around the corner. Nothing. One last look at Lexie, and he went for his gun. He kept fast and low, pulling the Glock from its holster. He checked the clip and racked the slide. Now armed, Nico felt centered. Capable. In control. He swept the small open plan room, careful not to reveal his position as he tried to see who was outside.
“Is it Kyle?” she asked.
“Don’t know yet. Where’s your gun?”
“My purse. The bathroom.”
Nico pushed her in that direction. “Go. Hide. Lock the door, and don’t come out until I tell you.”
