Lexie and Killian (9 page)

It was an exercise in discipline for him to do that, pouring some of the scented body wash into his palms, working it into a rich lather and stroking it everywhere into her skin. As he soaped, he kneaded all of her muscles, including her neck and her shoulders, doing his best to rid her of the tension riding her. He even allowed himself the pleasure of soaping the crevice between the cheeks of her ass, pausing to rub his finger lightly on the tight opening there. Lexie clenched her cheeks around his touch, letting him know she loved that, too.

When his own discipline reached the ragged edge of decline, he rose up, taking her with him, and lifted her out of the tub. He wrapped her in a warm bath towel while he let the water out and dried himself. Then he carried her back into the bedroom and laid her down very gently on the sheets.

“I’ve had a hard time controlling myself in there, sugar. I can’t wait one more moment to be inside that sweet body of yours.”

Arranging her in his favorite position, legs spread wide, knees bent, he knelt between her thighs and eased himself into her hot, wet, waiting channel. He resisted the urge to take her fast and hard, even though his body screamed at him to do so. Today was all about her, and so he slid in very slowly, closing his eyes at the exquisite pleasure when he was fully inside her hot, wet sheath.

Oh Jesus! God, if I can only be in one place for the rest of my life, let it be here.

“Killian?” Lexie whispered his name.

He opened his eyes and looked at her, at her rosy-flushed face, her beautiful gold-flecked hazel eyes filled with passion, and thought he’d never seen a more beautiful sight. Unless, of course, it was her entire body naked.

“Yeah, darlin’?”

“I love you.”

His heat turned over. Were there any words sweeter than those? “I love you, too.”

She gave him an impish grin. “Then what are you waiting for?”

He laughed, a hoarse, erotic sound. “Not a thing.”

Very slowly, he moved in and out of her, the tight walls of her sheath clasping him like a wet vise.

“Look at me,” he whispered. “Look right at me, Lexie.”

She locked her gaze with his, everything she felt right there for him to see, the most arousing, sensuous thing he could imagine. He kept up the steady pace, in and out, back and forth, pouring everything he felt into it. This was not lust, this wasn’t pure sex, this was lovemaking in its best form. A joining of two people. A validation of the love they felt for each other. He ground his teeth together to maintain control, trying to make it last as long as possible.

When he teetered on the edge, he reached between them, found her clit, and rubbed it with his thumb. That was all it took. She detonated, and he went over the edge with her. Explosion didn’t begin to describe the epic orgasm they shared. They clung together, shuddering, as the rollercoaster took them on a seemingly endless ride.

And then, when he was sure he’d die from the pleasure of it, the throbbing subsided. Their bodies went limp, their ragged breathing seesawing in the still air of the room, their sweat-slicked bodies plastered together. He didn’t know if it was his heartbeat he felt thundering or hers, that’s how close together they were.

“Feeling good, darlin’?” he asked at last.

“Mmhmm.” Her lips curved in a sexy smile. “It must be the chocolate-covered strawberries. Or that really excellent champagne. Or maybe even that incredible bath. You promised we could have one put in at the ranch, right? I won’t let you get out of that.”

“Darlin’, I plan to order it as soon as we get home.” He brushed his fingers along her cheekbone. “Ready for tonight?”

She nodded. “Thanks to you.”

He smiled back. “Then my work here is done.”

Finally, when he was sure his legs would work, he eased from her body and headed for the bathroom. As he padded along the carpet, something smacked into his brain.

No condom!

Holy shit!

He’d been so focused on making Lexie feel good, on relaxing her before the reception tonight, he hadn’t even thought about it.

Double holy shit!

He walked back into the bedroom carrying a washcloth he’d dampened with warm water. For a moment, he paused and just drank up the sight of his wife, her rosy-tipped breasts, her neatly barbered mound, her welcoming curves, her kiss-swollen lips, and the look of utter satisfaction on her face. Yeah, he’d accomplished what he set out to do. She was relaxed. He just hoped she still would be when he gave her the news.

Chapter Six

Lexie peered in through the open doors to one of the hotel’s smaller ballrooms, taking in the activity inside. A large crowd—she knew more than two hundred people had been invited—were milling about, the chatter of conversation a loud hum that flowed out to the wide hallway. Most of them would be at the reception tomorrow night, also, the one where the prizes would be awarded and the artist selected for a gallery show. Tonight was to give people a chance to chat ahead of time with the artists and generate buzz in advance. She thought she was prepared for this, but she had a sudden attack of stage fright, the butterflies in her stomach dancing the fast jive. Now that she’d left the solitude of the ranch and the protection of her hotel room, could she really do this?

Would Rick be here? What would happen if they met again? After he’d used his family’s money and influence to make sure he won that last competition instead of her, she’d sworn never to put herself in this situation again. Yet here she was. At least this time he wouldn’t be part of the competition. And the man she was with? She had no doubts about his love for her or about the kind of man he was.

She took a deep breath and slid her hand into Killian’s. He squeezed it gently, his silent assurance everything would be all right.

“Ready?” he asked in his deep voice.

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Then let’s do it.”

At the entrance to the room, on the right, was a cloth-covered table holding an array of badges. Behind it sat two young girls who Lexie knew were the official greeters.

“Welcome,” one of them said. “May I have your names?”

“Lexie Walker and Killian Walker.” Lexie was pleased at her steady voice.

The girl glanced over the remaining badges, smiled when she found the two she was searching for.

“Here you go.” She handed them over. “Good luck, Mrs. Walker.”

How did she know—? Lexie looked at her badge and beneath her name saw the legend
Participating Artist
.

“Thank you very much.” She glanced at Killian. “We need to put these on or they’ll make us leave. They’re very finicky about who gets into this event.”

“Me, too.” He bent down so his mouth was close to her ear. “I think this should be just for you and me.”

She gave him a playful jab with her elbow. “We already had our party.” Heat flashed over her as she remembered it. “And it was a whole lot better than this one. Thank you.”

Before they could exchange any more words, a woman hurried up to them. Lexie remembered her from that first show, Vivian Salton. Member of the Savannah Art Fair Committee. She hadn’t changed a bit since the last time Lexie had seen her. Tall and thin almost to the point of emaciation, with her coal-black hair and vivid red lipstick, she looked as if she had stepped out of a retro canvas.

She took both of Lexie’s hands in hers. “I’m so glad to see you, my dear. The Committee was very pleased you chose to enter this year’s competition. And your entry is just, well, incredible.”

“Thank you so much.” Lexie pulled out her polite smile. She was sure the woman was just making sure there were no lingering hard feelings or that there wouldn’t be a fuss to deal with. She wanted to tell her she was far too professional for that. Besides, she wanted the vindication more than a confrontation.

“And this handsome man must be your husband?”

“Killian Walker.” He held out his hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

As the woman shook his hand, she took a closer look at him then shifted her gaze to Lexie. “Is this…”

“The man who convinced me to take a chance again?” She nodded, hoping Vivian would take the hint about discussing the painting. Lexie had agonized about submitting it, but she felt it was her best work yet, and she was just so in love with it.

Vivian blinked then stretched her lips in a smile. “Oh, yes. Of course. Then I’m doubly pleased to meet you, Mr. Walker. Lexie, come and mingle. We’ll be reading the lists of finalists in a bit and going over the procedure for tomorrow. The exhibition, the awards, and then the opportunity for people to buy.”

Lexie wanted to tell her the painting wasn’t for sale but she feared the woman would bump her from the competition.

“Yes. Thank you. Killian, I think I’d like something cold to drink.”

“My pleasure.”

As they walked toward the bar, Lexie had a feeling Vivian Salton was staring at her, trying to see what was under her skin. So lost in thought about it, she didn’t pay much attention to where she was walking. When she bumped into someone, she glanced up, an apology on her lips. The apology died as soon as she saw who it was, and she froze in place, her brain cells crashing into each other.

“Hello, Lexie.”

Rick. Damn it
. She was not ready yet for a confrontation with Rick. What was he doing here, anyway? He wasn’t a judge, a competitor, or a sponsor. How had he weaseled his way in? He was older, but beyond that, he hadn’t changed much. He still had the same tall, lean athletic build, enhanced by the tight slacks and silk shirt he wore. His dark-blond hair still curled at his collar. His slate-gray eyes seemed to see right through her, and she wondered if that had always been the case and she was just too stupid to have noticed.

She wet her lower lip, a nervous habit she couldn’t seem to break. “Hello, Rick.”

His gaze raked over her in blatant assessment. “You’re looking even more lovely than I remembered.”

Beside her, she felt Killian tense and slipped her hand into the crook of his arm, hoping to calm him. He thrust out his hand. “Killian Walker. Lexie’s husband.”

For a moment, she was sure Rick would embarrass all of them by refusing the gesture but then he took Killian’s hand in a brief shake.

“Hello.” He turned his gaze back to Lexie. “I was so excited when I heard you’d entered. Come. Let me get you a drink. We have things to discuss.”

Killian put a possessive arm around her shoulders. “Anything you have to discuss with my
wife
, you can discuss with me, too.”

Rick glared at Killian, a hint of disdain on his face. “Lexie and I have things to discuss that can’t possibly be of interest to you. I’m sure you can excuse us for a few moments.”

Lexie finally found her voice. “I can’t think of a thing we have to say to each other, Rick. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we were heading for the bar.”

At first he stood in place, blocking them. Then he shrugged. “We’ll see.”

She let out a long breath of relief when he moved away.

“You should let me take him out in back to the woodshed.” Killian’s deep voice was low, just loud enough for her to hear.

She laughed, a nervous sound. “I don’t think the hotel has a woodshed. Anyway, he isn’t worth your time and trouble.”

“As long as he doesn’t bother you, no problem.”

Lexie hoped Rick had gotten the message to stay away because she knew full well Killian was in no mood to tolerate him.

The next hour passed in a blur. She knew more people there than she’d expected to. Many of them greeted her warmly, others with open curiosity. Some even with some hostility, but she had no idea where that came from. She noticed the committee members huddling together and figured they were about to welcome everyone and take care of business.

“I need a minute to freshen up,” she told Killian. “Wait right here for me.”

“Okay. Don’t be long.”

She hurried from the room into the wide hallway, looking for the ladies room. She had barely taken two steps before a hand closed over her arm and jerked her towards the wall.

“You need to ditch that hayseed and move back to Savannah.” Arrogance filled Rick’s words. “Let’s talk.”

Lexie widened her eyes. “Let go of me, Rick. We have nothing to discuss.”

“Oh, honey, that’s where you’re wrong.” He took hold of her other arm and turned her to face him. “We have a lot to go over. Not the least of which is how I’m going to help your career if you’re real nice to me.”

“Are you out of your mind?” She stared at him. “After you stole the prize and the gallery showing from me, why would I even give you the time of day?”

“I did you a favor. You weren’t ready yet. It would have been a disaster. But now you are. And now I’m established and can open a lot of doors for you.” Heat flashed in his eyes. “And show you how good we can be together in bed. I’ve learned a lot since you left.”

Before she could say another word, his mouth came down on hers in a hard kiss. Shock froze her, even as he pushed his tongue past her lips. Her brain seemed to be on permanent pause. She was so frozen in shock, she couldn’t even lift her hands to push him away.

“Get your hands off my wife.” Killian’s voice was a growl next to them.

The next thing she knew, he was being jerked away from her and Killian pulled her to his side.

“Get behind me, Lexie.”

She grabbed his arm. “Don’t punch him, Killian. It will only create a stir we don’t need and he isn’t worth it. Please. For me.”

The two men glared at each other for a long moment, neither of them moving.

“Is everything all right here?”

Lexie blinked. How the hell had Vivian Salton gotten in the middle of this? They hadn’t even raised their voices.

Rick took a step back. “It’s fine, Vivian. Thanks for asking. Lexie, I’ll see you later.”

“Over my dead body,” Killian mumbled.

“Lexie, we’re about to speak to the crowd. Could you please come back into the ballroom?”

“Yes, of course. I just need to run to the restroom.”

“Well, please be quick about it.” The woman turned and strode back into the ballroom on needle-thin heels so high Lexie wondered how she stayed upright.