"Lexie?" She looked up at the sound of Killian's voice. "Did I lose you, honey? I mean, I know I'm just a dumb cowboy, but I think I know good-""Shut up."Okay, he shouldn't have used the dumb cowboy bit. She hated when he did that. But still..."Shut up? Are you telling your wonderful husband to shut up?" He grinned, hoping she'd relax."Yes, I am." She rubbed her forehead, and he hoped this whole thing hadn't given her a headache. "You may be a cowboy, but you are not dumb""Okay, okay, okay." He sat up straight and held out his hands, palms facing forward. "Just trying to inject a little note of humor here.""Well, it wasn't the least bit funny." She wet her lips and leaned onto her forearms. "Killian, you are smarter than half the people in the state of Kansas, so quit the dumb cowboy jokes, okay?""Got it." He grinned at her. "Just not an art expert." Then he sobered. "But I do know good work when I see it. And yours is damn fucking good.""Okay." She let out a deep s

It had taken some fancy talking on Killian's part to convince Lexie driving to Savannah was both exhausting and impractical."It's a fifteen hour drive, darlin'," he kept telling her. "We'll both be exhausted, and you want to be fresh and alert, right?""But if we drive, I can take my entry with me," she'd reminded him, not for the first time."Lexie." He'd reached out and pulled her against him. "Didn't you tell me FedEx offers customized service? That they do that all the time."She'd nodded."Then that's what we'll do. We'll drive into the city, and you can supervise the process yourself."She was such a bundle of nerves, and he did his best not to lose patience with her. He was already irritated because she hadn't allowed him to help her choose her submission pieces. What was the big fucking secret, anyway? For the most part, she allowed him freedom in her studio. He liked to watch her paint, when he had the time, and he loved everything she did.Patience, he kept telling hi

Killian would have dropped her off at the gallery, but Lexie wanted at least the distance of the two blocks separating them. She wasn't sure if all the entries had been draped and covered or even where hers would be displayed, but she wasn't taking any chances. She'd thought long and hard about the three images she'd submitted, crossing her fingers the one she wanted would be selected.Of course having any of them chosen for entry was a hugely big deal, but to have them want this one? It would be like the frosting on the cake. Despite lingering feelings of betrayal and inadequacy from the last show, she had applied for entry and willingly paid the fee to have this work exhibited. When they had chosen her favorite for the competition, she'd screamed with joy and done a little happy dance, glad Killian hadn't been in the house to hear or see her.She had actually wrapped it in brown paper herself before Killian drove her to the city to get it shipped. She wasn't taking any chances he'd

Killian left Lexie's skirt in place, covering her thighs to the knees, but slipped his hands back up and lightly stroked her full labia. She trembled beneath his touch, trying to squeeze her thighs against his hands and draw them in tighter, urge him to touch her everywhere. But Killian was on a mission, and he wouldn't be deterred. He stroked her lips with his thumbs, brushed his knuckles against her thighs, and squeezed her soft mound with his fingers. When she was squirming beneath him, he rose, helped her to a sitting position, and unzipped the back of her dress, lowering it to her waist."I don't know why you even wear this." He stroked his thumbs over the satin of her flimsy bra. "I'd like you much better without it.""But I don't think you'd like the people of Savannah getting an unrestrained view of my goodies bouncing when I walked, would you?""Hell, no. I'm the only one who gets to enjoy them, and don't you forget it." To emphasize his possession, he lowered his head and

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. Y