Touching Lace (Vaughn)

Nick hung up the phone, got out of bed and headed toward the bathroom. He stripped out of his boxers and turned on the shower. Only when he could feel the hot water sluicing down his back did he indulge in thoughts of Lacey.

He loved knocking her off balance. She was floundering in her safe, little world and they both knew it. There was no way he’d let her escape him this time. She was almost within reach, and after their workout she would be all his. About damn time, too. He was going insane wanting her.

After yet another restless night of dreaming of Lacey’s sleek, strong legs, small, firm breasts and heart-shaped ass, Nick couldn’t have kept himself from reaching for the phone if he’d been hogtied. It had been vital to hear her husky morning voice.

She’d sounded groggy, but when she’d heard his voice, her attitude had shifted, becoming instantly alert and on guard. He could tell she’d lied about sleeping soundly. If she were any other woman, he would have called her out on it. Made her admit his heated words and touches the night before had aroused her. He wasn’t a complete moron when it came to women. He knew arousal when he saw it. Or heard it.

Had she dreamed of him? Nick was almost sure of it. Had she gotten hot thinking of what he might soon be doing to her? He could only hope. He wanted her turned on and anxious. Served her right for making him so crazy.

Nick finished his shower, got dressed and drove to the office. Surprisingly his vehicle wasn’t the only one there. As he was about to get on the elevator he ran into Merrick. Nick let the elevator go and turned his attention to his friend. “What brings you in? I didn’t think anything could pry you out of Chloe’s warm arms on a lazy Saturday morning.”

Merrick shoved his hands into his jean pockets. “Probably same as you. I wanted to take one last look at the Cooper account.”

Nick laughed. That was one of the things he admired about Merrick Vaughn. He worked as hard as anyone else. Just because he was the owner and CEO of Vaughn Business Solutions didn’t mean he was willing to leave the day-to-day running of the business to his employees.

“Yep, same reason I’m here. I wanted to be fresh on Monday.”

“I tried calling you last night, got voicemail instead. Were you out with a woman?”

Nick shrugged. “I took Lacey to a movie. She was feeling down about Evan.”

Merrick’s face turned hard. “Yeah, I heard. What a dick. I’d like to kick his damned teeth in, personally. But that would only piss off Lacey.”

Nick leaned against the wall next to the elevator and fiddled with his keys. He still hated to think about Evan and Lacey together. It set him on edge.

“My thoughts exactly. It put a dent in your sister’s self-esteem a little,” Nick admitted.

Merrick stared at him for a long minute, as if weighing his next words very carefully. “She told you that?”

Nick nodded, unsure about Merrick’s subdued attitude. He was always easy going with him, but this particular conversation made Nick increasingly aware that Merrick was about to say something he wasn’t going to like.

“Yeah. I think it messed with her quite a bit because she thought Christy was her friend.”

“Makes sense,” Merrick said. In a quieter tone he asked, “So, what time did you get home last night?”

Nick quirked a brow at Merrick and posed a question of his own, “You keeping tabs?”

Merrick’s eyes narrowed and his jaw firmed. “What you do with your time is your business, but what you do with my sister is my business.”

Did Merrick know how completely archaic that sounded? Then again, if he had a sister he would probably be the same way, whether she was grown woman or not. However, Merrick should know Lacey wasn’t a weakling in need of saving.

“She’s all grown up, Merrick. She can take care of herself, don’t you think?”

“No. I don’t.” Merrick stepped closer until they were eye to eye. “The rules change where Lacey’s concerned. She’s not just some woman. She’s my baby sister. She’s Blade’s baby sister.”

Merrick just had to bring up the eldest and most forbidding of the Vaughn brothers. Shit. Nick hadn’t considered the two Vaughn men breathing down his neck when he’d embarked on his “Seduce Lacey” campaign.

Nick shoved a hand through his hair and tried to be as honest as possible without revealing too much. “I care about her, damn it. I’d never do anything to hurt her. I give you my word.”

Merrick stood there for another minute, a blazing intensity in his eyes as he silently sized him up. Finally he nodded, and even smiled before stating. “Good enough for me.”

Nick started to breathe again. It would surely put a crimp in his relationship with Lacey if he was forced into a brawl with one—or both—of her brothers.

“But, it may not be good enough for Blade,” Merrick said. “He’s a little more old-fashioned than I am. As far as he’s concerned, Lacey is made of fine crystal and should be treated accordingly. He’s not a man you want as an enemy. He’s already called Evan and put the fear of God into him. Think about that before you do anything stupid, like make Lacey sad. Or worse, make Lacey sad in front of Blade.”

Nick was six-foot two and two hundred pounds of adult male muscle. He could take down most any man.

Compelled to come to his own defense, as well as Lacey’s, he stated, “Thanks for the advice, but you both need to remember Lacey is a woman with a mind of her own. If she wants something, no amount of intimidation will stop her. And you also need to keep in mind that while I do respect Lacey’s family, what goes on between us is private business. No one else’s.”