Page 58 of Rough Ride

“Well, first, Jerry said I should avoid you. He said that he figured you were stressed out and needed a break.”

“Did he?”

Eli nodded again. “Then, there was Aiona. He said you scared him—more than he feared May.”

“That’s mean.”

His lips twitched. “Well, I heard you threatened to shave his head.”

“He asked me if I was PMSing. He deserved that. When I called May, she said I should have gone ahead and shaved his head.”

She crossed her arms knowing that she was acting like an idiot, but she couldn’t help it. She had never been a woman who could handle herself without enough sleep. Add in her frustration with Eli and the situation with their ranch, everyone was lucky she wasn’t using them for target practice.

“Do you want to talk about what’s really bothering you?”

“No. Nothing is bothering me. I just didn’t sleep well last night. I haven’t…” since they returned. The truth was, she didn’t know if it was fear, or if it was the man. Something told her it was the latter. Eli St. John was a man women lost sleep over.

“We need to talk about Honolulu. We need to talk about us.”

She couldn’t face it. Crysta rarely hid from problems, but right now, she couldn’t deal with this. She wanted him more than she wanted her next breath, and she couldn’t handle him knowing that.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she said. “We had one night, it was good, it’s over. We both said it was for the best.”

He cocked his head to the side and watched her for a moment. “Is that so?”

She turned around and started brushing the horse again. “Yes.”

Eli stepped closer. She wished she could see him, but that would be admitting the need she had for him. The cocky Dom knew she wanted him, but it didn’t mean she had to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging her attraction. She could feel his body heat against her back. He had invaded her space. Again.

“So, you think you can resist me?” he asked, his voice deepening. She felt his breath against her ear and she shivered.

“What you don’t seem to understand is that I have control over my own desires. I’m not some little sub who is awed by the popular Dom.”

“Hmm.” It was all he said as he nibbled on her ear.

It took all her willpower to step away from him and the temptation he represented. Crysta turned, then settled her hands on her hips, trying to keep from reaching for him. Every fiber of her being wanted that…but she’d been truthful. She might be a sub, but she wasn’t inexperienced.

“We have to run this ranch together for months. I don’t think it’s a good idea to get tangled up.”

He wasn’t happy, that was easy to see. His narrowed glare almost made her laugh. Had no one ever rejected this man? Probably not. He was a Dom…a good one. The fact that he was a cowboy with a sexy Aussie accent was enough to make most women swoon.

Crysta was made of stronger stuff. Resisting him, the lure of a submission to him, was the only thing that could save her heart. He might just be in it for fun, but she wouldn’t be. She would fall in love with him, then it would be bad.

He moved forward and slipped his hand to her waist. Ignoring her protest, he pulled her closer and kissed her. It was a full-frontal assault that had her senses reeling. She could smell the leather and sweet Hawaiian air on him as he thrust his tongue into her mouth. She resisted for a second, and then surrendered to the pleasure.

In the next instant, he was gone. Eli released her and stepped back.

“If you want another taste, it comes with a price,” he said, then he turned and walked away.

Both of them knew the charge would be her submission.

nineteen

Eli heard her footsteps before he saw her. They had been avoiding each other for over twenty-four hours. He had done it for self-preservation. He couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t drop to his knees and beg for her to accept him.

That wasn’t the thing for a Dom to do.

He was sitting in the library again, sipping on whisky. The sun was setting in the distance, and it had been a hard day—which had been preceded by an even harder night. After letting Crysta know that he was interested in moving forward, he let her come to him. Many people would look from the outside and wonder if he truly was a Dom.

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