Page 94 of A Forever Kind of Rancher

Life was beautiful. Right now. With Grace’s bare skin beneath his hands and her name on his lips.

He kissed the curve of her neck, ran his tongue along the line of her collarbone. She tasted so good. So damn good. And he needed her now.

“So why did you call me?” he asked. He probably shouldn’t be asking.

“Like I said. One-night stands seem cheap...sordid.” She shifted. “Okay, it didn’t seem cheap and sordid. I guess that’s the thing. I expected it to. But it didn’t. And in the end, I just wanted you again. And... I’m so obsessed with not making mistakes. I’m sure I’m making one right now, but I’m enjoying it. So...so why not?”

The question hung between them, unanswered.

“Tell me you have condoms,” he said, “because I wasn’t expecting this.”

“Oh! Right.” Grace jumped away from him and walked to counter. And he watched her butt the whole way. She was still wearing heels. A fantasy that he just didn’t deserve. Because he had nothing to give her other than this.

So give it to her good.

Well, that was a solution that appeased his libido anyway.

Grace started rifling through the little plastic bag on the the counter, pulling out a candle, a package of mints, a bottle of hand soap and, finally, condoms.

“Did a little shopping before you called?”

“The condoms started this whole thing. I was not going to call you. I wasn’t even tempted. Mostly. I mean, I was, but I sitll wasn’t going to. But then I was walking down the aisle for things...nonsexual things. And I saw...well, they’re ribbed,” she said, her eyebrows arching. “I’ve never, never tried that before.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. And then I...sort of thought of the fact that there are a lot of things I haven’t tried and maybe I needed more than just once with you.”

His gut tightened as he watched her tear into the box. She rummaged inside and produced a strip of condom packets, tearing one off. She looked at him, expectation gleaming in her dark eyes.

“So there are these,” she said.

“And?” he asked.

“Go ahead and...take it out.”

“Take it out?”

“Your...your...take off your clothes,” she said.

“What is it you want to see, baby?” he asked, suddenly desperate to hear something raw from those pretty, polished lips.

“I...”

He wrapped his hands around himself, squeezed his erection through his pants. “What?”

She looked down, red staining her cheeks.

“Say it,” he said, “or you don’t get it. And I know you want it.”

She looked up again, her eyes meeting his. “Your cock,” she said, drawing in a sharp breath immediately after.

“I like hearing you talk dirty,” he said. “And because you did what I asked...” He worked at the belt on his pants, hoping she didn’t notice the trembling in his fingers.

Hard to play it cold and commanding when he wanted her so bad it was a physical ache.

He tugged himself free, shoving his pants halfway down his hips. She licked her lips, like she’d done earlier. A nervous tic, maybe. But it sent a shot of pure heat all the way down his spine.

He reached out and took the packet from her hand. “We don’t need this just yet,” he said. He pushed his pants down the rest of the way, then looked for a place to leave the condom.

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