Page 6 of Her Filthy Cowboy

“You got lucky,” I mutter, avoiding his gaze. “I’m out of practice, that’s all.”

Brody slides off his horse and takes a step toward me. “Luck had nothing to do with it. I won fair and square.”

I finally look up at him, my breath catching at the intensity in his eyes. “Fine. You won. Happy now?”

“Oh, I’m very happy.” He reaches out and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers linger on my cheek. “Question is, are you?”

I swallow hard, trying to ignore the way my skin tingles under his touch. “I’m a woman of my word, Clayton. I’ll honor the bet.”

“Mmm. I have no doubt about that.” His thumb traces my lower lip, and I fight the urge to nip at it. “But that’s not what I asked. Obviously, I’m not going to make you spend the night with me if you don’t want to.”

I lick my lips, watching his eyes darken as they follow the movement of my tongue. I decide to play it cool. “Like I said. I’m a woman of my word. I guess you’ll have to wait and see about the rest.”

Brody slides his hand from my cheek to the back of my neck and tangles his fingers in my hair. He tugs gently, tilting my head back. “Guess I will.”

His voice is a low rumble that I feel all the way to my toes. My heart hammers against my ribs as he leans in, his breath hot against my skin.

For a moment, I think he’s going to kiss me. I want him to kiss me. But at the last second, he pulls back, a maddening smirk on his lips.

“How about we head over to those trees?” He nods toward a nearby grove. “You can finish up that interview of yours.”

We walk over and settle under the shade of a large oak. Once settled, I pull out my notebook, but the professional façade I’m trying to maintain crumbles as soon as Brody starts talking.

“So, Ms. Sullivan, what else do you want to know about me?”

I clear my throat. “Well, um, you never answered my question from earlier.”

Brody rests his hand on my thigh, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “And what question is that?”

Suddenly, I can’t focus on anything but the heat of his touch seeping through my jeans. Why does he keep touching me like this?

I take a shaky breath, trying to compose myself. “I asked you to tell me something that no one knows about you.”

“Ah, right.” He keeps his hand on my leg as he leans back against the tree trunk. “Well, when I was a kid, I secretly wanted to be a vet.”

That surprises a laugh out of me. “Really? Mr. Rough and Tough Cowboy wanted to take care of animals?”

“Hey, being a vet is a noble profession.” But he’s grinning too. “I’ve always had a soft spot for animals. Used to bring home every injured bird or bunny I found. Drove my Mama nuts.”

“Yeah, I remember you nursing that stray cat back to health when we were kids.” I smile as the memory washes over me. “You were so gentle with her.”

Brody’s smile turns wistful. “Whiskers? Yeah, she was a sweet old girl.”

“What made you change your mind about being a vet?”

He chuckles. “I realized I couldn’t do math worth a damn, so vet school was out. Decided to focus on riding bulls and running the ranch instead.”

I poke him in the side. “And look at you now. A big-time rodeo champ.”

Brody snorts. “Yeah, something like that.” He rubs his thumb in a circle on my thigh and looks over at me. “What about you?”

I blink at him. “What about me?”

“You achieve all your big city dreams out there in New York?”

I look away, suddenly uncomfortable. “Some of them, I suppose.”

“But not all of them.” It’s not a question.

---