Page 27 of Christmas with Three Cowboys

“I’m always happy to see you,” I politely reply. “How can I help you, Ethan?”

“I was just popping in to say hello. Darla said I’d find you here, grooming Isabella. You two seem quite at home with each other.”

“Yeah, she’s a sweetheart,” I say with a smile as I stroke the mare’s strong neck.

“She can tell you’re a good person, otherwise, she’d never give you the time of day,” Ethan replies.

I can’t help but blush a little. “Oh, that’s sweet. So, I’ve got the Isabella seal of approval, huh?”

“You’ve got mine, too,” he says.

The air between us thickens and Ethan keeps coming closer. I should do something. Step aside. Get behind Isabella. Anything. But I can’t. I don’t think I want to because Ethan is nearing, and my heart is throbbing with anticipation and my curiosity is getting the best of me. I shouldn’t, but I want to see where this is going.

He is mere inches away now, and my mind’s a blank as I look up and lose myself in a pair of cold, blue eyes.

“You’re not afraid of me?” he asks.

“Should I be?” I reply with a raised eyebrow.

“My brothers say I can be intimidating, and I gotta admit, I lean into that pretty hard.”

“Well, you can lean into that all you want for all I care,” I shoot back.

“You don’t strike me as the bold type,” he says, visibly amused. “What changed?”

“Nothing’s changed,” I reply. “I’m just not easily intimidated.”

“To be fair, intimidating you is not what I planned.”

“You just want to see how far you can go with me, right?” I laugh lightly.

“I just want to figure out why I can’t stop thinking about you, Melissa.”

The words hit me hard, knocking the wind out of me. He takes another step, and I quiver in my boots as I feel his hot breath tickling my lips. I can’t move, nor do I want to, and it’s an alarming thought, given what I’ve started with his brother. Whatever this is, it is perilously exciting, and I can’t seem to back away from it.

“Ethan…”

“You’re clearly not indifferent to this either,” he says.

“Well, no, but—”

He shuts me up with a kiss. It is quick and intense, and all of my defenses crumble like a house of cards. One by one, my senses unravel as I feel his tongue spearing mine. A moment later he pulls back, his breathing heavy.

The blue in his eyes is almost black, desire burning beneath those long eyelashes while I struggle to regain my composure. I’m flustered and turned on and definitely losing my mind here because all I can do in response is throw my arms around his strong neck and kiss him again.

His scent—leather and sea salt—fills me. His taste—coffee and maple syrup—makes my core tingle. His body is hard, unyielding as his arms snake around my waist. He pulls me inand deepens the kiss. I devour him, and he responds in kind as liquid heat seeps through my panties. Beneath layers of winter clothing, there are two beings made of flesh and bone, burning for one another.

“No,” I manage and finally find the sense to pull back. I step away from him, panting and panicking as I nervously look around. “No, this is… oh, this is so wrong. What did you do to me?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Ethan quips. “You’re the one who asked for seconds.”

He runs his thumb over his lower lip, and I damn near come from just looking at him. I shake my head in fear of hyperventilating if I don’t put a reasonable distance between us. Ethan doesn’t seem angry or offended. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he’s actually enjoying this. Maybe a little too much.

“Dammit, this is not okay,” I snap. “I can’t do that again.”

“Melissa, it’s alright,” he says, slowly raising a hand to touch my face.

I jump back, and for a brief moment, Ethan seems offended. “It’s not. Oh, God, if Colton finds out…”

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