Page 39 of Claimed by the Lawman

“You’re still angry with me.”

“Of course not. I should be thanking you,” she purred.

He chuckled. “You baffle me. I like a challenge.”

She dared look at him then. “A challenge? How so?”

“Oh, one would just have to look into those blue eyes and see the wild and amazing thoughts flowing through that beautiful mind. You’re not sure whether you want to kiss me or slap me. Isn’t that right?”

Sucking in a breath, she tried to control her emotions and the twitch between her legs. “Still full of yourself. I want to do neither.”

“How about we stop these pretenses and be honest. I want to kiss you.”

She cursed the fact that her body reacted with a need so overwhelming that she had to hang onto the reins tight so she didn’t fall off the saddle. “Really? What changed from the other night? Change your mind that I’m no longer the victim?”

“I wanted to kiss you then, and I did. I’ve learned a valuable lesson. Anything worth having is worth taking slow. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been fantasizing.”

“Just for the record, I’m not a victim. My sister was a victim.”

“Point noted.”

“You really do have quite a large ego,” she squirmed in the leather and the vee of her thighs pressed against the saddle that set sparks in her bloodstream. She was sensitive…too sensitive.

He laughed and the rich sound found its way straight to her inner thighs. This struck up her anger.

“I say we call a truce. I forgive you for what you did fifteen years ago, and you forgive me…well, for whatever is giving you that expression that makes me think you want to slice me in two.” He winked.

“A truce? Have you forgotten the real events of fifteen years ago?”

“Not quite,” he said in a lowered voice.

She snapped her chin up. “So, was the other night some way of seeking revenge? Kiss me, prove that I want you and then pull back?”

His expression softened. “I wouldn’t use touching you as leverage for revenge, but I’m glad you do want me.”

She clenched her teeth. “You’re insufferable.”

“Now, now. Let’s be nice.”

“You know what, I did plan on coming back, Kace,” she said softly.

After a good length of hesitation, he looked up at the sky and then back to her. “Let’s not lower ourselves to lying, shall we?”

She stopped the horse and turned all her attention on him. “I’m not lying. I didn’t want to break up with you.” Spark must have sensed her irritation because the horse pranced.

“No, you just wanted to go live your own life for fifteen years while I waited for you to return. Yeah, that sounds like a good, working relationship.” He exhaled slowly.

“It wouldn’t have been that way. I-I needed to explore what was out there. I thought you would understand. I thought you would confess…”

“What? And how would I understand? You wanted me to comprehend that there wasn’t enough here in Wyoming to keep you? When in that equation did you even ask what I thought?”

“You left too. Why was it okay that you could leave and I couldn’t?”

“Hell, maybe because I had plans to come back and you…well, you say you wanted to come back but the proof is in your actions.”

“We were young, Kace. What would we have done? Married, had a few kids and lived here at the ranch? Hell, you couldn’t even tell me how you felt.” When he turned away, leading his horse onward, she swallowed against the pain in her throat. “Kace?” She gave Spark a nudge to catch up. “Is that what you wanted? To marry me?”

His jaw was lethally tight, and he didn’t look at her, but instead kept his gaze steady on the land ahead. “Oh, I had that silly idea run through my brain, but it ran its course.” The tone of his voice brought chills through her.

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