Page 21 of Rugged

“It was?” He lifted his head to study my face.

I reached up to run my palm over his growing stubble. “So good.”

A slow grin spread across his face. “Come back with me,” he said. “To Wolf Ranch.”

My brows shot up. “What? I…”

I started to sayI can’t, but stopped myself.

Why couldn’t I?

This job wasn’t even mine. I wasn’t even Lyssa.Shewas the one who’d abandoned her post at this ranch for a guy and Ibiza. If she could do it, well, dammit, why shouldn’t I?

Besides, I was being Lyssa right now–and look how well it was turning out for me.

So if I asked myself the question,What would Lyssa do?The answer was a no-brainer.

Lyssa would absolutely, without hesitation, go with Hot Cowboy. There was no way she’d give up the chance for more Earth-shattering orgasms to be the good girl and stay to pick up the mail on some billionaire’s ranch. She hadn’t. I shouldn’t either.

She’d seize the bull by the horns. Collect her paycheck for doing nothing and also go gallivanting about with a sultan.

So, yeah. I could do this. It was wild and reckless and crazy, but so was letting this guy in the mansion yesterday, and look how well that had turned out for me.

I was Lucky Lyssa right now, the twin who knew how to have a good time. The twin who never hesitated, whoput herself first and who got handed everything on a silver platter.

I beamed up at my hot cowboy. “I would love to.”

11

JOHNNY

A half hourinto the drive, Lyssa fell asleep, her head tilted to the side. My wolf preened that I’d fucked her into exhaustion. Because that was exactly what I’d done. The only reason I wasn’t out cold was that my wolf was so riled that our mate was found and that we were bringing her home. I’d turned the radio down and just settled into the peace of having her with me as I took the ever-quiet back roads.

Lyssa had packed a quick overnight bag. I’d wanted to tell her to pack all her shit, but I figured that would be too much.

When I’d asked, “Are you sure you don’t needanything else?” she’d hesitated then grabbed a cardboard box from under her bed, blushing.

“What’s that?” I’d asked, taking it from her, so she didn’t have to carry anything. “Whoa-ho!” The top of the box was open, and it was full of packaged sex toys. Dildos. Padded handcuffs. A leather paddle. And more.

My wolf celebrated the fact that they hadn’t been opened. No one else had used those toys on our mate.

“Yep,” she’d said then gave a little shrug, playing off the fact that she had a slew of sex toys tucked beneath her bed, and she’d decided to share them. That meant she wanted to use them. With me.

Fuck yeah.

“Lyssa likes it kinky,” she said, talking about herself in the third person.

“Then I like it kinky, too,” I’d said with a wink.

Fuck, yeah. I couldn’t wait to use those toys on her. Couldn’t wait to get horizontal with her again.

When I drove beneath the Wolf Ranch archway, I sighed in relief.

Setting a hand on Lyssa’s thigh, I murmured, “Wake up, baby.”

Yes.I had my mate, and we were home. My wolf was soothed to know that she was safe here. Not knowing where Chapman was made me and my wolf antsy. She worked for the fucker. Probably didn’t know he was a shifter. Certainly didn’t know he kidnapped females andtrafficked them. With her atthisranch, no harm would come to her. It was my job as enforcer to keep the whole pack safe, and it was my job as mate to ensure she was protected and happy. That combination meant I was a little intense about it.

I wanted to show her the bunkhouse. Hell, I wanted to show her my bed.Ourbed.

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