Page 27 of Rugged

Besides, taking on her name, her job, her persona, lent me the sense of entitlement. Of personal power. Of reckless abandon that Lyssa embodied. Look where it got me. A hot guy, hot sex, and a cool ranch full of cool people.

I didn’t want to go back to being boring old Emma.

Not yet, anyway.

Not when Johnny looked at me like he did. When else would I have a chance like this? To explore my undeveloped wild side? To have a fling with a man I just met? To follow a hot cowboy to his ranch just to get laid a few more times?

It was a dream come true, and I didn’t want it to end.

“The job just kind of fell into my lap,” I said lamely. “My sister found it for me, actually. I’d just quit my job in Hollywood and needed a place to land for a little while.”

All of that was true.

“Nice. Their loss is my gain.” He winked then led me through the open wooden doors to a large stable. It was roomy and clean and smelled of fresh hay.

A dozen horses filled the stalls. Johnny led me past a black stallion and a dapple gray although I didn’t know if those descriptions were adequate. I read a bunch of fun fiction books about horses as a girl and got what I know about the animals from that.

“This is Chester. I call him Chester Chesterfield.”

As expected, Chester was a chestnut stallion–a beautiful red-brown horse with a tail and mane the same color and a white star on his forehead. The horse nickered, lifting his muzzle toward Johnny in greeting.

“Hello, Chester.” I didn’t reach out to touch him–I was too intimidated.

Damn, he was big. I couldn’t believe Johnny fell off an animal this huge. And got kicked in the head by another one!

Johnny reached out and rubbed the horse’s forehead and murmured to him in a deep, soothing voice. “Hey, buddy. How are you? Did Colton feed you this morning? Sorry I wasn’t here.”

My chest squeezed. Listening to Johnny talk to his horse was too sweet. If I’d had any doubt about his character–which I hadn’t–it would’ve evaporated now.

He grinned at me. “You can pet him.”

I drew a breath. I shouldn’t be scared. I supposedly worked on a ranch. Lyssa wouldn’t be scared. I reached out and gently rubbed the white star on the horse’s forehead.

“Want to go for a ride?”

My eyes flared wide.A ride?“Me?”

Johnny laughed. “I wasn’t asking Chester.” He leaned down close to my ear. “I can think of a different kind of ride if you want to do that instead.”

I flushed–and my pussy clenched–at his alternate proposition.

“How about this? Ride horses first, then you can ride me.”

“Okay,” I breathed, liking that idea. “But the horses? Um. By myself?”

He shook his head. “No, silly. With me. You can ride Chester, and I’ll ride Montague.”

It was just a horse. People rode horses every day. And, Johnny wouldn’t put me on an animal that might be dangerous to me or the other way around. I definitely didn’t want to hurt the precious horse, no matter how big he was. “Um, okay.”

I was Lyssa, right? Fearless. Fun. A little freaky. A ride and then a ride.

“Great.” Johnny flashed me a smile and opened the gate to Chester’s stall.

I stepped back out of the way, pressing my back against the far wall to give them lots of room. My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my pocket. It was a text message from Stan.

Call me.No hard feelings about you leaving. I have another project to discuss with you. It involves a big raise.

“Everything okay?”Johnny asked.

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