Page 13 of Possessive Cowboy

“No offense taken,” Levi shrugs. “I’m not running one of those prissy dude ranches. This is a place where actual work happens.”

Maverick shoots him a look at this, and Levi raises a brow, apparently enjoying getting a rise out of his business partner. He seems to be the only one at the table who doesn’t know about the elephant in the room, and as a result, seems the most at ease.

“We’ll go now,” Maverick says, standing up abruptly. “The sun is about to set. Pictures will look best in the next half hour or so.”

“Now?” I ask in surprise. “Right now?”

“That’s perfect,” Abby nods. “Raina took her camera today, just in case we could get started on the photography. Why don’t you two go to Iron Road and get some photos for the website? Levi and I will hang back and discuss business plans.”

I look at Abby with wide eyes, wondering what the hell has come over her and why she’s trying to send me out with Maverick by myself. But then I get a sight of the goo-goo eyes Abby is aiming at Levi and realize her only strategy right now seems to be getting Levi and herself alone together at all costs.

“Great,” Mav says, looking at me. “Let’s go. We’re running out of daylight fast.”

“We can always get photos later this week,” I begin to say, but Mav shakes his head, aiming his intense steely gaze at me.

“It’s now or never,” he says. “It’s looking like an early winter. This might be the last clear day we have in a while.”

I bite my lip and look back at Abby, but she’s huddled next to Levi now, pouring over her business plans with him and talking animatedly about launch parties and social media strategy while the stone-faced cowboy nods along.

I feel Mav’s lips brushing against my ear as he leans over and whispers.

“Let’s go,” he says. “I have a few things I need to talk to you about,Bridget.”

Chills run up my spine and I walk obediently out of the sprawling ranch house. Once outside, Mav puts a hand on the back of my neck and steers me towards his truck, the same one I recognize from the night we hooked up, opening the passenger door.

“I can get in by myself,” I say as he guides me by the lower back into the truck.

He doesn’t answer, just shuts my door and walks around to get in on the driver’s side. He turns to me, glowering at me.

“Look,” I sigh. “If you’re upset about the way I left things then I’m sorry. But –”

There is no finishing this sentence, though. Because the strong cowboy pulls me roughly by the wrist, sliding me across the bench seat until I’m nearly in his lap. Then he grips my face in his hands and kisses me roughly, passionately, stealing my breath as his tongue caresses mine.

When he comes up for air, finally releasing me from his harsh grip, he glares down at me.

“Upset doesn’t even begin to cover it,” he says. “But I’m not upset withyou.”

“You’re not?” I ask numbly.

“I’m upset with myself,” he says. “I should have never let a thing like you slip through my hands like I did. But now that you’re back, I’m not letting that happen again. I know your real name now. And like it or not, it seems like we’re going to be working together for the foreseeable future. One thing you need to learn about me, sweetheart. I’m a simple man; I don’t need or want a lot of things. But when Idowant something, I don’t stop working for it until it’s mine.”

“Is that a fact?” I ask faintly.

He nods, his face serious.

“Another thing. I might appear to be a gentleman in public,” he says. “But I think you know that’s not the case based on what we did that night in the hotel. So believe me when I say that if you run out on me like that again, I’ll tie you to my bed and punish-fuck you until everyone in this sleepy old town knows that you’re mine.”

8

Maverick

Maybe I’m beinga little much, but I’m beyond caring at this point. The moment I saw her get out of the car, that’s when I knew.

Hell, maybe part of me knew the night that we met. I just didn’t want to accept it. But now?

Seeing her in those skin-tight jeans and soft light blue sweater, her hair pulled up in that messy way that women sometimes do…it did something to me, something different to me than the night we slept together.

She’sreal.Really real.

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