Page 64 of Knot Your Problem, Cowboy
My face flames instantly. “Oh my God, shut up. Please tell me he didn’t tell you.”
He turns fully now, walking backward with the confidence of someone who clearly owns every inch of this land. The motion makes his abs flex, and I nearly slip sideways in the saddle.
“Whoa there.” He’s beside me in an instant, steadying me with hands on my waist. “Can’t have you falling off on your first ride.”
“I’m fine,” I squeak, very aware of his hands still on me.
“Mm-hmm.” He steps back but keeps thoseknowing eyes on me. “And cowboys don’t kiss and tell, sugar. That’s the code.”
I narrow my eyes. “God, you’re a good liar. Almost had me there. But he told you, didn’t he?”
He shrugs and turns back around to lead Junebug again, and I’m pretty sure my face is the color of the tomatoes.
“Look,” I say to his back, “sometimes people do things they shouldn’t.”
“So you regret it?” His voice is casual, but there’s something curled beneath it. Something sharp.
“I didn’t say that.”
“Then what are you saying?” He stops again, turning just enough to catch me with those sharp blue eyes. “He’s not your type? Or were you just curious?”
“What? No! I’m not?—”
His grin curves, slow and wicked. “So you do want him. Was it a one-time thing? Or just a you-and-him thing?”
I narrow my eyes. “I’m not playing this game with you, Cash. I’m here for three months. That’s it. No strings, no mess.”
“Not even if the mess shows up anyway?” he says softly, like it’s not just a question but a warning.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shrugs again like he didn’t just drop a grenade. “Life’s rarely tidy, sugar. Even when you try to keep it that way.” And then he’s walking again, leaving me tangled in a hundred new questions.
Is he talking about Walker? About the ranch? About all three of them watching me like they already decided I belong here?
“You’re doing good with the walk,” he calls over his shoulder. “Think you’re ready for the next level?”
I eye him suspiciously. “I’m good right here, thanks.”
That grin is back. All trouble and temptation. “C’mon. Trust me?”
“Cash, don’t you?—”
Too late. He lifts Junebug’s reins over her head and hands them to me so I’m suddenly holding both sets. Then he swings up behind me like it’s the most natural thing in the world, settling in against my back with all that shirtless chest pressed along my spine.
Oh. Oh, hell no. Or maybe… oh, hell yes.
His heat is searing through my T-shirt like it’s made of tissue paper. His chin hovers near my shoulder, breath whispering across my neck. I’ve forgotten my name, my purpose, possibly how to breathe.
His arms come around me, reaching for the reins, and suddenly we’re wrapped up in each other like this was always inevitable.
“We’ll hold them together,” he murmurs, his voice a low rumble that vibrates against my spine. “So you can feel my commands.”
“Right,” I croak. “Commands. Like I’m one of your animals that needs a collar.”
I feel him smile against my shoulder. “We don’t docollars here, sugar. But I could show you what it means to be claimed… if that’s what you’re into.”
The words are soft, dangerous, and said straight into my ear like a secret too filthy for the daylight. My body goes molten. There’s no denying that I’m wet. Right here. On a horse. With Cash molded to my back like sin itself. It’s mortifying. It’s criminal. And when he inhales deeply, chest expanding against me like he’s trying to commit my scent to memory, I nearly come undone.
