Page 39 of The Charmer's Gambit
His lips twitched. “Not pink, red.”
Yeah, I thought he might say that. My forehead and nose were on fire, which never ended well for my too-pale complexion. Sarah was the one who tanned naturally. Not me. Irish and German genes ran in my family, hence my fair features. I pressed the cool water against my head and looked up at the cowboy in front of me. “I finished my row.”
He scratched the dark stubble on his jaw as he eyed my work, and nodded. “Yep. You did good for a city gal.”
“Lawyer lady, city gal.” I shook my head in mock disapproval. “Y’allneed better nicknames.”
He guffawed at my poor use of southern slang and pressed a hand to his flat abdomen. “Do me a favor and say that in front of Mershano, ’kay?” He was still laughing as he added, “Follow me.”
I fought the urge to groan. Long days were nothing new to me, but I usually spent them in the comfort of my office, not in a blazing-hot field. My hands and feet were sore, and I knew my shoulders and back would be complaining later. I’d really thought this section would be it for the day, but apparently not.
Wiping my brow again, I trailed behind him past several rows and turned when he did, only to come to a complete stop. Will stood not five yards away, shirtless, with what looked like a net rolled up in his hands.
“You ready yet?” he drawled, addressing the man in the next row. The muscles in his back flexed as he shifted his footing.
“Yeah, yeah, throw it over,” his associate replied.
Will lifted his arms with a swoosh and sent the mesh flying over the vine. Something resembling the wooden end of a broom appeared as his partner helped drape it over the other side. Looking down the line, I could see most of the vines were covered in a similar fashion but were fastened at the bottom by clothespins. There were several clipped to Will’s belt as well. His ass flexed in his jeans as he bent to start rolling the netting fromthe bottom, and I stood frozen in my fascination. No wonder the man had zero percent body fat.
Bradley chuckled beside me, and I ignored him. Yes, I was ogling. No, I didn’t care. Because wow. He made it look so easy, and sure, the mesh looked light, but the speed with which he adhered everything to the vines suggested years of practice and expertise. Was there any facet of life this man hadn’t yet mastered? Running a business, legal negotiations, employee recruitment and management, hard labor; he put my law degree to shame.
He lifted his hands over his head and rolled his neck before turning to smirk at me. “Enjoyin’ the show, darlin’?” I watched as a bead of sweat trailed down his chest and over each defined ripple of his abdomen.
“Yep,” I replied, unashamed. Because what woman would deny it at this point? At least I could blame the sunburn for the heat caressing my cheeks. He peeled off his gloves and tucked them into his back pocket as he sauntered up to me. I tilted my head back to meet his gaze, hoping he intended to kiss me. Because all that golden skin? Yeah, it would feel like heaven.
Instead, he tsked through his teeth. “We need to get you out of the sun.”
“She lost her hat,” Bradley explained, chuckling. It wasn’t exactly a lie. I’d set it down somewhere and forgotten to retrieve it. Who knew where it was at this point.
“Oh, I just bet she did,” Will drawled, eyes narrowing. “You’re going to regret that later.”
“That sounds like a threat.” Something that should have turned me off, not on. But my body didn’t seem all that interested in reason at the moment.
“No, gorgeous.” He palmed my cheek and brushed a thumb over my lips. His pupils seemed to dilate as he tracked the intimate touch. “It’s a promise.”
Electricity zipped down my spine. Oh, I liked the sound of that. Not that I would admit it out loud. I shrugged to loosen my shoulders. “I’m not worried.”
Unfettered challenge stared down at me. “Good.” That single word and the look that went with it made me weak in the knees. He brushed his knuckles over my jaw and down my neck. I shivered beneath his featherlight caress.What will it feel like when hereallytouches me?
“Lawyer lady did better than I expected,” Joe announced from my left. “You have my compliments, Mershano.”
Will’s hand continued its path over my shoulders and traced my arm all the way down to my hand, where he interlocked our fingers. “She’s a keeper, then?” he asked, grinning at the older man.
“Yes, sir. She’s welcome to come back anytime ya like.” He beamed at me. “And whenever ya return, I’ll call ya whatever ya like.”
I laughed. “Rachel is fine.”
Both of Will’s eyebrows shot up. “Just Rachel?” He looked conspiratorially at Joe. “You got off easy, my friend. She would definitely be giving me a ridiculous name to call her.”
“?‘Your Majesty’ is not ridiculous,” I deadpanned. “And neither is ‘All-Knowing One’ or ‘Goddess Rachel.’?”
“Goddess?” Will repeated, his eyes dancing over me. “I think I can work with that.” His low baritone was becoming one of my favorite sounds. Soothing, sexy, and seductive.Mmm. “But for now I’m calling you Cherry, ’cause, darlin’, you’re turnin’ redder by the minute. Let’s get you home.”
He tugged on my hand, prompting me to walk alongside him, before I could form a proper reply to hischerrycomment. Good thing, too, because I had nothing witty to snap back. He’d rendered me speechless with that delicious voice of his sprouting words laced with sexual intent.
This is a battle I’m destined to lose. From the minute Will stepped into my life, I knew he’d be trouble. His commanding presence and overwhelming confidence brought out the fighter in me, but each gesture and word chipped away at my armor, leaving more and more of me exposed. Attraction sizzled between us, hot and heavy, and as he looked at me now, I saw my impending doom.
I wanted him more than I’d ever thought possible. Maybe it was a result of going so long without sex or the fact that he stood before me in nothing but a cowboy hat and jeans. Or maybe that kiss the other morning knocked a few screws loose. Whatever it was silenced my desire to fight. I liked him. Maybe even more than liked him. All the others who came before him didn’t compare, including Ryan. I’d been head over heels for that man, yet he never lit my blood on fire the way Will did. One look was all it took to melt my insides, and I was dying to know how that translated to the bedroom.
