Page 10 of Tempted at Thoroughbred Lake

When they’d been in high school, they’d made out in his truck, too, but this was so much better. Ruby brought some experience and a whole lot of need to this kiss. She immediately deepened it while fighting to get out of her seat belt. Brennan did a battle to get out of his as well, and without the restraints holding them back, they latched on to each other.

He pulled her to him, dragging her closer. Not that he had to work too hard on that since she was doing her own share of dragging. Despite the console between them, they managed to land their upper bodies together so that her rather ample breasts pressed against his chest. His chest obviously approved of that, but with the combination of the hungry kiss, it fired up his body to the “take Ruby now” mode.

And that couldn’t happen.

Even though his body was burning and his mind was cloudy, Brennan forced himself to remember where they were. Right in front of his house, and there was plenty of sunlight left that any one of his six ranch hands would be able to see them if they wandered this way. Best for his workers not to see their boss acting like a lust-filled teenager.

“We should take this inside,” Brennan managed to say when Ruby and he finally broke for air.

With her breath gusting and her face flushed with arousal, Ruby eased back from him and met his gaze. He could see the debate in her eyes. Part of her no doubt wanted to dive back in. So did Brennan. Dive back in and have sex with the woman he’d been having fantasies about for years. But Ruby’s thirty-six years had obviously also given her common sense.

“Wrong time, wrong place,” she muttered.

“But not the wrong man,” he insisted, and Brennan waited, hoping like the devil that she didn’t dispute that.

With their gazes locked, she slowly shook her head. “No, not the wrong man. And maybe it’s time I did something about that.”

CHAPTER FIVE

SITTINGINHERhome office, Ruby forced herself to finish some paperwork on the sale of a house that was scheduled for closing in two weeks. Routine paperwork, thank goodness, that didn’t require a lot of brainpower. Which was good.

Because her brain was on Brennan.

The night before, they’d kissed the daylights out of each other in his truck, and she’d made a Texas-sized confession to him. That he wasn’t the wrong man. She was certain that was the truth.

Well, almost certain.

And it was because of that tiny thread of doubt that she’d asked Brennan for some time to come to terms with not only leaping into a relationship with him but also with their kids’ marriage. She’d made some progress with both. Yes, she still had a doubt or two about Brennan, but she figured he was a risk worth taking. As for the kids, well, they’d be back from their honeymoon tomorrow, and Ruby hoped she could sit down with them and come up with some realistic living and budget goals.

All thoughts of such goals slid right out of her mind when she got a message from Brennan. Clearly, he wasn’t much of a texter, because he’d sent no actual message but rather an emoji of a dancing horse. It made her laugh, which meant he was a good texter after all. It took her a couple of moments to find one, but she sent him an emoji of a dancing duck.

Mercy, she needed this levity. Needed the contact with him even if it happened to be in an animated cartoon conversation. It was that levity that caused her to put aside the paperwork. To put aside that small shred of doubt she had about him. And to get on with proving to herself that he was, indeed, the right man.

Up for some company?she texted.

His answer came right away.Your place or mine?

That flooded her with warmth. Then heat.Yours. I’ll be there soon.

Ruby didn’t just dash out the door, though that was what she wanted to do. She took the time to freshen her makeup and brush her hair. What she didn’t do was change into sexy underwear, but that was because she didn’t own any. Unlike her daughter, she didn’t make a habit of shimmying into “barely there” lace. Still, it was something she might consider if this turned into a fling with Brennan.

The wordflinggave her a few moments of hesitation, but that didn’t stop her from going to her car and heading toward the Thoroughbred Ranch. However, that word gave her something to consider on her drive. She wasn’t looking for a forever deal with Brennan.

Was she?

No, she tried to assure herself since, after all, she had to guard her heart just a little. But she wouldn’t mind acting on all this heat that was between them and seeing where it would take them. Of course, it would take them to bed. That was obvious. However, there might be more than just sex.

With that hopeful but somewhat scary thought, she turned onto the ranch road and watched the house come into view. The porch lights lit up the porch that wrapped around three sides of the place. A stunning view, what with the clear night sky glittering with stars and a crescent moon. But what made the view even more stunning was that Brennan was waiting in the doorway for her.

“I was afraid you’d change your mind,” he said the moment she stepped from her car.

“I was afraid I might, too,” Ruby admitted.

She didn’t change her mind, though, about what she wanted to do, so she went up the porch steps to him, pulled him into her arms and kissed him. If she’d had any doubts whatsoever, that would have rid her of them.

“I’m glad you came.” Brennan broke the kiss just long enough to say that, and then he took her mouth again.

His kiss was long, slow and deep—perfect—and Ruby might have anchored herself right there in the doorway for it to continue if the mosquitoes hadn’t started buzzing around them. While keeping that kiss long, slow and deep, Brennan batted the insects away, hooked his arm around her waist, pulled her inside and kicked the door shut. He reached behind her and locked it.

---