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“Are you working tonight?” I asked, giving her a sly smile.
“What’s it to you?” As soon as the words flowed from her mouth, she laughed once again. “No. Tonight I’m off.”
“Then how about you take me on that ride?”
She narrowed her eyes, uncertain of what I was asking her. When a smile crossed her face as she glanced down at my attire, I couldn’t keep a grin off my face.
“Yeah, I’ll change.”
“Into those skintight jeans you had on? Aren’t you worried you’ll get them dirty?” At least her tone was more playful.
I ventured closer, the same feeling of arousal kicking in. “I might surprise you, Jessie. I won’t lie to you that I am a ruthless businessman accused of not having a heart, but this place is special to me as well. I’m going to ask once again. Do you think we could have a truce for now?”
She wrinkled her nose and it was just about the cutest thing she’d done. “Fine. A truce. For now. At least you called me by my real name.”
“I admit I do still like Big Red. It suits you.”
“Strangely enough, that’s my truck’s name.”
We both laughed and it was all I could do not to reach out, wrapping my hand around the back of her neck and pulling her against me. I’d never wanted to protect or take care of anyone to this degree. Maybe I was going to surprise myself. “So what do you think? You’ll take me on that ride?”
She took a few seconds, keeping her dazzling eyes on my face. “I don’t know, city slicker. It might chafe your thighs. Besides, I have to pick up my daughter later.”
“Oh, come on. Test my abilities. There’s a lot more to this guy than what you’ve seen.”
“Said every man I’ve ever known. They all lied.”
“Where is your daughter?”
“She’s on a field trip with her kindergarten class but okay. Maybe you should see what you’re thinking about selling. I’ll select you a gentle horse. You still might be sore in the morning, but I’ll take it nice and easy since you’re a city slicker and all.”
I threw back the rest of the wine, enjoying the banter more than I should. “Remember what I said. I might surprise you. Come on. I’ll take you to the house then drive to the stables. I’d love to see the ranch from your beautiful eyes. That is if you can handle my company.”
The way she debated whether or not she could trust me was only partially due to her wariness of what I had planned, which I couldn’t blame her for. However, the most significant reason the girl was jaded had nothing to do with me but with whatever past she wasn’t eager to talk about.
“I’d like that and trust me, big guy, I can handle anything you dish out.”
“Challenge accepted.”
CHAPTER 14
Jessie
Why was it that Sebastian had such a powerful effect on me?
I wanted to hate him, but he made it all but impossible to do so. We’d gone round after round and he’d refused to back down like most men eventually did. I respected him for pushing back, although I wasn’t going to inform him of that little detail. Not in this lifetime.
There was a glimmer in the man I liked, remorse for not spending more time with his grandfather, an innate love of the ranch that was still surprising. A welcome one.
The fact Walter had left me something in the will was also very surprising, enough so I didn’t want to take whatever it was, yet if he’d thought of me so highly, then I certainly didn’t want to push it away. I was certain it was nothing more than a trinket, but the thought was a reminder that everyone wasn’t like James or the people who’d treated me like the trailer trash my ex loved to call me.
The truth was that very few things or people perplexed me any longer in my life. I’d learned at an early age how horrible people could be to me, to each other, to animals. Anyone and everyone who stood in their way. Trusting people was something I could barely think about doing.
However, there was something about Sebastian that told me I was in for more than one surprise with him. Maybe the passion we’d shared had allowed me to drop my guard too much, but he didn’t seem to be the nasty asshole I’d expected him to be.
Or maybe I was just losing my ability to judge someone’s personality traits. But the fact he hated Hank was indeed a plus in my book.
As Sebastian pulled the rental truck in front of his grandfather’s house, I realized I hadn’t really grieved for the man who’d died so suddenly.
