Page 50 of Wild and Wanted

Stevie had taken one look at the jeans and T-shirt she’d been wearing when the text came in and changed in a flash. Not into the skirt – which was actually a dress – from The Corral which would have immediately rolled up to be more like a waistband the minute she sat on Gertie, but into a long, flowy soft skirt that was much more conducive to riding a horse.

And she’d taken off her underwear.

Yup, she was excruciatingly aware as she approached the stables that she was bare-assed naked beneath the skirt. Going commando wasn’t something Stephanie did but this Stevie person? She was a whole new kettle of fish. She’d even tidied up down there because apparently cowboys like to eat so why not make the table presentable?

Oh Lordy!

The thought of that tripped her pulse and squeezed between her legs, making her aware again of her lack of underwear. It was so damn… illicit but in a thrilling way. In a dirty-little-secret way. Which was, she assumed, exactly the way Clay wanted her to feel.

Him and his anticipation.

Well, two could play at that game. And she had the perfect item of clothing in her arsenal to jack up his anticipation a little more. She’d see him his panties and raise him some ribbons. Six little purple ribbons to be exact, holding her cleavage-baring, white top together in a faux-corset style.

Stevie spotted him as soon as she stepped from the bright sunshine outside into the cooler, darker surroundings of the stables. He was standing at the far end between two saddled horses, stroking them as he quietly murmured things she couldn’t hear. But the way his attention snapped to her the second her foot crossed the threshold turned her legs to jelly.

Backlit by the sun from the other side, she couldn’t see his eyes but she could feel them. She could feel them raking her body, zeroing in on her skirt then on her shirt. Homing in on the ribbons. How she made it all the way to him without stumbling, Stevie had no idea.

‘Hey,’ she said faintly as she drew level, her hand automatically reaching to pet Gertie’s neck as her eyes roved over the way his plaid shirt stretched across his shoulders and the worn denim of his jeans fit snug on his lean hips. The urge to walk straight into his arms was almost overwhelming but she tempered the impulse. Fooling around in a loft and hugging were two very different things.

Even virgins knew that.

‘Hey.’

‘Hey, Stevie.’

Startled at the voice, Stevie glanced across to find Dev inside a nearby stall, his arms propped on the gate. She hadn’t even noticed him. Had he noticed the way she only had eyes for Clay?

‘Oh, hey.’

Stevie smiled at the cowhand. She really liked Dev. He was good company with a charismatic personality and having him here was a pertinent reminder that this trail ride was not an intimate day with Clay but a business transaction for the ranch.

‘I’m afraid you’re stuck with this bozo today.’ He tilted his chin at Clay, who ignored him in favour of that row of ribbons. ‘Mags’s just getting over a migraine.’

‘Yes, Theresa said. Poor thing, how’s she doing?’

They chatted for a minute about headache remedies before Clay interrupted with a blunt, ‘Don’t you have work to do?’

Stevie blinked at the brusque interruption, but Dev was clearly not perturbed, laughing at Clay’s unimpressed expression. Tapping the brim of his hat with two fingers in some kind of half-hearted salute, he said, ‘Aye aye, boss.’

Clay shot him an irritated look. ‘Jackass.’

‘You know,’ Dev said cheerily as he turned his attention to Stevie, ‘there’s a feedback form on the website where you can rate your trail ride experience. Be sure to give him a one star rating if he stays grumpy.’

Stevie pressed her lips together to stop from smiling as Clay growled, ‘Dev.’

Another irrepressible grin lit the man’s face as he tapped the gate twice. ‘Have a great time,’ he said before disappearing inside the stall.

‘Ribbons, huh?’ Clay murmured as she returned her attention to him.

‘Yup.’ She held his gaze despite the mad quaking of her insides.

He looked like he wanted to say more but a quick flick of his eyes sidewards told her he was being careful in case Dev could hear what they were saying.

Holding out a helmet she hadn’t realised was dangling from his fingertips, he said, ‘Put this on.’

‘Nope.’ She shook her head. There was no way she was wearing that thing.

‘Those are the rules.’