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“Ride with me.”
She kept walking. “There’s no group going out right now. They’re preparing for the overnight. You should know that.”
“I’m sure I don’t need a guide, and I can take care of you.”
She stopped walking at his suggestive words, feeling herself drawn to him, despite her better judgment. That fact made her hesitant. “I’m sure Jade will go with you. I haven’t seen her on a horse yet, but she’d try if you gave her some encouragement.”
His eyes narrowed. When he spoke, the calm way he had of speaking hadn’t changed, but she was pretty sure she’d ticked him off. “Are you jealous?”
She turned to walk away, but he caught her and made her face him. Keena looked around. No one was in sight, which was strange for a busy ranch, but then she remembered that at least one group of wranglers had been scheduled to leave early that morning with a few of the guests who wanted to join in the longhorn cattle drive. Come to think of it, Keena was surprised Ryan didn’t go with them.
“Let me go, Ryan. I just want to be left alone.”
He frowned. “Because you’re angry with me again. Why is that?”
“Give me a break,” she snapped. “Who am I? No one. It’s like you decided to find someone to pick on, and I’m it. If you want her, fine. Go to her, but leave me out of it. You’re not going to face me off against Jade. I give. She can have you.”
“Is that what you think?” His fingers tightened on her arms to the point of hurting. “I don’t play those games, Keena.” She winced, and he released her right away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Sometimes I forget my strength.”
He ran a hand through his hair staring at the ground as if he was recalling an important fact. Keena didn’t get him. She didn’t think if she stayed here year-round that she ever would.
After some moments, he took a step back from her. “You’re right. I should back off. I don’t get involved with the guests normally. I get women like Jade who chase me. I deal with it without hurting their feelings. I never chase, and I don’t know why I’ve done it with you.” He raised a hand to her cheek but dropped his hand again without touching her. “I admit to being attracted to you. Like you, I have no interest in anything serious. Neither do I want a slut. Do you get my meaning?”
Keena’s heart banged in her chest. One second he was backing off, and now? Now he was saying what? “You’re telling me you want us to . . .” She blew out a breath.
“Ride with me.”
She nodded.
In silence, they prepared their mounts. Keena was happy that she had continued to be allowed to ride Annabel. She was beginning to think of the mare as her own private horse, and she’d miss her when she had to leave. Soon they were on the trail, heading through the trees. For a half hour, neither of them spoke, enjoying the peace, the quiet, and each other’s company. Keena felt no need to fill their companionable silence with chatter, and from the peace reflected in Ryan’s normally stormy gaze, neither did he.
When they reached a body of water that Keena thought couldn’t be the one they’d stopped at before, she wondered at what point they had taken a different direction from their last outing. After dismounting like an old pro, if she did say so herself, she pivoted to ask Ryan where they were. But she sucked in a sharp breath finding that not only had he already dismounted, he had also zipped around both their horses and stood inches away from her.
Keena staggered back, and Ryan reached out to steady her in an instant. “Are you okay?”
“Would you stop moving like that?” she groused. “Sheesh, was your last job that of a spy or something? You had to sneak around making no noise?”
The grin that parted his lips lit up his handsome face. For the second time that day, Keena lost her breath. “Oh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. And then when you do it for the first time, you’re laughing at me.”
She moved away, pretending to be offended when it was just his nearness was driving her crazy. Ryan wasn’t fooled. He reached out with casual grace and ran the fingers of one hand along her palm as she passed by him. The sensual tease brought Keena’s feet to a standstill. With hear heart galloping in her chest, she watched Ryan move around her until he stood in front of her
once again.
He trailed his hands up her arms, to her shoulders, paused a second, and then continued up until he cupped her face. He tilted her back and then leaned down until their lips met. Had Keena enjoyed Steven’s kisses because she had loved him? Because one brush from Ryan’s mouth drove that name out of her head.
Ryan deepened the kiss. He tantalized the tip of her tongue with his before gliding farther and fisting one hand in her braids. His other arm came down around her waist, and he lifted her from her feet with ease and crushed her to his body.
Keena let out a moan that didn’t begin to express the pleasure kissing Ryan brought to her. And that intense feeling grew by exponential amounts when he released her hair in order to position his hand between her legs and squeeze her moist heat. Keena almost shouted against his mouth.
She wriggled in his arms and broke free, dragged a hand over her swollen lips, and tried not to stumble and fall on her ass. “W-Wait just a minute,” she rasped. On trembling limbs, she stumbled to a tree and held on to support herself.
“Are you okay?”
Ryan took a step toward her, but she held up a hand. “Don’t.”
He spun away so his back was to her, his hands pushed into his jean pockets. Keena chewed her lip watching his ass, wanting to touch him as he had touched her a moment ago. The memory of it almost weakened her knees. She shut her eyes, dragging in deep breaths. No man she had ever met had given her that much sexual pleasure with one kiss, one touch. She’d been on the verge of an orgasm, for Pete’s sake. Did he feel the same? Had Ryan been that close to losing control like she had been?
“You said you were looking to have an affair,” he said without turning around. “I’d like to think I would be a good match for that, for the time you’re here. No strings, just pleasure.”
