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“Maribella keeps a tightly locked-up pantry, so I’ve avoided the carrots. I buy the peppermints myself.”
He moved on, calling the next few horses by names, rubbing their soft noses, and passing each of them a peppermint too. Matt tried to always be gentle and very soft spoken to them. The majestic beasts were a love of his. He liked the way they responded to him. Often times, he thought a woman should be treated much the same.
Ally had been watching him with the horses. Would she want him to touch her as gently? He moved closer. “Not sure what you’re thinking, princess, but I bet I’d like to know.”
Her face practically lit up like a bonfire. “Well, it wasn’t about you, so no need to worry further.”
When she took a step away from him, he almost laughed. Hehadmade her uncomfortable.
“I think I’ve seen enough of the barn for tonight. It’s been a long day. Thanks for uh, well…thanks. I think I’ll be turning in now.”
She spun, but her feet must have tangled, and she fell. Without thinking, he reached out, gripped her upper arms, and drew her up tight against him. He turned her until her hands rested on his shoulders, and her breasts pressed flush with his chest. Sliding his arms down, he trapped her in his embrace.
She trembled, and stark anticipation shot through him. He would venture to guess, and it’d be a bet he wouldn’t lose, that when she’d shivered, it hadn’t been because she was chilly. He wasanythingbut cold. His brain warned him this was not a good situation to be in, but she felt so damn good, and it had been way too long since he’d held a woman in his arms. Normally, he avoided the opposite sex like the plague. But a gorgeous, headstrong, warm female just falling into his arms? Who could blame him for wanting more of her.
Her gaze lifted, connecting with his, and he was done for. He kept an arm wrapped around her waist, her body flush with his own. Drawing his other hand up her spine and over her shoulder, he trailed his fingers along the side of her neck to cradle her jaw. He rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. Damn, she looked good enough to eat, and he only needed a nibble—just one taste, and he could let her go. He hadn’t kissed a woman in far too long, but if he could get the flavor of her luscious lips, he would be satisfied.
The tip of her tongue sneaked out and touched his thumb. He was a goner. Holding her jaw, he slowly lowered his head, brushing his mouth over hers, ever so slightly. Her lips were soft and luscious like he knew they would be, and tasted of Heaven. Who was he kidding? Once would never be enough with this woman. With no control left, he deepened the kiss.
He ran his tongue across her bottom lip, coaxing her to open. She conceded without hesitation, and he moaned. Cupping the sides of her beautiful face, he angled her head for better access and he thrust his tongue against hers.
* * *
Oh God,what this man was doing to her senses. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. She could only feel. Oh boy, and feel she did. The hardness of his thighs against hers, the heat pouring out of him, warming her throughout. This man was wreaking havoc on her sensibilities.
Sensibilities?What sensibilities? He had clearly knocked every sense from her with the first touch, and then his lips had found hers. Good Lord, no man had ever, ever kissed her that way—like he wouldn’t survive if he didn’t possess her mouth. And she let him.
Wait! No!This was all wrong. Matt worked for her daddy.
She needed to get a hold of herself and the situation, which was quickly flying out of her control. She needed out of the barn. Moving her hands from his shoulders, where her fingers had been digging into his hard muscles, she pushed him and his addicting lips away, breaking their connection.
“Wait! Stop!” Ally closed her eyes, forcing herself to take a step away from him. She snatched her fingers from his chest. Good Lord, her hands were shaking. She lowered them to her sides, making tight fists. Opening her eyes, she found him looking at her, desire pooling in his eyes, surely a mirror to her own. “We can’t do this. I must be crazy!”
She carefully watched his fingers push through his coal black hair, leaving it rumpled and sexy, and rested his hands on his hips, never taking his eyes off her. Why wasn’t he saying anything?
“Look, this never should have happened,” she said, and a hint of a smile formed on his wonderful lips.Stop smirking! “Maybe we should just go to bed.”
A mischievous glimmer sparked in his eyes. “Ah, now—”
She lifted both her hands, palms up.Shit. “No. Don’t you dare say it. That issonot what I meant. What I mean is we both need to turn in. Go to bed. Separately. Damn it, this isn’t coming out right. I’m going to bed. To my room. By myself.”
Not one word came from his mouth, but he was definitely smiling.
Great! I am such an idiot!“Good night!”
Taking care this time, she turned from him but was stopped when he grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to him.
“Dream about me, princess,” he whispered in her ear. “About how good it could be between us.” Then he released her, made an about face, and walked off through the barn.
She stood frozen, watching until he disappeared into the shadows. Closing her eyes for a moment, she tried to catch her breath.What in the world have I done?
* * *
Matt satat his desk in the tack room with his feet propped on top, the strong leather smell making him feel at home. He stared into the bottom drawer at the bottle of scotch, half gone, lying beside a small plastic juice glass. He hadn’t had a drink in two years, but the bottle was there for nights like this one when he was trying to convince himself he didn’t need a drink. He wasn’t really a drinker—he had always prided himself on being too responsible.
One time of getting knockdown drunk was all it had taken to convince himself he could never be an alcoholic. It had been just over two years ago, after the nightmare that brought him home to Wyoming. He kept a bottle, the last of his stash, as a reminder of what he’d done—or rather, what he hadn’t been able to do—and what he’d suffered through to make it to where he was today. He slammed the drawer in disgust, hating himself for having to open it for reassurance. He’d moved on and was getting his life back together, even if no one else knew it.
His mind was exhausted from going over every minute of the last few hours since he’d ridden into the barnyard earlier in the evening. His thoughts shifted to the ranch house, of all places, to the room right next to his. Was she still awake? Tossing and turning? Thinking of him like he was thinking of her? What did she sleep in? He smiled. He could definitely picture her in black lace. He loved black lace. Man, it made him hard just thinking about it.
