“Say his name again.” I rolled my shoulders.
A second, two, three. Each one with a released breath from her. “No,” she said quietly, but her tone was full of spice. “Only because you ordered me to.”
Fuck me sideways.
She had a defiant streak that was going to drive me fucking insane, insane enough that I had to tamp down the urge to run a hand through my hair, making the shorter pieces as crazed as I felt. That, or I was going to kiss her. Kiss her until her knees gave out and she was moaning in my mouth.
Her eyes narrowed, like she could read my mind. She took a step back. Even so, our eyes started to lock, heat moving between us, caught in the slow-moving molasses of time. Whatever it was between us felt like it could stop time entirely when we were like this.
Her chest heaved underneath the tight tank top she wore. She might have been slight, but she had breasts and an ass. She also had a scar on her left shoulder. There wasn’t a spot on her that I hadn’t memorized. The less clothes she wore, the more I noticed. When we’d be alone in the bedroom, I’d notice even more.
Her apple scent wafted around me in the heat, and like the horse, my neck automatically extended to get closer to her. A feral need to sink my teeth into all her juicy places almost overtook me. My mouth fucking watered.
Her eyes had gone from narrowed to lowered. Her lips were slightly parted, and from the rise and fall of her chest, I could tell she was trying to steady her breaths.
“Sorry to interrupt.”
I’d registered someone coming into the stables, and I’d clocked it was Ty, but I refused to sever the connection. Sistine startled, though, and her shoulder hit the wall. She righted herself and ran a trembling hand down her shirt as Ty moved closer, as if we had been caught doing something wrong.
“I just need to talk to Mariano for a sec.”
Sistine didn’t move. Ty grinned.
He nodded to me. “I was wondering if you’d be interested in joining the charity auction we host every year? The event is held to raise money for any ranches that are going under. It’s a cause close to our family, and we’re passionate about it. My sister also likes to donate to animal shelters.”
Sistine sent Ty a hard look. He gave her an apologetic smile and shrugged.
“What’s auctioned?” I asked.
“Men,” he said. “For dates.”
“No women?”
“Just men. Women donate things. Like my grandmother donates her sketches and baskets. Sistine donates a custom piece of jewelry. And so on.”
“I’m in.”
Sistine opened her mouth to say something but then snapped it shut. Ty looked between us and backed out. Even though the connection might have stilled, it still existed, whether it was moving or not. It started up hot as soon as we were alone again.
Sistine swatted the air, as if she was swatting away flies. “What if I agree to marry you?” she blurted.
This was getting fucking good.
I grinned. “You want to marry me because of an auction?”
She went to snap at me but shut her mouth again. Her hands were balled into fists, and if I had to control the wild urge to claim her mouth a few minutes ago, it seemed like she was pinning down the urge to smack me.
“No!” she snapped. “I donotwant to marry you, Casanova. At all. However, I cannot think of another way to get rid of you!” She was rushing her words, too pissed about me agreeing to the auction to really think about what she was saying.
She turned and started for the barn door, mumbling in Italian as she went. I was pretty sure she called me a two-headed cockerel, but it was hard to tell through the other insults she was slinging at me.
I snatched a lariat from the hook on the wall, twirled it over my head, and fucking bullseye…it easily went over her head and slipped to her waist. I tightened my hold, and she stilled.
She turned toward me, her lips so pinched, the fullness of them seemed to disappear into a thin line. Fuck if I knew where that pillow-like softness disappeared to, but it was cute. Her nose crinkled sometimes when she did it, like when she had flared her torch at me. That memory made me grin at the same time another memory was made that would always make me grin.
I pulled her back to me, her boots kicking up dust around her as she dug in her heels. When she was right in front of me, I could feel her breath on my skin from her anger, and I felt fucking high off it.
“Continue with the conversation,” I said, fucking lucky I wasn’t slurring my words.
