Chapter One
“Ah.Mon.Dieu,” Claudia found herself murmuring, then wondered if she’d actually said the words out loud. She gripped the edge of the front desk in the Rawhide Ranch lobby as he walked through the doors: the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. The kind of man who made her skin tingle simply looking at him, who literally made her knees go weak. And her friend Micah’s cousin.
Oh, yes, she knew Brody Hale, had been avoiding her insanely intense attraction to him since she’d first met him at the kink club where she’d become friends with Micah and Arrow. She’d fought it down every time he’d come to Dallas to visit and they all hung out at the dungeon, or at Micah and Arrow’s place. But now he was here at Rawhide Ranch, and she couldn’t get her hands to stop shaking, or deny the heat building between her thighs.
Damn hormones.
Damn Micah, who hadn’t given her a heads up.
She bit her lip and looked down at the computer screen as he moved across the lobby. Not that she was actually in the middle of anything, but he was almost too much to look at.
Almost.
She had to glance back up as he approached the desk. Yep, he was still there, not some figment of her imagination. Brody Hale. Well over six feet tall, with short dark hair, dark eyes, a close-cropped beard that only served to accentuate his thoroughly masculine features, and more muscle than she’d ever seen on any human being. Her entire body was humming with some low tone that sent goosebumps up her spine and made her insides go soft and loose.
“Claudia, hi,” he said, his voice deep with a bit of a husky edge that went through her like a small electric shock. “Micah told me you worked here, but I thought you worked in one of the restaurants?”
“I did. Um… I do. But I help here and in the gift shop when they need me.”
“It’s nice to see a familiar face,” he said, smiling, a dimple creasing one cheek.
Down girl.
“So, what are you doing here?” she asked, then nearly bit her tongue. “I mean, I’m just surprised to see you at the Ranch.”
“You know Micah and Arrow decided to elope since they’re in Italy, anyway. I offered to cover Arrow’s next course here so they didn’t need to rush home. I’m presenting onPost-Injury or Illness: Rediscovering Yourself Through Kink.”
“Oh,” was all she could manage in response. “That’s one of the six-week courses, isn’t it?”
“It is. I’m really excited to be here and glad Arrow and Derek have enough trust in me to stand in.”
“Well, you’re certainly qualified. I’ve seen you play at my old club in Dallas when you were visiting Micah and Arrow.”
“It’s been too long since we ran into each other,” he said. “You weren’t in Dallas the last couple of times I went. I was a little bummed not to see you there, but Micah told me howhappy you were here at the Ranch. How long have you been living here?”
“About a year and a half. I love it here.”
“You seem to be thriving,” he said, his dimple flashing again as he smiled at her. “So, what do I need to do to check in?”
“Let me look up your reservation.” She tapped the keyboard and brought up his details, and just the sight of his name on the computer screen sent a long, lovely shiver through her. “Seems like you’re all set. It looks like they’ve put you in one of the staff apartments, since it’ll be a longer stay. It’s the big building just outside and to your right. You’re on the third floor, in apartment 321,” she said, then swallowed hard. It was the unit next to her own. “There’s an underground garage where you can park—just take any open space. And there’s an elevator that goes up to the apartments. Also, if you ever need to come from that building to this one in bad weather, there are tunnels that run between them. You can walk through, or you’ll also see golf carts parked at either end if you’re carrying something heavy, or don’t want to walk.”
“That’s really brilliant, given that winters can be harsh in the mountains. Derek has thought of everything, hasn’t he? If you’ll just point me in the right direction.”
“Of course. What kind of car are you driving? So I can enter it into the computer and issue a permit for you.”
“It’s a Ford Bronco that’s dark blue under all the road dust. I decided to drive rather than fly. There’s some really beautiful countryside between Denver and here.”
“I imagine there is. Let me just enter the information”—she paused to tap the text app on the computer—“annnd, it’s done.”
“Perfect. And Claudia? I really am glad to see a familiar face.”
“So am I,” she said, doing her best not to let out a purr with her words. But damn, this man was hot with a capital “H”.
Before she had to fight against that purr caught in her throat, Master Derek, the owner of Rawhide Ranch, walked up to the counter.
“Brody Hale? I’m Derek Hawkins,” he said, shaking his hand. “I heard you were due to arrive about now. How was your trip?”
“Good. Smooth travels all the way from Denver.”
