“I’ve met plenty of your kind.” I informed him. “Cowboys that think because there are an insane amount of romance novels and books about them all they have to do is flirt a little and they can screw anyone they want. I guess they’d be the wide brim, hat wearing equivalent of a fuck boy, but that won’t fly here. While it might be hard. You’re going to have to keep it in your pants for the next two weeks.”
“Wow.” He shook his head, and the sound that came from his mouth held not an ounce of laughter. “You’ve known me for all of two seconds, and within that time you assume I’m just out to fuck around simply because I asked about your job? That or I’m trying to steal you away.” He added before I could respond.
“It didn’t take getting to know you or the questions. All it took was that player’s smile you flashed in my office.” I raised my eyebrow at him this time. “I can assure you I’m not the one you want to play with.”
He let out a quick gust of what sounded like laughter. “I somehow doubt that, but for the record, I’m not some rodeo fuckboy or any other kind of player either.” His lips turned up into the same smile from my office. “Did ever cross your mind that I might have found you attractive?”
“No.” I didn’t miss a beat.
“That’s a shame.” His face turned serious, and he stepped closer to me. So close that I could swear I felt the heat of his body, and I drew in a breath. The deep musk of leather and cowboy filled my senses, and for a second, I felt a little lightheaded.
“I don’t know about every other man you might have met, but I don’t fuck around.” His coal black eyes held me captive. “And when I find a woman attractive, I don’t play games. That isn’t how I was raised and it isn’t the person that I am. I’m a straight shooter who likes to smile and happens to think you are very attractive. If that interferes with the ranch code of conduct, then that’s too bad.” The smile returned. “But then again, I’m only here for two weeks. I’m not exactly patient, but when something is worth it I can wait, and I have a feeling you would be worth any wait.” And if that wasn’t enough, he lifted my hand to his lips and dropped a kiss there without ever breaking eye contact.
I swallowed down the heat that shot up my body. “Just do your job while you are here and only your job, and we will get along fine.” I pulled my hand away from his and pointed in front of us. “You are in cabin four. I trust you can find your way, and I need to be getting back to my office. This has already taken longer than I’d allotted.” I turned to head back, but stopped. “In the future, it would also help if you were on time for your lessons and any meetings we might have.”
“Oh, I promise to never keep you waiting.” This smile was lethal, and the wink he shot me didn’t help. It took everything in me not to run as I left him there and retreated back to the safety of my office.
Chapter 3
Junior
I threw my bag on the bed and flopped down beside it. How the hell was I both pissed and turned on at the same time?
How dare she think that I’m some kind of fucking player? She didn’t even know me. Did she go around making snap judgments about everyone, or was I special? If I were, then it wasn’t for the reason I’d like to be, and still I had to admire how she put me in my place. However, I was pretty sure she had never met an actual player. If she had, then she would have known that all she had done was issue the biggest challenge in the world. Those jackasses loved a good challenge.
Past being annoyed by her assessment of me, I was sad that she had been so quick to answer negatively when I suggested that I’d smiled at her because I found her attractive. Had no one ever told her how beautiful she was? Just what kind of guys lined her past? They all had to be blind or complete fucking idiots. Either way, I had no problem making sure that she knew exactly how gorgeous she was before I left.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. It only took two rings for my cousin Dallas to answer.
“Hey man. You make it safe?” I’d talked to him while I was on the road here.
“Yep. Just got to my cabin.”
“Good,” he replied. “Two more weeks, right?”
“Yeah.”
He let out a long breath. “Glad to hear it. We miss you around here.”
“I miss y’all too.”
I’d been gone since close to the beginning of the year. This was the longest I’d been away from home since college, and even then I came home a lot on the weekends to practice. I don’t think I realized how used to having my family close I was. They might sometimes drive me crazy, but I wouldn’t trade any of them for the world. That included my younger siblings, who definitely got on my nerves more than just about anyone else.
“So what’s the place like?” Dallas asked.
“The land is beautiful.” I told him. “I haven’t had a real chance to see a lot of it, but driving up is breathtaking.”
“I’ve heard the same about that area of the state.”
“Yeah, and the Davis’s seem really nice. Carl invited me to breakfast tomorrow morning. Other than that, I’ve only really seen the stables.” That reminded me. I needed to move my truck. “That and the main hall.”
“When do you get started?”
“Tomorrow.” I wondered if Bria gave me a schedule. I had to believe that she did. It was probably in the papers she handed me.
“That’s quick,” Dallas said. “I would think they’d give you a day to get settled and exercise Iron Rocket.”
“I plan to get up early and ride around.” I told him. “That or take him out a little tonight.”
