Amuscle ticked inhis jaw.His teeth almost hurt from gritting them so hard.His eyes hadn’t stopped running over her body.She was trim, but he could see the muscle definition in her legs and upper arms.Her legs seemed longer in the shorts.The top she had on molded to her breasts, making his mouth water.He wanted to lick the drops of sweat that continued to slide down her cheek, at the same time, he wanted to get his hands on her.Every time he saw her, his desire for her grew, making it harder for him to leave.
“I want to know why the hell you are outside in shorts and a sleeveless shirt, so short I caught glimpses of your stomach?”
She looked at him, confused, and flung her hand out toward the back door.“What are you talking about?It’s a hundred degrees out.”
He sat back as his fingers started tapping the surface of the wooden table to keep from reaching for her and laying her on the table, to touch and taste her like he craved.He couldn’t prevent his gaze from taking her in, from her head in a messy bun, to her shirt that pulled tight across her chest, to the shorts that showed her lightly tanned legs, to her little feet in dirty white tennis shoes.
“I didn’t take you for being one of those women who crave male attention.”His anger grew sharper at not being able to have her and the jealousy that other men saw her this way.
“Excuse me?”she asked in disbelief.
He sat back, crossed his arms over his chest, and stretched his legs out in front of him.“Some people call those types of women whores.”
She gasped and stood suddenly, trying to take a step away from him.
He pulled her back down into the chair.“I’m not done.”
“Get out,” she gritted and tried to pull herself from his grip as she tried to push the tears back.
“Shut up and listen to me.Have you considered that your ranch hands probably haven’t been off the ranch in weeks, so they haven’t had a chance to get any female attention, and you’re out there walking around half naked?”His voice deepened in anger with each word.
Victoria froze, her chin dropping to her chest, and her fingers covering her eyes.“I never considered ...didn’t think.”
“No kidding,” he snorted sarcastically, then his eyes narrowed.“Are you sure you don’t like that kind of attention?”
“God, no.”She looked at her glass in front of her, using a thumb to wipe the condensation off the outside of it.“I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to make any trouble.I never considered they would look at me like a woman, but if they were really desperate, I guess any woman would turn them on.”She shrugged.
He sat back, confused.Was she saying a man wouldn’t look at her as a woman?What the hell.Where would she get that idea from?This woman was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen.And she thought she was unattractive?
“Thank you for bringing this to my attention.The last thing I want is to make things harder for the men.They work so hard.”
He didn’t know what to say to that.He believed her and saw the regret in her face.
“So why did you stop by, Mr.Conley?”
“Call me Cole, for God’s sake.”
She didn’t say anything.
“I wondered if you had considered selling me the ranch?”
She took in a deep breath.She flexed her hands under the table, trying to get some of the stiffness from shoveling the manure out.She knew she had a few blisters from work, but that would help toughen up her hands.
“I’m still not selling, Mr.Conley.And I thought you were going to wait for me to call you?”
He didn’t expect anything different, but he was still disappointed.He stood and pushed his chair in.“Remember what I said.”
She was still looking down at the glass as she mumbled something.
He was almost at the door when he heard her say something too quietly for him to understand.
“What did you say?”he asked.
“I said I’m not a whore,” she said softly and kept her eyes down.“I’m not a whore,” she repeated, then stood and walked out of the kitchen.
He caught her arm.“I’m not calling you a whore.I know you’re not,” he kept his tone gentle.
Victoria kept her face down, turned away from him.“You don’t know anything about me, but one thing I can tell you is, I’m not a whore.”
