by Amelia Jade
“Thank you, that means a lot.”
It felt like their conversation was almost going in a circle. All morning he’d been singing her praises, but Rowe couldn’t help himself. He was lovestruck and his mouth often ran itself without his brain’s input. Like now.
“I guess I’ll put that one on your tab then?”
Cheryl frowned. “Put what on my tab?”
“Payment for saving you in there.” He pointing over his shoulder at the barn.
“What do you want then, another kiss? Is that the idea?”
“Yes.”
She looked skyward at his instant response. “I told you, that was a one-time deal. Besides, nothing is going to happen out here where the workers can see. That’s inappropriate and unnecessary. Unprofessional.”
Rowe was about to protest, to say they could just duck inside the ranch for a second, but he stopped as Cheryl pawed at her jacket pocket for a moment before pulling her cell phone out. To his surprise she hit the speaker button, allowing him to listen in.
“Hello?”
“Miss Payne? This is Willy. Um, you sent me out as the crew leader to clear back the forest on the northern border?”
“I remember you, Willy,” Cheryl said calmly.
Rowe was more fixed on the worker’s voice. He sounded nervous, but also confused about something.
“Well, we just pulled up here, and ma’am, I thought you should know that there’s something weird going on.”
Cheryl exchanged a confused look with him, while Rowe bit his lip, wondering just what the workers might have seen out there.
“What do you mean?”
“Ah, ma’am, there are two bears being chased off by a pack of wolves.”
Rowe’s eyebrows shot up. “Ask him how many wolves,” he said to Cheryl before she could speak.
“Somewhere between eight and twelve,” Willy replied, having heard his question. “It was hard to get an accurate count; they were moving around pretty quickly.” He paused, then continued. “Ma’am, is it safe for us to work out here? I wasn’t aware there were so many predatory animals nearby.”
“Do whatever you’re comfortable with, Willy. I’ll leave that decision in your hands. You’re the one on scene. You can make the calls better than I can. If you deem it too dangerous, I’ll back you up.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Rowe tuned out the rest of the conversation. It didn’t matter to him. All that mattered was he needed to get out to the northern edge of the property once again.
This time though, he was going to go alone.
Chapter Eight
Cheryl
Her fingers hurt and her eyes felt bleary, but she forced herself to type out the last few sentences of the status report. Hitting Save, she pushed the chair back and stood, groaning slightly at the aches and pains that assaulted her body after sitting for too long.
Looking around, she wondered where Rowe was. One of his massages would be more than welcome just then. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen him since they’d finished dinner. He’d excused himself and disappeared somewhere. At the time Cheryl had figured he wanted to shower or something, and that he’d be back shortly. Now that he hadn’t been around in a few hours, she found herself wishing he were there.
You miss him.
Shit. She totally did. Having him around had been nice, someone she could talk to and be herself with. There was no way she was going to tell him that of course. His ego didn’t need the extra inflation. Not when it already had his good looks, strength, and charming personality. Cheryl felt if she paid him a compliment his head might explode.
Besides all that, she needed to keep things professional between them. True, he wasn’t one of the farmhands, but she didn’t want to let things develop between them. It would be a distraction from her work, and she couldn’t handle that right now. The last thing she needed was to get distracted by things such as the reaction from her body when he held her, or how her lips still burned with the memory of his kiss.
She wanted him. It was clear to see, and Cheryl had a hard time blaming herself for it. He was six and a half feet of sexual stimulation who had made it clear he was interested in hopping in bed with her at a minimum. At any time she could make an advance on him and get laid if the urge grew too great, she knew that. The trouble was in what would happen after though.
This job was a big deal for her, and she couldn’t go falling in love with someone and let it pull her away from the work. Though she was sure her parents would be more than happy to hear about that. It might at least get them talking to her again.
She sighed at the reminder of her father’s disappointment when she’d told him she’d taken the reassignment from a desk job to this. It wasn’t “proper” for her to do this sort of work. This was a man’s job, and she was a woman.
“Go to school, you said. Get a good job, you said.” She snorted. “Well I did that, Father, and it’s all your fault. You encouraged me to always strive to be better. What more could you expect?”
An office job would have done little more than drive her insane if she’d kept it for much longer. Besides, this paid the bills and then some, and because of her expensive college education, Cheryl had a lot of bills. She needed this job, and needed it badly. Once she was more established and had a few projects under her belt—successful projects—then she could turn her mind toward the idea of a relationship and perhaps even settling down. Not before.
Sorry Rowe. If you even had any romantic interest in me, instead of just physical.
Outside there was a great rush of wind. Windows creaked and something rattled wildly. A moment later it was repeated. Cheryl rushed to look outside, wondering if a storm was coming in or something. There was nothing in the sky blocking the stars, and on the ground all she could see was Rowe walking toward the house.
Weird.
An idea occurred to her. Scurrying toward the back door, she stopped just outside of the mudroom, pushing herself up against the wall. Taking slow, calming breaths, she waited as Rowe came inside and took off his boots. The big man walked right out into the main hall without hesitation.
“BOO!” she shouted, raising her hands in the air.
Rowe left the ground as he spun midair, his eyes practically glowing bright green. The instant they registered her he calmed, but his momentum couldn’t be stopped and he was forced to reach behind to use the wall to stop himself.
“Got you!” she crowed happily, doing a little dance. “I fucking got you.”
“You remember that I never did anything on purpose, right? Imagine if I started trying to scare you.”
Cheryl was too busy dancing and repeating that she’d got him to care.
“I’m glad you’re happy.”
Something in his voice made her look up. “You’re not mad, are you?”
“No.”
“Okay, then what is it? What’s bothering you?”
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit,” she called. “You’ve been gone for hours, which is unlike you, and now you’re acting all weird. Where did you go?”
He hemmed and hawed over his answer, but finally caved after she put her hands on her hips, indicating he had better just fess up.
“I went to go check out the northern forest edge, where the wolves and bear fighting was reported.”
“You did? Alone?”
“Yeah.” He scratched the back of his head, careful not to mess up the perfectly styled hair on top.
“What did you find?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me,” she warned.
“I’m not. I literally found nothing. No blood, no dead animals or parts of them.” Rowe looked displeased.
“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have gone at night, then. Or alone!” she admonished, wagging a finger in his face. “That was dangerous. They could have come back and killed you. Then who would annoy me?”
That got a smile from him finally, but it was short-lived. Whatever it was that was g
oing on it was seriously bothering him.
“How was your evening?”
Now he was trying to change the topic. Cheryl thought about pushing further, but decided against it. Rowe was the only person she could consider a friend, or peer, and the last thing she wanted to do was get on his bad side. Then there would be no one to talk to.
“It was fine,” she said, letting it go. “Done now, just finished actually, and could go for a snack.”
“Food sounds good.” He started heading toward the kitchen.
“Are you hangry? Is that why you’re acting so weird?”
Rowe lifted his hands, palms up. “Maybe. Possibly. Probably.”
Men. So predictable.
Doing her best to contain her irritation, she followed him into the kitchen. Her snack could wait; she needed to make him some food so he would eat and calm the hell down.
At no point did it occur to her that she didn’t need to make him anything.
Chapter Nine
Rowe
“Feeling better?”
His mouth full of sandwich, all he could do was bob his head up and down, trying to express his gratitude that way. The sandwich was great and he genuinely was thankful. Rowe hadn’t expected her to make him food, but when she’d immediately started bustling around and asking him what he liked on his sandwich and what he didn’t, he’d just sort of went along.
Now he was eating the fruits of her labors, and feeling himself come back down to normal. Part of him thought it was cute the way she’d gone into provider mode, but more of him was upset that it had been called for in the first place. Rowe needed to have better control of his emotions, and to pay more attention. She’d almost caught him in a situation in which he was unable to explain his actions.
Such as how he’d gone out without a flashlight. Or how he’d traveled to and from the border without the ATV. The entire time she’d been staring at him he’d been terrified she would ask something like that. Thankfully she hadn’t.
“Well I guess this makes us even,” she said casually as he downed the last bite.
“Pardon?”
“You saved my life earlier. Now I saved it myself, by feeding you.”
Rowe tapped his chin. “It sounds to me like you’re attempting to get out of paying your tab.”
“I said thank you for saving my life. What more do you want? If you keep demanding things it might seem to me like you’re not doing it out of kindness, but because you expect something.”
He just sort of stared. “That’s not…I…” Rowe sighed. “I was just trying to have some fun.”
“Fun? Stealing kisses from me is fun?”
“I was sort of hoping that you’d give this one up for free,” he admitted helplessly.
Cheryl laughed at him. “You think so?”
Buoyed by the fact she didn’t seem to be getting angry with him, Rowe nodded, taking a step closer.
“What are you doing?” she asked, suddenly nervous.
Rowe grinned. “I see what’s going on now.”
Chery’s throat bobbed as she swallowed. “You do? What do you see?”
He took another step forward. “I see you.”
“You’re not blind. That’s good.” She was trying valiantly to keep her sarcastic nature up, he could tell, but as he closed the gap between them until it was a handful of feet she began to falter.
The more he realized she wanted it, but was just scared of it, the more his confidence grew.
“No, I’m not blind. I can clearly see the beauty standing in front of me,” he whispered, taking another large step.
Cheryl tried to back up, but she bumped against the table, trapped as he matched her step for step.
“Listen, Rowe. I’m not that type of girl,” she told him, her voice growing quieter.
“What type of girl?” He was almost on top of her now.
“To just jump into bed with someone purely for sex.”
He nodded, feet carrying him until less than a foot separated the pair. “I know. You have respect for yourself. I want you to know I respect you too.”
“Then you understand why I can’t sleep with you.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Because.” She grimaced. “You just want to fuck because you think you can.”
He reared back. “Is that truly what you think? That I only want you because you’re here? Like some sort of conquest? Have I not shown you that I’m truly interested in you?”
She hesitated. “I just find it hard to believe. You’re so hot, and I’m—”
“Just as sexy,” he supplied before she could say something insulting about herself. “I love the way you look. Your curves, the softness of your stomach and your body. It calls to me. I crave it. Please believe me. I’m not making that up.”
“Rowe…”
Her resistance was fading, and Rowe took his chances.
When their lips touched he knew immediately that he’d made the right decision. Every hair on his body tingled with the electricity that passed between them, a shockingly powerful sign of their connection. If he’d still had any remaining doubts about her being his mate, that would have eliminated them, but Rowe was long since convinced of that. They belonged together. Dragon and human.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” she gasped as he lifted her up onto the table, so that he could kiss her better.
“Why not?” he asked, speaking between kisses.
“It’s just so…I told myself I wouldn’t!”
He paused, giving her a huge smile. “I don’t understand why you would do that. You deserve this.”
Cheryl lifted her eyebrows.
“I mean you deserve to do what you want. Not that you deserve me. I don’t know that. I only know that you want me.”
“Well of course I want you,” she whispered, lifting his shirt to look at his stomach. “I mean, wow. Who wouldn’t want you?”
“I just care what you want,” he growled, pulling the shirt from over his head.
Cheryl fell silent, but her eyes continued to do the talking as they roamed freely over his upper torso. Rowe watched in silence, noting how her pupils were big and round, dilated from the sight before her.
“Now you’re just teasing me,” she all but moaned as he pushed her legs open and stepped closer.
“I would never.” Rowe grabbed her hands and put them on him, letting her touch and feel him wherever she wanted. He shivered as she slid her hands up his side and across his chest, playfully circling his nipples.
“So smooth,” she observed. “Yet so strong and powerful.”
Her hands continued up over his shoulders and down his arms, fingers spread wide as she gripped his biceps.
Rowe flipped his hands around as she slid down his forearms, until he clasped her hands in his. Slowly, keeping his eyes on hers, he raised both of them to his mouth, kissing the backs of her hands one at a time.
“We shouldn’t be doing this.”
Rowe shook his head. “There’s absolutely no reason we shouldn’t.”
Cheryl sighed and bit her lip as he dropped her hands to grip her knees, slowly running his thumbs up the inside of her thighs, stopping just short of the arch between her legs. Her eyes closed as he dug his thumbs in a little deeper, sliding them up the sides of her bikini line before resting them against her soft, thick sides.
“Rowe.” His name was a half-moan pouring from her lips, a plea for him to both stop and keep going, all at once.
“Yes?” He spoke into her neck, gently nipping at the skin there, drawing a visible shiver from her.
He loved to please her, to watch her body react to his touch. Rowe could see her nipples as they poked through the thin long-sleeve shirt she was wearing. He so desperately wanted to run his fingers over them, to see how she would handle his touch somewhere more sensitive. More sexual.
“We should stop.”
“I disagree.” He showed her why.
Fingers scraped down his shoulders,
leaving marks. “That’s a really good reason.”
He smiled and kept teasing her. Touching here, squeezing there, always moving, always exploring. Cheryl was losing herself in it, and when he finally caressed her breast she barely flinched, and then only to arch her back into him, urging him on.
“You’re good at this.” She moaned softly as his thumb drew light circles across the outline of her nipple. “Very convincing, but I still don’t know.”
Rowe was torn. He wanted to continue on, but Cheryl’s continued uncertainty was making him reconsider about pushing further. “Should I stop?”
The reply was a very long time in coming. “What happens if I say we go on?”
He grinned. “If you say so, then I’ll slide this hand from your knee all the way up…”
“And?” she asked, nearly out of breath. “What then?”
“This time, I won’t stop.” He paused his hand in time with his words.
“No,” she gasped. “Please. Keep going.”
“Why?” he breathed the question into her ear, towering over her, using his naked torso to his advantage.
“I need it.”
He inched his fingers closer to the peak between her legs. Cheryl responded by spreading her legs wider, inviting him to keep going.
“You told me to stop,” he reminder her, pulling her head in to his chest.
“I know.” Her voice was half moan, half whine.
Rowe lifted his fingers a fraction of an inch higher. Cheryl jerked, muscles tightening as he drew closer than ever before.
“Why does this have to be so difficult?” she gasped, her lungs rising and falling rapidly.
“Because you don’t trust your feelings.” He sucked gently on her earlobe, drawing a fragile shiver that ran from her head to between her legs. “But you should.”
“Why?”
“Besides that it would feel good, and that there’s obviously a connection between us?”
Cheryl nodded, gripping his upper shoulders even tighter. “Yeah, besides that.”
“You want it. I want it. There’s no reason we can’t, as consenting adults, enjoy each other’s company.”
“I do want it.”