by Cat Johnson
“There’s something you should know about me, Bonner.” Her eyes narrowed. “I never tease.”
He dropped his chin to his chest as he closed his eyes and stayed silent.
“Something wrong?”
He opened his eyes. “Yup.”
“Feel like elaborating?”
Bonner stared right at her. “I’m thinking it might be best if I just give in, fucked you and got it over with. Then maybe both of us will have some hope of getting to any work or sleep over the next week.”
Once she recovered from the shock of hearing the last thing she’d ever expected to come out of Bonner’s mouth, Casey smiled. She laid a hand on the front of his shirt. “Well if you’re serious, make sure to grab that lube the vet’s using. You can demonstrate your examination techniques for me.”
His chest rose and fell beneath her touch as his breathing quickened.
“Blue!”
“Yeah.” His gaze didn’t leave hers even as he answered Dakota.
“There’s a whole bunch of ’em open. I’ve never seen this many not bred in one year. What do ya want us to do? Are we supposed to cull them all? Or do you want to save some for breeding next year?”
He drew in a deep breath. Still looking a bit dazed from her suggestion, Bonner hooked a thumb in Dakota’s direction. “I gotta—“
“I understand. I’ll be here when you get back.”
Bonner turned on his heel and she heard him mumble, “That’s what I’m worried about.”
Yup. The best way to absorb the cowboy lifestyle was to just jump right into it…or on top of one. Casey smiled.
Chapter Four
“You heading up to look for stragglers?” The old man glanced at Bonner over the rim of his coffee mug.
“Yup.” Bonner had gotten another shitty night’s sleep. He’d finally given up and come to the main house early. The coffee was ready even if breakfast would be awhile. And it meant he could sit in peace for a bit before Justus, Dakota, and the distraction that was Miss Sex-in-Boots herself came in.
“You taking Miss Casey with you?”
Bonner glanced at the old man. “I wasn’t planning on it.”
Not that he liked the idea of leaving her alone all day on the ranch with Dakota and Justus, but he liked it a hell of a lot better than being alone with her up at the summer pasture.
“Why not?” Jake took a swig and cringed, putting what must be his doctor-prescribed decaf down on the table.
“Well first off, I’m betting she can’t ride.”
“So teach her.”
Bonner stared at Jake, eyes wide. “Teach her? Just like that?”
“Sure. Why not?” Jake shrugged. “I watched you give my grandson a riding lesson when you were just a youngin’ not much older than him yourself.”
“Riding in a ring on a pony is one thing. Riding up to the summer pasture to find the stragglers and drive them down is another.”
“She wants to learn about ranch life. This is part of cattle ranching. I want her to see it all. It’s important.”
“Important for her job as Maverick Western’s marketing director? Or important to you because you know I don’t want to do it and you enjoy messing with me?” Bonner cocked a brow and waited.
“Both, but the second one you mentioned gives me the most enjoyment. Unlike this crud.” He pushed his coffee mug away with a scowl and began eyeing the mug in Bonner’s hand.
“Oh, no. Stay away from my coffee.” Bonner pulled the mug closer to him, then an idea hit. “Although, perhaps a trade is in order.”
“What ya got in mind?” The old man cocked a brow.
“I give you my coffee, you let me head up to get the stragglers alone.” Bonner kept his voice low so Mrs. Jones didn’t catch them both. Then there’d surely be hell to pay.
Sacrificing his caffeine was well worth it, if it meant he wouldn’t have the temptation that was Casey Harrington right there next to him all day. Him, alone with her and the memory of the very suggestive comments she’d made yesterday—that had trouble written all over it.
“Nope. No deal.” With his lips in a tight line, the old man shook his head.
“How about I agree to hook you up with my coffee every day this week.” Bonner watched the old man shake his head again. “Next week too?”
Jake frowned. “Why wouldn’t you want to spend the day with a woman like her? Craziest thing I ever heard. You young guys don’t know which end’s up half the time.”
“That’s not the problem.” Bonner knew which end was what. That was the problem—Miss Casey’s very fine rear end.
“Nope, you can keep your offer. I‘m willing to sacrifice myself for the good of the company and to torture you. Besides, I’ll just get one of the kids to give me their coffee.”
He knew Justus and Dakota would give in and do it, too. Bonner sighed. “All right. I’ll take her. It’s going to take twice as long with her along though.”
“Then you better pack provisions in case you can’t make it back before nightfall.”
Frustrated, in more ways than one, Bonner let out a huff. “Fine.”
Overnight in the cabin alone with her. Bonner’s cock twitched just at the thought. The old man really was trying to torture him. He had no idea exactly how much.
He’d have to teach her to ride, and push them both hard to make sure they got there and back before dark. If they didn’t—well, a man could only fight a woman as strong willed and as tempting as Casey Harrington for so long.
* * * *
Riding with Casey up to the summer pasture was going to be a problem. The minute Jake had suggested it, or rather forced the idea on him, Bonner knew it would be a bad idea. He would have been able to ride up and back just fine in a day by himself if he didn’t have his shadow.
But now, here she was, looking at the horse he’d saddled for her as if it was a fire-breathing dragon.
“It’s really high.”
His brow rose. “Actually, he’s on the small side. That’s why I picked him for you.”
“There’s nothing smaller?”
“Just that pony I bought for the old man’s great-grandkid.”
“That sounds perfect. Can I ride her?”
“Uh, no. You’re too big.”
“Thanks.” Casey scowled up at him.
Bonner shook his head. “I meant your feet would drag the ground and the pony’s not cut out for this kind of ride anyway. Just get on. You’ll be fine once you’re in the saddle. You’ll love it.”
Still looking doubtful, Casey reached up to grab the saddle horn, raised one booted foot toward the stirrup, then put it down on the ground again. “Can’t I ride with you on your horse?”
Having Casey pressed against him the whole ride to the summer pasture might just kill him. It would certainly kill his resolve. This hands-off policy was hard enough to stick to already.
This morning, after his conversation with the old man, he’d gone back to his room in the bunkhouse and jerked off into a sock from the laundry. He had to do something. The moment he told Casey the plan for the day, and that she should pack a few things in case they had to spend the night, her eyes had lit up. Then and there he decided he’d just have to keep himself well satisfied until she left for New York. He had a feeling he’d be taking lots of showers and dirtying a lot more socks.
Now, with the dark denim of her jeans making her ass look exceptional and the looming possibility of an entire night alone in a one-room cabin with her, freshly satisfied or not, he wasn’t so sure of his resolve.
“There’s no way I can get you to try it? For a little while? I’ll walk you around in a circle. Right here. Then after you see how easy it is, we’ll leave.”
“You’ll hold the reins and stay right here next to me the whole time I’m on there?”
“I swear.” Bonner went so far as to make a crossing motion over his heart.
She pursed her lips and considered his offer for so long, he thought it was a lost cau
se. Finally, she said, “Okay.”
“Good girl.” Bonner stepped up behind her. He wrapped his hands around her waist and realized how narrow she was there. Classic hourglass figure. Damn. He was a sucker for that on a woman. He cleared this throat. “Reach up. Grab the saddle horn. Foot in the stirrup. Up you go.”
She succeeded in making it into the saddle, and he succeeded in getting an instant hard-on just from giving her heart-shaped ass a boost up. They even made a lap around the barn at a walk. Though if she refused to do anything more than walk at this snail’s pace, the trip to the summer pasture would be pretty damn long. And the night spent at the cabin up there, even longer.
He glanced over his shoulder at her, still keeping them moving in a slow circle. “You know, I could tell the old man I decided to head up myself and told you to stay home.”
“No. He’ll fire me.”
Bonner saw her tense, the fear and doubt clouding her features. It was a real concern for her. Why, he didn’t know. The old man wasn’t like that. But then again, he knew Jake Maverick, she didn’t. “He’s not going to fire you because you can’t ride.”
“He might. You said it yourself. Ranch people learn to ride before they can walk. I’m supposed to learn to be a ranch person.”
“You can’t learn a lifetime of living in a week.” He squinted up at her and noticed how the sun brought out the reddish highlights in her hair. Bonner dragged his gaze away.
“Well I’m going to have to.”
“Then you’re going to have to take the reins yourself, because I can’t lead you by foot all the way to where we’re going.” He paused and waited. He was being tough with her, he knew that, but coddling her wouldn’t teach her to ride.
“Okay.” Her voice sounded so small.
It was cute, how she was trying to be brave. He almost smiled but stopped himself.
“Now hold the reins like I showed you before.” He thought he saw her hands shaking as she gripped the reins while trying to hold the saddle horn at the same time. “There’s nothing to be scared of. I’m right here.”
“You’re not right here. You’re way down there and I’m all the way up here on top of a living animal with a mind of his own.” Her voice sounded a little too high pitched. Horses could sense fear in a rider, but to tell her that would only make her more nervous.
Bonner was about to tell her she was the boss and she needed to let the horse know that when he saw her thigh muscle flex.
“Don’t squeeze—“ He tried to stop her, but Bonner couldn’t get the words out fast enough. It was too late. Casey, probably in her fear, clamped down hard on the horse with her legs, her boot heels pressing into his sides, sending him into a gallop. The dog had been sitting quiet and watching, but she was always up for a good chase. Misty took off after them, barking.
Shit. “Ease up on your legs!” Bonner shouted it as he swung into his saddle and spurred his horse into action. He caught up with the runaway, thankful Casey had somehow managed to stay on this long. “Misty, heel! Thunder, ho. Ho.”
Bonner reached over and grabbed her reins, forcing Thunder closer to his mount. When he slowed his horse, Thunder, with Casey on board, had no choice but to match their pace. Bonner slowed both down, coming to an eventual stop.
Still on his horse with Thunder’s reins gripped tightly in his hand, Bonner pulled Casey from the saddle with one arm and set her on the ground. Once he was sure she was standing on her own two feet, he released his hold on her and then swung down.
He expected tears, hysterics even. What he didn’t expect was her to look up at him with eyes bright and wild with excitement. “Oh my God. Did you see me? He was going so fast but I stayed on.”
“I saw. You did great.” Bonner held her by each shoulder. She was trembling like a leaf. “You okay?”
“Yes, but I’m not getting back up there again. No way.”
He couldn’t blame her. It was his fault. He’d put a city girl in a saddle and neglected to tell her Western horses were trained to respond to leg commands, an oversight which could have gotten her hurt. “All right. You don’t have to. I’ll go alone.”
“No. I want to go.”
“It’s okay. I’ll tell Jake I gave you a riding lesson this morning, and you even galloped on your own, then I went up to the summer pasture alone. You won’t get fired.”
“But I want to see the summer pasture. I need to see it.” When she looked at him with those eyes, so sincere and pleading, she had power over him he couldn’t explain.
Still feeling guilty for his failure as a teacher, Bonner drew in a deep breath. “All right. You can ride with me.”
“On your horse?”
“Yes, on my horse.” Though he knew he was going to regret it. “But we’re bringing your horse with us. Maybe you’ll feel confident enough to ride later and it’ll be easier for me in case I have to go after any stragglers on the way down.”
“Okay.”
“You ready to leave?”
She nodded, though she looked less than enthusiastic about getting back on a horse again so soon.
“All right. Let’s go.” As he stepped up closer behind her and put his hands around her waist again, he was less than happy himself to be boosting her back up so soon, especially knowing he’d be joining her there. “And this time, don’t squeeze with your legs and do not kick your heels into his sides, or he’ll think you want to gallop. Actually, I’ll get up first.”
Bonner swung into the saddle and reached down one arm to her. “Grab my hand and swing up into the saddle behind me.”
She eyed the dog. “Will she stay or is she going to chase the horse?”
“She only ran after him because he was already running, but yeah, she’ll stay.” Bonner sent Misty a look. “Misty. Heel.”
Tail wagging, Misty did as told and sat, ears forward, waiting for her next command. One female taken care of, one more to go. It was time to get Casey seated on his horse, God help him.
He hoisted her up and all too soon he felt the soft flesh of her breasts pressed against his back. She had her arms wrapped around his waist like a vise. “Okay? Ready?”
“No. I’m not in the saddle. I feel like I’m going to fall off.”
With a sigh, he inched forward. “Can you fit now?”
“No.”
He couldn’t ride with the horn jammed into dick so she could fit in the saddle behind him. But he also wasn’t thrilled with the alternative. Bonner drew in a breath. “Okay. Hop down again. You’ll have to ride in front of me.”
It took some jostling, but finally he got her settled securely in the saddle in front of him, and then realized fully exactly how intimate a position they were in. With the reins of Casey’s rider-less horse looped over his saddle horn and his arm around Casey as he held his own horse’s reins, they headed out on the path for the summer pasture, Misty at their heels.
“You know, this ride would probably be easier on you if we got down and took care of that erection poking me in the backside before we leave.” They weren’t even off the Maverick’s deeded land yet and she was already torturing him.
There was no denying it, and no hiding it. Not with her backside nestled against his hard-on.
His face burnt with shame. “Probably. And for your information, the polite thing for you to do would have been to ignore it.”
“Oh really? There are rules of etiquette for this kind of situation?” Her cockiness back, she shot a devilish look at him over her shoulder. “Good to know. So, have you thought any more about our conversation yesterday?”
“Nope.” He probably should have just denied knowing what she was talking about but there was no question in his mind of which discussion. His saying they should just fuck and get it over with was very vivid in his mind and proof what overwhelming frustration could make a man say.
“Liar.”
He drew in a deep breath. “All right, I have thought about what we talked about and it’s not going to happen, so you can
put it right out of your pretty little head.”
Bonner spurred the horse and increased their pace a bit. The trip to the summer pasture was not only taking twice as long because he was going slow with Casey in the saddle in front of him, but it seemed even longer thanks to this conversation.
Casey glanced back at him again. “Why not?”
“Because the old man is like a grandfather to me and it would betray his trust if I was anything but professional with you.” Though being professional was getting harder and harder—just like his cock. He could swear she was trying to bounce against his erection just to tease him.
“So because of business you won’t sleep with me?” Her opinion of that was evident in her tone.
“That’s right.” This was the strangest conversation he’d ever had with a woman. It sure didn’t help that her ass was pressed against his crotch during it while he desperately tried to talk down his hard-on.
“Humph. Stupid cowboy code.”
The words cowboy code coming out of this city girl’s mouth had him smiling. But still, she was bolder than a woman should be, and one day, when she wasn’t with someone like him who stuck to a code, it could get her into trouble. “Aren’t you at all afraid of me, Miss Casey?”
“No. Why should I be?”
“You’re alone on thousands of acres of open land with a man who’s basically a stranger to you. No one is nearby to help. There’s no cell phone signal, as you’re so fond of reminding me—”
“And you’re a trusted employee of my boss who’s a man well known and respected in the business world. You said yourself you’re like family to him. Why wouldn’t I trust you?”
“I just think it’s dangerous for you to throw yourself physically at men you don’t know.”
She stiffened, her entire body suddenly ramrod straight and tense. “Believe it or not, I generally don’t throw myself at any men at all, whether I know them or not. You were different. I liked you.”
He didn’t miss how she’d phrased her feelings about him in the past tense. Though he should be happy. This was what he wanted. No more temptation to break his own rule. If she was pissed at him, there was no worry they’d be having sex. Perfect.