New Page 1

STORY EXCERPT

“Um, Mister Lawson, where are we going?”

He pointed at a large pickup that had both a front and back seat. He tossed her heavy suitcase onto the bed of the pickup as though it weighed nothing then turned back to her. “We’re going to your new home.”

“My new home?”

His eyebrows dipped between his gorgeous, I-want-you-now eyes. “You are Kate Wingate, right?”

“Yes.” Could his voice sound any sexier? Like dark chocolate melting over her skin.

“And like I said, I’m Tucker Lawson.”

“Uh-huh.” Please let my brain start working.

“Then let’s go.”

“But what about the interview? Didn’t you want to ask more questions? Maybe get to know me first?”

He crossed his arms over his chest, and she had to drop her gaze to his worn boots to keep from staring at his flexing muscles. “I know what I need to know. But did you have questions for me?”

She searched her nonfunctioning mind. She had questions. She knew she had, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember them. “No. I guess not.”

“And you’re fine with the compensation package?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then. Let’s get going.” He opened the door for her then waved a hand at the dog. “Let’s go home, Buster.”

Buster barked once then ran to the end of the pickup and jumped into the bed. Tucker strode around to the driver’s side, opened the door, and slid onto the seat. “Miss Wingate?”

She mentally shook herself. “Yes?”

“Are you coming or not?”

Putting her purse on the seat, she grabbed the door handle and pulled herself into the cab.

“Good. We can use the drive back to Forever to get to know each other.” He switched on the ignition, threw the truck into gear, and slammed on the accelerator. The pickup raced down the street as people stopped and watched them.

“Can I ask you a question, Mister Lawson?” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, careful not to let him catch her studying him.

“Sure. But call me Tucker, or even Tuck, but not Mr. Lawson ever again. And I’ll call you Kate. Now shoot.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You say you’re sorry a lot, don’t you?”

“Not usually.”

“Then stop saying it here. Shoot means to ask away.”

He was an assertive man who got straight to the point. She liked that.

“I’m sor—” She slammed her mouth shut just as he shot her a pointed look.

“Okay. Can you tell me about the people in Shatland? I don’t mean to sound paranoid, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were staring at me.”

His smile faded. “That’s because they were.”

“But why? Don’t they get many visitors? The bus line runs through there, so I’d think it wouldn’t cause a stir for someone to get off the bus.” She watched the land race by her. Cattle and horses dotted the areas in between fields of crops. By the time she left, would she know the names of each crop they planted?

“The bus stops in Shatland whenever someone’s coming to either Shatland or Forever. But that doesn’t happen often. Normally the bus would drive straight through.” He tugged off his hat, tossed it into the backseat, then rolled down his window. The wind whipped his hair, and, for a moment, she wanted to skim her fingers through the dark locks.

“So if I leave, how do I make the bus stop and pick me up?”

He stared at her, lingering on her chest before meeting her eyes. “I’m hoping you won’t want to leave. How about we cross that bridge when and if we have to?”

She nodded and scooted toward her door. If she didn’t, she’d let the overwhelming urge to touch him take over.

“But they watched me like they expected me to do something.”

“Shatland folks are wary of strangers. They stick to their own kind and don’t like anyone interfering.”

“Interfering with what? And how was I interfering?”

“You weren’t. They watched you to make sure you didn’t.”

She started to ask him what would’ve happened if she’d unknowingly interfered with whatever it was but decided her curiosity might not be appreciated. Instead, she inhaled, drawing in the scent of the land. But what if the people of Forever acted the same way? Could she handle it? Or would she hop on the next bus heading out of town?

His chuckle caught her off guard.

“You’re wondering if the people in Forever are the same way.” Again, he’d spoken a question like a statement.

“Yeah.” She eyed him and tried to keep her gaze on his face and not lower. “Are they?”

“Yes and no.”

Getting answers from him was harder than pulling a chicken’s teeth. “What do you mean?”

“I may be biased, but I think the folks in Forever are friendlier. They’re kind of leery of strangers, too, but less worried that the stranger’s going to cause trouble. I think that’s true of most people who live in a small town. But don’t worry. Once they know you’re living at Moonlight Ranch, they’ll treat you like one of their own.”

She pulled her hair back to keep it from blowing in the wind from the open window. “I hope so.”

ADULT EXCERPT

He followed her as she dashed toward the swinging door. Unprepared for her sudden reversal, he bumped into her and had to grab her to keep her from falling.

Her mouth parted, and that was the last straw. Cort pressed his lips to hers and released her arms in favor of her round ass. She gasped then, after a moment, leaned into the kiss. She offered her tongue to him and he took it, the first taste of her exploding in his mouth. She was sweeter than he’d imagined, and he groaned into the kiss.

He gripped her butt cheeks harder and sucked on her tongue, unwilling to turn her loose in any way. They’d waited years for her, and now that she was here, he couldn’t let her go. Not even for the sake of his cattle.

Sliding his hands to her thighs, he thrust his crotch against her, his growing cock pushing against his jeans in a painful way. He devoured her mouth, loving the way she took his tongue as eagerly as he’d taken hers. She had to feel his cock against her, but she didn’t try to move away. The knowledge made him grow faster, longer, and he ached to unzip his jeans and take her in the hall, in the kitchen, and in every other room in the house.

Not believing his luck that she’d stay where she was, he tunneled his fingers into her long hair and held her mouth to him. She felt so right, so perfect against his body, he knew no other woman could ever compare. His cock would fit perfectly in her pussy, and he groaned knowing they didn’t have time to prove it. He deepened the kiss and squeezed her butt cheek as he tightened his hold on her hair. God, he wanted her, needed her. She slid her palm over his chest and cupped his neck. The simple move almost made him come in his jeans.

His inner wolf howled with delight. Scratching at his insides, the animal raked his lust higher, bringing out the natural instincts of an animal who’d found its mate. He kept the beast in check, letting it take over just enough to give him added fervor.

He yearned to pick her up and carry her upstairs. Need drove him to distraction as he broke the kiss, ready to do just that.

“Cort.”

He groaned as she pressed harder against his chest. Her intent was unmistakable, but he didn’t want to acknowledge it. In fact, if possible, he’d deny it until his last breath.

“Cort.” Her tone was louder, stronger than before.

He nuzzled her neck and fondled her breast. Maybe if he ignored her voice, he could forget about his duty to his friends. She pushed again, and he finally pulled away from her, a growl just below the surface. “I know.”

“Then let me go.”

He met her gaze and thrilled at the lust clouding it. “Kate, I want you. We all want you. This is your home now. Do you understand me?”

She frowned. “I’m not sure. But why me? We don’t even know each other.”

“You coming here was no accident. We searched for you. Tucker found you, and he knew right away. But if you hadn’t taken the job…we’d have located you another way. Fate would’ve brought us together no matter what.”

“I don’t understand.”

He could see her disbelief, even distrust, etched in the way she studied him. She lowered her gaze, saw the bulge in his jeans, then stepped back from him. His stomach flipped over in an agonizing way. Had he ruined their chances with her? He drew in a ragged breath and raked a hand through his hair.

“I want you to trust me, Kate. Search inside yourself and you’ll find the truth. It’s there if you look for it.”

He moved fast, taking her by the arms. She jolted but didn’t try to get away. Unable to do anything else, he crushed his lips to hers again. Again, her flavors swept over him, leaving him rocked to the core. He swept his tongue around her mouth and groaned, knowing what he had to do. He forced himself to break away from her. With a pained grin, he whirled her around and spanked her on the butt.

She yelped and spun back to him, shock on her face and her mouth open as though readying for a retort. He held up his hand as though to spank her again. “Don’t even try to tell me you didn’t like that. I can see it in your eyes.”

“But—”

“Nope. No buts, and don’t say another word. Just do as I told you to do. Move it and get changed. We’ve got cattle to wrangle.”

“And if I don’t?”

She had guts. He liked that and knew Travis and Tucker would like it, too. “If you don’t, I’m going to tear off your clothes and fuck you until you’ll do whatever I say and like it.”

He saw it. He saw her desire to challenge him on it just so he would fuck her. She didn’t have to put it into words. It was written on her face as plain as day. She wanted him to fuck her. His wolf howled her name, and he had to grind his teeth together to keep the howl from coming out.

“What’s it going to be, Kate? Move or fuck?”