He nodded and tugged on the reins to get closer to her. “Seems like there are a lot of things you haven’t done.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Been busy.”
He made a clucking sound with his tongue. “You know what they say about all work and no play.”
She looked down, a deep sadness on her face. “That’s me, dull.”
His heart squeezed. Shit, he hadn’t meant to make her feel unhappy. “Hey, you’re far from dull, Alix,” he said softly. She blinked up at him. “You just forgot how to have fun.” She swallowed, and as her eyes flitted over him with something that looked like want, he grabbed his canteen. “If you want, I can help you with that.”
“What are you suggesting?” she asked, and he smiled. He loved her direct questions.
He unscrewed the cap and handed it to her. She opened her mouth to swallow, and his pants grew tight as he visualized those plump lips on his body.
“Well, you did mention you were playing for the other side, right?”
“Yes,” she said, still sticking to that story.
He rested his hands on his saddle horn and looked into the distance. “Well, if you’re open to exploring something a little different, I know a place.”
She handed the canteen back to him, and he took a long pull.
Her face tightened warily, and she went quiet for a moment before saying, “I’m not sure.”
As her good girl warred with her need to let go, he held his hands up. “Hey, no pressure. It’s my job to make sure the guests have a good time and I just thought if you were curious…”
She angled her head, intrigue dancing in her eyes. “This place you’re talking about—”
“It’s a private ranch where cowgirls go to play,” he said.
The pulse at the base of her neck jumped and her breath came quick. “Oh.”
“I just thought—”
Her chin tipped, a spark in her eyes he’d never seen before. “You thought right.”
His head came back with a start and his cock thickened at the visual. Holy shit. Was she serious? He might want her in his bed, but if she wanted to experiment with the other team it would be wrong of him to stop her, right? His dude ranch catered to its guests’ needs and really, it was the honorable thing to do, and had nothing to do with him wanting to watch or anything.
Yeah, sure.
He coughed to hide his arousal. “Then let’s go.”
They rode for another hour, stopping to take in the scenery and snap a few pictures on the way to his destination.
As he approached the nearby property, the neighboring lodge coming into view, he slowed his horse. Alix came up beside him and gazed at the ranch overlooking the river.
Equal amounts of curiosity and fascination flashed in the depths of her eyes. “Where are we?”
Before Jag could answer, the front door to the lodge swung open and sweet Katy O’Grady stormed onto her porch, shotgun aimed.
Alix tightened, but Jag grinned and held his hands up in surrender. “Put down the gun, Katy. It’s just me.”
With the sun in her eyes, Katy kept the gun aimed his way. “Jag, is that you?”
He trotted closer so she could get a better look at her two trespassers. “Yeah, it’s me.”
Katy dropped the weapon to her side. “You know better than to sneak up on me like that. I damn near shot you.” She shook her head in amusement and added, “Get on in out of the heat, you two, and join me on the back deck for a glass of lemonade.”
“What’s going on?” Alix asked, nervousness lacing her voice.
“She gets a lot of intruders. A lot of the local teenage boys try to sneak on her land for a peek.”
“A peek?” She frowned and looked around at the corrals and mountains, confused. “What exactly are they peeking at?”
He tossed her a grin and said, “Come on, I’ll show you.”
Chapter Two
They settled the horses, and Katy led them to the back deck. Alix sat next to Jag at a large round table overlooking the river. She shifted her chair to keep out of the sun as she glanced around, but then her gaze stopped abruptly. What the hell? She gulped air. When Jag said this was a place where cowgirls went to play, he wasn’t kidding. Even though he’d prepared her, nothing could have readied her to see two girls kissing in the river below. Sure, she photographed passionate couples in the private room of the studio, but this, well, this was unlike anything she’d seen through the lens of her camera.
A warm summer breeze filled with the scent of flowers washed over her but did little to cool down her overheated body. Of course, she wasn’t serious when she told Jag she was switching teams, but damned if he wasn’t playing a game with her…testing her by bringing her here.
She shot a glance Jag’s way. She expected to see him watching the girls, but instead found his gaze riveted on her. The pulse at the base of her neck fluttered. With his long legs spread out before him, he sipped his lemonade and continued to stare at her. He was waiting for her reaction, waiting for her to do, say something. It made her want to shock him—tease and torture him sexually.
Good God, what has gotten into me?
As Katy stepped into the lodge, Alix shifted closer to Jag. “I’ve never been to a place like this before.”
He leaned toward her, his glance moving over her face, everything in his closeness telling her he felt her apprehension. “If you don’t like it here, we can leave. You’re calling the shots.”
A little astonished and maybe even a little thrilled at how in tune he was with her feelings, she took another glance around, and could almost hear her mother’s voice in her head warning her to flee. She mentally put her fingers in her ears and hummed lalalalala.
She arched a brow and countered boldly, “I never said I didn’t like it.” Holy hell, whatever possessed her to say that? How, in the span of only a few short hours, was she able to turn her back on her strict upbringing and follow her own intuition? Perhaps it was because she was totally fed up with the facade, completely and utterly ready to break free and start pleasing herself instead of always pleasing others. Or perhaps it was because of Jag, his casual demeanor, and the way he could put her at ease with a simple word or glance. Either way, something inside her was beyond anxious to explore something new and see how the rest of this day, and week, all played out.
Jag grinned at her, and she relaxed a little. She grabbed her drink and used her finger to follow the drop of moisture dripping down the glass. He adjusted his pants, and she bit back a grin. Well, well, looks like two could play his game. She ran small circles around the bead, sinuously twirling her thumb closer and closer.
She watched Jag’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed.
“Why did you bring me here?” she asked, even though she knew he was pushing her to admit her needs—to herself.
His lopsided grin was slow, sexy, daring. “Like I said. You’re a guest at my ranch, and because you’re under my care, it’s my job to understand all your needs and see to it that you leave satisfied.”
She waved her hand toward the activities taking place in the water and then shot him a look. “And you think this satisfies my needs?”
Humor backlit his gorgeous eyes. “You were the one who told me you’d sworn off men and wanted to start playing for the other team. I’m here to make that happen.” His tone was playful, yet challenging.
Her blood pulsed hot, and even though she didn’t want to talk about her fiancé, something about Jag made her want to open up. “Do you want to know why I said that?”
He evaded her eyes and brushed his hand over the wooden rail. “If you want to tell me.”
Alix opened her mouth, but then stopped. She eyed him. Oh my God, he knew! He already knew. She shook her head. “You already know, don’t you?”
His nod was slow, his eyes somber when he said, “Yeah.”
“How?”