The Rancher's Rules

He spoke into her ear. Whispering encouragement. “That’s right, querida. Let go.”

He thrust hard and fast against her. She ground herself against him.

“Yes.” He yanked her shirt out of her pants. The first touch of his fingers against the naked, heated flesh of her stomach made her suck in her breath.

He moved his hand up under her shirt until he met her bra. Finding the front clasp, he undid it with a minimal amount of fumbling. She arched against his palm. When his thumb and forefinger closed over one nipple, she went rigid. He pulled and squeezed, moving his lips back to cover hers. His tongue plunged inside again. This time she met it with her own, thrusting her tongue against his in a dance as old as time.

The shudders took her by surprise. She yanked her head away from his and screamed. “Grant—”

“See, Jenny, I told you I didn’t have anything going with Zoe. You think she would be making it with Grant on the kitchen counter if she was interested in me?”

A woman should not have to deal with this after her first ever orgasm in the kitchen. Between the look of abject horror on Grant’s face and the glee on Tyler’s, Zoe felt like punching someone. Jenny was giving her a look of wary hope, her freckled face streaked with tears and her red hair in a wild cloud around her head. Zoe decided that as a fellow woman and friend she could not disappoint her.

Grant pulled his hand out from under Zoe’s shirt as if he’d just realized where it was. He would have stepped away, but Zoe hooked her arm around his neck and pulled. He was not going anywhere. “That’s right.”

Jenny swallowed. Even though she had not done anything wrong with Tyler, Zoe felt guilty when her friend scrubbed at her cheeks. “Then why were you naked and hugging my Tyler?”

Grant tried to pull away again, but Zoe held on. She whispered in his ear. “Work with me here. You owe it to me for the crack about sleeping around.”

He stopped straining against her hold. Zoe let go of him and pushed until she had enough room to slip off the counter. Taking Grant by the hand, she led him to the table. “Sit.”

He sat.

She patted his cheek and smiled. She turned back to Jenny and Tyler. “Do you two want some coffee?”

Tyler looked at Jenny for her answer. She shrugged. He said, “Yeah. That would be good.”

“Fine. Sit down, and I’ll explain how you found me hugging your Tyler wearing nothing but a towel.”

Jenny frowned, but she sat down. Turning toward the coffeemaker, Zoe felt her still swollen nipples rub against the fabric of her shirt. Embarrassment swept through her. Changing her mind about pouring the coffee, she headed toward the hallway. “Grant, you get the coffee. I’ll be right back.”

Tyler asked, “Where is she going?”

“Don’t be an idiot. What do you think we walked in on? I think she wants to put herself back together,” Jenny replied.

“Oh.”

Her cheeks hot enough to fry eggs, Zoe headed for the bathroom. She felt a little guilty about leaving Grant to face Jenny and Tyler alone, but not too guilty. He deserved something for that stupid look of horror on his face after the most beautiful experience of her life. Taking her to new sensual heights aside, Grant had clearly not changed his mind about his rule. He still didn’t want to kiss her.

Well, this time he had done a whole lot more, and she was not sure she would ever get over it. Sighing, she looked in the mirror over the sink.

Her pupils were still dilated with passion and her mouth looked thoroughly kissed. Running cold water over a washcloth, Zoe let the liquid cool the heated skin on her hands and wrists. She bathed her face and smoothed the tendrils of hair that had escaped from her French braid. She refastened her bra and tucked her shirt back into her pants.

There was not much else she could do, unless she wanted to take another shower and change her clothes. She didn’t. She wanted to get the discussion with Jenny over and start looking for apartments. Preferably without another all-out confrontation with Grant.

Coming back into the kitchen, she noticed that Grant and Jenny were both glaring at Tyler, and that Tyler looked like a man waiting for the executioner. Zoe’s patience snapped.

“You can both wipe that look of nasty displeasure right off your face. Tyler has not done anything wrong, and I’m in no mood to deal with assumptions.”

Tyler turned a grateful smile on her and Jenny’s soft brown eyes widened at her tone. Zoe nodded. “I mean it. You want the truth, or not?”

Jenny looked at Tyler, then at Zoe. “I want the truth.”

“Me too.”

Zoe ignored Grant. She sat down at the table and looked her fellow teacher square in the eye. “Fine. I was taking a shower this morning when I heard someone pounding on the door. I thought it was Grant, because he was supposed to come over and go apartment-hunting with me. You with me so far?”