Captured by Cowboys (Doms of Destiny, Colorado 1)

“I got my degree online just last year. Busin

ess.”

“It’s not the same though, is it?”

How could she read him so easily?

“No. But that’s what I’m trying to tell you, sweetheart. Life sucks sometimes. We have to do things we don’t want to sometimes. My brothers mattered more to me than college, than traveling the world. Did I have some resentment? Of course, I’m human. But then Mr. Gold took us under his wing. I was the youngest Dom at the club. Once Cody and Bryant came of age, they, too, followed me into the life. It centered all of us. Now, it is part of our DNA.”

“Are you afraid I won’t fit into your world, Emmett? Cody has told me about BDSM in length. It’s clearly about the bond of trust between submissive and Dom. I trust you. I trust Cody and Bryant. Truthfully, I am more than a little curious about your locked-up playroom. I want to have my own discovery about the lifestyle. Does that make a difference to you?’

Fuck, it did. More than a little. In fact, his cock and balls were standing up and cheering. He gazed down at this woman who inhabited his every waking thought and every nightly dream. How easy it would be to strip her of her clothes and take her on an introduction into BDSM. He closed his eyes and tried to steady himself. The whiskey in his veins was softening his resolve.

Once Cody and Bryant returned, the truth would be known and this dream would be over. Amber would go back to the life she’d forgotten and he and his brothers would go on without her. But how could he let that happen? He couldn’t imagine a single day without seeing her, without talking to her, without touching her.

“Let’s table this discussion for later, Amber. We need to head back.”

“God, you are so infuriating.” She stood up and pointed her tiny index finger into the center of his chest. “I didn’t take you for a coward, but that is exactly what you are, Emmett Stone. A coward.”

“Be careful, missy. Be very careful.” She was pushing it.

“Chicken. Fraidycat. Quitter. Weakling. Call yourself whatever you want, cowboy. I see you for who you are—hiding behind your made-up ethics to keep from taking a real chance on a real woman who is standing right in front of you, ready to give herself fully to you.”

He’d learned Amber could be a brat, sassy, and full of fire, but that was just part of her allure. How she was acting now was over the line—way over. She was trying to push his buttons, and she was succeeding.

He grabbed both her wrists, holding her in place. “Enough. Understand?”

She spat out her words like machine gun fire. “You’re not my Dom, mister. You don’t want to be my Dom. You don’t want to be my lover. You have no hold on me, cowboy.”

More than anything, he wanted to bend her over his knee and paddle her sweet, round ass until her common sense returned. But he didn’t, knowing slapping her bare bottom until it was hot and pink with his handprints would crumble his resolve. Once begun, he would not be able to stop until his dick was inside her tight pussy. I have to do the right thing. I must.

Filling up his lungs to the max, he used his most commanding tone. “No. More. Talking. Missy. Do. You. Understand?”

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She didn’t answer with words but did nod.

His cock was aching and his balls were heavy. He lifted her up in his arms and then placed her on Bullet’s back. He gathered up their picnic items—basket, leftovers, blanket—and handed them to Amber. “Hold these.”

“Okay,” she squeaked sweetly, better than any woman he’d ever been with.

His pulse was hard and hot in his veins. He wanted her, wanted all of her. I have to do the right thing. She deserves at least that.

He tugged on Bullet’s reins. “Come on, boy.”

“You’re not riding up here like we did to get to our picnic?” she asked timidly.

“No. I’m on foot.” He couldn’t risk being behind her in the saddle, holding her against his body. He just might be able to contain his hunger on the ground, but no way could he keep it at bay if he could inhale her sweet scent and touch her soft skin.

He was only human.

Chapter Ten

Emmett sat in the chair of his parents’ bedroom, mesmerized by Amber’s chest rising and falling with every deep inhalation and exhalation from her lips. She’d crawled into bed and conked out right after they’d gotten back to the cabin. Five hours later, she was still asleep, and he was still watching her.

His mind wouldn’t settle back enough for him to catch any zees.

The twins had to be in town by now. They might even know the full truth about who Amber really was. He didn’t envy them for that knowledge. The rainstorm had made it possible for them to stay clear of Amber’s real past. A week of heaven with her had created a dream that somehow there was a chance she could be his, be all of theirs. It wasn’t true or possible. He knew it. Fantasies faded away. Time wouldn’t heal the wound to come after she was gone. Nothing would heal that kind of heartbreak.

She was everything he’d ever dreamed of—a woman of strength and courage, a woman not afraid to challenge or to surrender, a woman of kindness and passion, and a woman so beautiful, inside and out, who could fill every day with wonder and joy for the rest of his life. Amber was that woman in every way.