The Rancher's Untamed Heart

"This routine inspection is stupid. If I'd wanted to hide anything, the hands would have had plenty of time to go take care of it while I led you around the barns. It's an insult to me and a waste of government time and money," he said, crossing his arms and staring at me.

I sighed. Nothing like being told you shouldn't have a job to cut through a haze of arousal.

"Well, I need to come back in a day or two to do a more formal inspection, like you're used to. This time it will take more than two hours, but you'll have more notice."

I hesitated. His arms were still folded across his chest. His shirt was straining a little, and I couldn't help but wonder what his muscles were like underneath it. From how tight he'd held me, and how firm his chest felt against my back, I had the impression that they were glorious.

"Do you have any questions?" I finally asked.

"No. Don't come tomorrow, we'll be too busy," the tall man replied.

"Friday it is! I'll put you down for noon so that I have the entire afternoon to spend on your place. Will that be okay?" I asked.

"I suppose it will have to," he said, twisting his full mouth and shrugging his shoulders. Again, I watched the cloth pull and ripple over his lean muscles.

Suddenly, I'd had it. I'd had it with his snide looks and sullen attitude, ignoring me and being so cold. The flash of humor and goodwill he'd shown me after the snake had actually made it worse, as I knew there was a friendly man in there somewhere. I couldn't help but take it personally.

"Look, I'm just doing my job," I said. "I don't know what you want from me, but you can complain to the governor or my boss all you want, and I'm still just as responsible for inspecting this damn farm of yours!"

He stiffened, all six feet and four inches of his lean frame going taut. "This farm of mine-" he started to say, anger making his voice even deeper and tighter. "Listen to me, you jumped-up little lady, this farm of mine is everything to me."

"Everything? No family, no wife, no girlfriend? No wonder you're so awful, I'll bet you haven't gotten laid in years!" I yelled.

For the briefest of moments, I froze. I couldn't believe I'd said something like that to a client. This was the end of my job, and I couldn't pay rent without it. I couldn't take losing my job, too, this week.

These thoughts flit across my brain so quickly that it appeared that I saw Clint's strong arm shoot out in slow motion, to grab my shoulder.

He shook me, once, like a terrier, and I felt my hair whip around into my mouth. Now, I was angry. He had no right to lay hands on me, no matter what I said and no matter how handsome he was.

The touch of his skin, though, was like lava against me. It had been so long since I'd felt a man's touch, Clint's hand burned against me, I could feel it through my shirt. I took my free hand and reached up to shove his hand off my shoulder.

It was all we could both take.

When my hand touched his, when our skin touched, we were both lost. I could feel the heat surge in my belly and a shiver up my spine.

I splayed my hand out over his to savor the warmth of our skin, and looked up through my lashes into his eyes. We were already standing so close, but I was afraid to close the distance between us - what if my read of the situation was totally wrong? What if he didn't want me like I thought he did?

He very deliberately slid his hand out from under mine and away from my shoulder, and I thought all was lost, until he took both of his hands and cupped my face in his calloused palms. He was such a large man, I felt tiny and delicate in his grasp, feeling his fingers sliding through my hair.

He tilted my face up towards his, gently, but inexorably. I rocked forward onto my toes, ever so slightly, so that I was leaning up and towards his body.

Leaning down, he kissed me. Softly. Deliberately. His lips spread over mine, and one of his hands slid around to the back of my head and held me there, trapped against his mouth, as he eased his lips over mine, deepening this kiss until she gasp and my lips parted.

Instantly, he took advantage of this and he thrust his hot tongue between my lips, sweeping across my own and making me groan into my mouth. Just when I thought I could no longer stand the passion with which he embraced me and ravaged my mouth, he pulled away from me entirely. Without him to hold me up, I sagged, dazed, and blinked up at him.

"I want you," he said. His deep voice was starting to get hoarse. "Do you want me?"

It was a simple question, but I didn't know how to respond. I wanted him, for sure. I wanted him so badly that I could hardly breathe, but when I tried to say so, my throat froze up. Finally, after a moment that was an eternity, I reached out and, as I'd wanted to do since the moment I'd first seen this gorgeous man, I put my hand against his chest. I said nothing, just felt his collarbone under my palm. I let my hand rest there for a moment, feeling the heat of his body, before I answered.

"More than anything," I said.

He was still looking down at me.

"Can you wait long enough to get into the house?" he asked.

I shook my head and reached up to unbutton the top button of his shirt.

Suddenly, the door to the outside opened and we both froze.