The Reluctant Virgin [Ride 'em Hard 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (5 page)

“Very well.” He took a step away from her. “I’ll meet you outside as soon as you’re ready.”

Once he left her alone, she dropped down and sat on the ledge of the bathtub. The simple life goals she had for herself suddenly didn’t seem sufficient. How could she settle for living with her parents and working for Oakley? How on earth did she think she could eliminate the love variable from her life? It was all around her, in every movie and song. She felt the spark every time she saw Chance Anderson and now with Josh Granger. But her traitorous desires mocked her. She could never commit to a serious relationship, not with her secret like an albatross around her neck.

Matthew waited for Josh to join them in the yard. Adam was ready to help load the hay bales, but they needed an extra hand. It was bad enough he was making this trip for Angel. These days he seemed to be everyone’s errand boy, and it was beginning to give him a complex. The family farm was going to ruin now that he was the last Garner left on the ranch. His father put it up for sale two months ago despite his protests. As much as he wanted to, he was unable to run the entire operation himself.

All his brothers and baby sister were married and moved on with life—except Matthew. Now he wouldn’t even have a viable income to be of any value to a woman. His world seemed to be collapsing around him, and he wasn’t sure where he’d end up once all the pieces settled.

“Where’s that brother of yours?” he called out. If they didn’t get loaded soon, he’d be stuck unloading in the scorching afternoon heat.

“He’s just checking on our guest. He’ll be out in a minute.”

“What guest?” he asked.

“We’re putting in a new irrigation system. The girl from Oakley spent the night.”

Girl from Oakley? He knew Josh was a playboy, but the man even managed to get his business associates to hop into bed with him? It must be nice to be so irresistible to women, not needing to put any effort into wooing them. Matthew tended to get shy when he had a true interest in a girl, which was often misinterpreted as disinterest.

“Hope she gives him a discount.” He laughed as he hauled another bale into the flatbed.

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Matt.”

Just then the screen door whined as Josh came to join them. He fitted a black Stetson on his head as he sauntered over.

“Thanks for gracing us with your presence,” said Matthew. “We should be done with this shit by now.”

“You’ll have to get Adam to help you today. I have
business
to handle.”

“So I’ve heard.” He tilted his hat back and raised an eyebrow.

Josh didn’t get a chance to reply before the woman in question stepped out of the side door. The sun glinted off her pale blonde hair. She was stunning, a thing of rare beauty.
Damn Josh and his luck.

“You mind your manners,” Josh whispered harshly. “She’s a good girl, and I don’t want you upsetting her.”

Now he was really confused. Josh never seemed to care about a woman’s feelings before. His father had practically begged him to settle down and marry, to stop his womanizing ways, but the older man passed on before he could see his dream come to fruition. Now Josh appeared genuinely concerned with this girl’s feelings.

“Relax. I just want to get the hell out of here.” He had a ton of tasks to get done on his ranch for the upcoming sale. Unfortunately his friends and family assumed he was twiddling his thumbs since they’d sold their cattle and hadn’t saved their fall seed. Clay and Austin had both offered him work as a ranch hand, but he didn’t want to work another man’s land. He wasn’t sure what the fuck his future held.

As the girl neared the wagon, Josh met her partway. He reached for her hand, but she pulled it out of range. He hadn’t paid too much attention, but as soon as Josh introduced her as Cindy Taylor, he knew. She was the same girl who’d disappeared from town nearly a decade ago. He’d often wondered what became of her and her family after their farm went bust.

She looked up at him from where he stood in the wagon but quickly averted her eyes. He saw recognition for that brief moment. Why didn’t she acknowledge him?

“Good morning, ma’am,” he said, playing along.

“Morning,” she said as she turned to give him her back. Cindy grasped Josh’s sleeve and urged him to follow her out back.

“I’ll saddle the horses so we can scout the land proper,” said Josh. He disappeared into the barn, leaving Cindy alone at the rear of the house. Matthew knew he had to make his move now while she was alone. There must be a reason she was avoiding him. Had he done something wrong all those years ago? He’d known her since they were in diapers.

“Cindy. Long time no see.” He trapped her in a corner so she couldn’t avoid him.

“Do I know you?”

He scowled. “Am I that easy to forget? You’ll give me a complex.”

“You probably have me mistaken for someone else.”

“With blue eyes like yours? That’s impossible.” His old buried feelings for the Taylor girl came back like she’d only left yesterday. He’d only admired her from a distance, occasionally trying to make small talk. She’d changed, now a woman, and a stunning one at that.

“Look, I’m here on business. If you’ll excuse me…”

She tried to brush past him, but he was sure he knew who she was. He blocked her from walking off. “You used to be a lot nicer.”

Cindy’s heart was racing like a jackrabbit. He recognized her, and it was only a matter of time until he told Josh and Adam who she really was. She hated being a bitch with Matthew because she only had good memories of him, but she couldn’t deal with a trip down memory lane. She’d worked so hard to reinvent herself. Her family farm was taken by drought, bankrupting her parents. Now she saved farmers from the same fate through her position at Oakley Irrigation. She was once a cripple, now she was just an ordinary woman.

“Please…I can’t do this now.”

He smiled. “So it is you. I knew it.” Matthew had a boy-next-door appeal. His tousled brown hair, strong jaw, and baby blue eyes were just a few of his features she’d stored to memory. He’d bulked up since she’d last seen him, not unlike Josh. He was tall and confident, not the twenty-year old boy she remembered.

“This account is very important to my boss. I can’t talk now, Matthew.”

“Then let me take you out to lunch to catch up on old times. I just need to unload this hay at Angel’s new place, and then I can head back to pick you up.”

“Matthew…”

“I won’t take no for an answer.”

She couldn’t afford a scene when Josh would be back any second with the horses. “Fine. But I’ll meet you in town by the feed centre, not here.”

“Perfect,” he said. “There ain’t anything between you and Josh, is there?”

Cindy rolled her eyes. “I stayed the night. That doesn’t mean I warmed his bed.”

He raised his hands in surrender. “Forget I asked.” Before he dashed off to the wagon, he leaned down and kissed her on the temple.

“You have a lot of land here, Mr. Granger. A full scale irrigation system won’t come cheap, you do realize that?”

“We have some money saved, and our daddy left a sizable life insurance policy in my name. I figure what I’m doing is the same thing, ensuring this farm will live for another generation.”

She prodded the horse with her heels and traveled further on the property.

“And no calling me Mr. Granger. You make me feel like an old man.”

He rode beside her, his horse occasionally acting up. She still couldn’t believe he didn’t have his riding horse gelded.

“Well, you
are
older than me.” She bit her lip after she spoke. Cindy shouldn’t know that he was seven years older than her, but she knew many intimate details about his life. They’d lived in the same town for years, even if he never noticed her.

“That’s not fair. I ain’t old enough to be your father, so call me Josh.”

She tried to conceal her smile. “Yes, sir.”

“You’re a little brat.” He swatted her horse’s rump with the butt-end of his reins and then sped off, galloping far ahead. Her horse followed after, briefly rearing up. The wind tore through her hair and made her eyes water. She hadn’t ridden so recklessly for years. It felt good. Josh settled in beside her, shouting to be heard over the roar of the wind. “Race you to the river.”

Cindy forgot about everything but the here and now. She laughed, urging her horse to push its limits. The pounding rhythm of the horse’s hooves on the hard-packed earth vibrated through her body. She was at one with the mare, one with nature, savoring the unbridled abandon.

Josh beat her to their target. She slowed the horse at the stream, needing to catch her breath just from the thrill.

“Come on.” He reached up for her after he dismounted. She didn’t think, but offered her hands and let him lift her down and into his capable arms. “You were fast. Just not fast enough, little one.”

“Next time,” she promised.

“What about today? What’s my prize for winning?” He was completely focused on her, his hands still on her hips.

“I—”

“A kiss. That’s what I want, Cindy. Just one kiss.”

“That’s not professional at all.”

“Nobody’s watching. I guarantee it. And a gentleman never tells.”

Was he a gentleman? He was gorgeous and wasn’t married, both signs leading her to believe he played the field. She wasn’t one of his loose cowgirl conquests.

“I’m not kissing you,” she said.

He tugged her hips against his body, bringing them flush together. She could feel the rigid line of his cock against her stomach, something that surprised her. Cindy had never felt sexy or desirable, no matter what a man told her. She’d come to the conclusion they were all full of shit. The erection was physical proof that Josh wanted her for more than business. But, then again, he didn’t know what she looked like once her pants came off. He’d change his tune in a hurry if he knew the truth.

“Then I’ll do the kissing.” He leaned down low and brushed his lips to hers. She didn’t fight him, but she didn’t encourage him either. He made a low growling sound, deepening the kiss. She felt his tongue tease the seam of her lips, asking for entrance. This was Cindy’s first kiss and she wasn’t sure what to do. So she threw caution to the wind and followed her natural instincts. She melted against him, letting him take the lead. He tasted like a man, his lips thick and unforgiving. Every second that passed seem to rouse his beast further until his tongue was exploring her mouth and his hands had cupped her ass.

She was spiraling out of control. Never in her most vivid daydreams did she imagine the affection of a man could feel so good. Her whole body lit up, practically humming in anticipation. How far would he go? How far did she dare allow him to get? If only her issues were a few extra pounds, stretch marks, or scars. No, she had to be missing her entire leg below the knee. Cindy couldn’t begin to describe to another person, not even her own mother, how devastating the prospect of revealing herself to a man was. She could barely stand herself, so how could she expect a lover to accept her?

“Josh…” She pushed back against his chest to put distance between them. He was a man and likely only had one thing on his mind. Something she couldn’t give him. Once she felt those hard pecs under her fingers, she couldn’t help but test his strength. She was supposed to push him away, not become more aroused.

“What’s wrong, baby girl?”

I have a birth defect that will blow your mind.
And she was a twenty-seven-year-old virgin. She had been hiding from life so long that she forgot what it was to laugh, to play, to feel.

“I can’t, Josh. Please don’t do this.” She took a deep breath. “Let me do my job.” She was so tempted to fall into his arms and let him fend off the world. But he wasn’t her savior. All she had was herself.

He licked his licks, giving her another once over. “You have a man back in your home town?”

“Of course not! If I did, I wouldn’t have let you come within two feet of my lips.”

Josh nodded thoughtfully. “A woman with values. I can appreciate that. But you did let me get pretty darn close. What does that mean?”

“It means—it means I didn’t get a good sleep last night, so I’m not thinking clearly.”

“No?” He ran the tip of his finger along the neckline of her shirt, sending shivers cascading through her body. She tried to slouch to hide her nipples, now firm buds. “You were very convincing. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you enjoyed yourself, maybe a little too much.”

“This is why it’s difficult being a woman in a job typically set aside for a man. It’s nearly impossible to get through the day without a cowboy breathing down my neck.”

He laughed out loud. “Was that what I was doing? You make me sound like a regular hog sniffing out truffles.”

She couldn’t be bothered with Josh anymore. He was playing with her, bringing out her hackles. She wandered off along the bank of the stream, trying to gauge the speed, depth, and the source of the water. It was difficult to do when she was battling her hormones and an impossible client, although equally adorable.