Wrangle Me

A Cowboy Romance

Gigi Thorne

WRANGLE ME

Gigi Thorne

Copyright © Rochelle Paige writing as Gigi Thorne

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without written permission of the publisher or author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews and pages where permission is specifically granted by the publisher or author.

Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for damages that may result from the use of information contained within.

Cover Design: Mayhem Cover Design

Editor: Manda Lee

First Edition

Created with Vellum Created with Vellum

Contents

Wrangle Me

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Epilogue

Who is Gigi

Also by Gigi

Wrangle Me

This bossy rancher is about to be brought to his knees by an innocent beauty.

Alexandra Cooper is desperate to get away from home. A four-month gig as a cook at the Circle B Ranch is exactly what she needs. Except when she gets there, it feels like she jumped out of the pan and straight into the fire.

Alexandra is nothing like Colton Booth expected when he hired her. If he’d realized “Alex” was a gorgeous eighteen-year-old girl, he never would have given her the job in the first place. But now that he has her on his ranch, he doesn’t plan to ever let Alexandra go.

Chapter One

Alexandra

My high school graduation was finally here. I’d been counting down to it ever since my mom died when I was a freshman. She’d been my only buffer in a house full of males who expected to be waited on hand and foot by the girls. Between my dad and brothers, there were five of them and only the two of us. She did the brunt of the work, cooking and cleaning from sunup to sundown each and every day. No matter how often I tried to do more to help her, she insisted that she had it covered because she wanted me to focus on school.

I couldn’t help but feel like her life had been cut short by all that work since she was only forty-one when she died. Her loss made me question what my father had drilled into my head about a woman’s place in the world. It made me wonder if my mom kept telling me I couldn’t afford to miss out on getting my high school diploma because that’s what she’d done when she’d dropped out of high school at my father’s insistence.

Even though she was gone, his expectations didn’t change at all. He and my brothers were chauvinistic pigs who never even thought twice about a fifteen-year-old girl cooking and cleaning for all of them. They didn’t wonder how I managed to get it all done and still maintain a decent grade-point average.

It’d taken one thousand one hundred and eighty-five days, but I’d kept my promise to my mom. I had my diploma in hand, and I felt free for the first time in my life. I was finally able to leave this place—and my family’s demands—behind me. I even had a little more than a thousand dollars to help me make my escape. I’d found eight hundred of it tucked in the back of one of my drawers with a note from my mom telling me how to sneak a few dollars here and there out of the grocery budget each week. She must’ve been doing it for at least a decade to have saved up as much as she had. I was grateful to her because she’d given me the means to escape, even though I desperately wished she’d used that money for both of us to have gotten out before she died.

But I wasn’t going to let myself dwell on what-ifs, not when I had somewhere to be. If I didn’t catch my bus, then I wouldn’t make it to my new job on time. It was going to take me more than twenty-four hours and two transfers to get from small-town Iowa to the ranch in Texas where I’d hired on as a cook for the summer. It seemed like an odd choice since I was basically doing the same job now, but at least the ranch offered room and board plus a small salary. It wasn’t what I wanted to do with the rest of my life—I wasn’t even sure what that was—but it bought me some time to figure everything out without eating into my savings.

My ticket had only cost me a hundred and fifty-one dollars, but it was a long journey and didn’t give me much wiggle room since I was due to arrive into town the night before my first day at work. The trip was as bad as I expected it to be, but I barely noticed since I was too busy being happy to have gotten away from my father and brothers. None of them had bothered to attend my graduation, and I’d made sure to have dinner warming for them in the oven before I took off for the bus stop so they didn’t notice I was missing until it was too late. And just in case they realized I’d taken the bus out of town, I only bought my ticket for the first leg of the trip. When I arrived in Kansas City, I left the bus station and found a diner nearby where I hung out for a couple of hours before changing clothes, putting on a hat, and heading back to the bus station to buy my ticket for the rest of the trip to Texas.

When we finally rolled into town, I was exhausted since I hadn’t felt comfortable sleeping on the bus because I was traveling by myself. I was barely able to keep my eyes open as I rolled my suitcase behind me and walked down the sidewalk to the cheapest hotel available—and the only one I’d found that’d allow me to check in without a credit card. I cringed a little when I found the building. The motel was even more run-down than I expected, but I didn’t have any other choices.

“It’s only one night,” I mumbled under my breath as I pushed through the front door of the office.

“Hello, I’m Irene. You checkin’ in?”

Most of my worries evaporated when I saw the woman standing behind the reception desk. With her gray hair, kind eyes behind a pair of clunky glasses, and wide smile, she was like the grandmother I’d always wanted but never had.

“Yes, please. I called ahead to make sure it would be okay that I don’t have a credit card. The person I spoke with said they’d leave a note about me? Alexandra Cooper? Or he might’ve written down Alex Cooper instead since I tend to go by that.”

“Oh, yes. That’ll be fine. No special note needed since we’re happy to take cash.” I heaved a sigh of relief since I’d been concerned that the guy on the phone had been wrong and I’d be stuck sleeping on a bench at the bus stop. “You got a driver’s license or anything I can use to check you in?”

“Sure.” I pulled my state ID from my purse and slid it across the counter.

“How many nights are you stayin’ with us?”

“Just one.”

“Passin’ through town on your way to college, dearie?”

I shook my head. “I start my new job at the Circle B tomorrow and it comes with room and board.”

Her eyes went wide, and she slid her glasses up her nose as she leaned forward to peer more closely at me. “You have a job at the Circle B?”

“Yes, as a cook.”

“Colton Booth hired you to cook for his ranch hands?”

Her complete shock at the idea was starting to freak me out. “Yeah, he offered me the job last week.”

“You didn’t come”—she glanced down at my ID—“all the way from Iowa for an interview, did you?”

I shook my head again and was surprised when she nodded as though it was what she expected. “But I sent in a resume and pictures of several recipes of mine that I thought they’d like me to make if I got the job.”

“Baked goods?”

I tilted my head to the side, not following along. “Pardon?”

“Did you send pictures of any homemade bread, pies, cookies, or cakes?”

“Well, yeah. A few of them did.” I thought back, trying to remember which ones I’d decided to send since I’d taken pictures of every meal I made for two weeks straight so I’d have plenty of options. “One of the breakfasts had biscuits. And there were sandwiches made with slices of crusty Italian bread I baked. I think I sent in at least a couple dessert photos, too. My mom’s apple pie recipe and giant monster cookies with peanut butter, chocolate chips, and M&Ms.”

“That’d explain why he hired you on the spot. Colton Booth loves home-baked bread, and he has the biggest sweet tooth this side of Pike’s Peak. The ranch cooks he’s hired in the past have all been good at feeding the men, but none of them have been what anyone would call a baker.” Her smile widened. “How long does it take you to whip up a pie or a batch of cookies? I can tell you’re tired from traveling, but you might want to consider borrowing my kitchen to make him something sweet to distract him from the surprise that’s in store for him when he meets you, Alex Cooper.”

My brow wrinkled in confusion. “Is he a forgetful kind of guy?”

“Nope. Colton’s brain is like a steel trap. He’d never have been able to build up the Circle B the way he did if he was forgetting things left and right.”

“Then why would he be surprised when I show up? He’s expecting me to arrive tomorrow.”

“Don’t mind me, girlie. I’m sure you’ll be fine. How about I drive you over to the Circle B myself in the morning, just to be sure?”

“I couldn’t possibly put you out like that.” I wasn’t sure how I’d get there, but I could figure it out.

“I’m more than happy to be paid in cookies.”

Irene had such a hopeful look in her eye that I couldn’t bring myself to say no, and that’s how I found myself baking seventy-two cookies instead of finding dinner and heading to bed. Luckily, it didn’t take me too long since I picked three recipes that all used the same basic sugar cookie dough. About two hours later, I headed to my room with a to-go box from the local diner that Irene insisted on getting for me. Once I filled my belly, I got the best night’s sleep I’d had since my mom died.

Chapter Two

Colton

“Shit.” I tossed the burned toast into the garbage and thanked my lucky stars that the new cook was due to arrive today. My morning had gotten an earlier start than planned, and I’d already put in three hours of hard work before I’d headed back up to the house to scrounge myself up some breakfast.

I’d been hesitant to hire someone so young sight unseen, but the recipes and photos had been convincing enough for me to give young Alex a try. But it had been worth the risk, with the way my mouth watered at the sight of the apple pie in one of the pictures he’d attached to his application. In the end, the decision had been made easier due to a phone call from a cook we’d used a few years back who I’d been sorry to see leave even while I’d understood why he had to go. He was looking for a job, and I’d told him to give me another call a week after the new guy started since I was more than happy to hire him back if things didn’t work out with this one. It was always good to have a back-up plan, especially since I depended on the cook for most of my meals as well.

“It’s about damn time I take Mom’s suggestion and hire someone to work in the big house year round,” I muttered to myself as I walked towards the front door after the doorbell rang. “Before she’s the one at my door...offering up a new solution, like finding myself a wife to do all the cooking instead.”

I swung open the tall cedar door, expecting to see the young man I’d hired fresh out of high school to cook for us over the summer. Instead, I found a girl who didn’t even come up to my shoulders. For such a tiny thing, she wasn’t lacking curves. When you added in her long, curly blond hair and crystal blue eyes that reminded me of the color of the lake at the rear of my property line, she was a knockout. It was too bad she was so young, and I had no idea why she was standing on my front porch with a stack of paper plates wrapped with tin foil in her hands.

At the sound of laughter behind her, my gaze jerked up and I found Irene from the motel in town standing at the top of the stairs leading up from the drive. I lifted my chin in her direction. “Hey, Irene. What’re you doing up so early?” It was a well-known fact around town that Irene was a night owl. Folks weren’t used to seeing her much in the mornings.

The smile she gave me was innocent, but I didn’t trust the sparkle in her eyes. “Hey, Colton. I figured you’d want me to give your new cook a ride over this morning.”

“My new cook?” I started to look over Irene’s shoulder, wondering if he hadn’t made it out of the car yet until she jerked her head towards the girl standing in front of me.

I yanked my gaze her way in disbelief as Irene explained, “This is Alexandra Cooper. But I think you know her by her nickname, Alex.”

“You’re Alex Cooper?” I looked her up and down again, my eyes lingering in places they shouldn’t have considering she was my employee. Not to mention as a recent high school graduate, she was way too young for the likes of me—not that my cock seemed to care since it pushed against my zipper just at the sight of her.

“I am.”

I went from semi-hard to a rod of steel at the sound of her voice. It was so damn soft and raspy. I had to shift my stance just so I wouldn’t scare the poor girl off. “You can’t—”

Irene, who damn well knew what I’d been about to say, interrupted, “Why don’t you give him those cookies you baked last night, Alex? Even if he managed to choke down the rubbery eggs and burnt toast he probably made for himself this morning, I’m sure he has enough room to polish off a couple dozen or so cookies.”

Alexandra—she was way too feminine to be called Alex—tugged the foil off the top plate, and I was instantly distracted. Just like Irene had known I’d be. “Cookies?”

“Three kinds of ‘em,” Irene added, moving behind the girl to give her a nudge. “Go on. Hand them over so he can see them all.”

Alexandra’s fingers trembled as she shoved the plates into my hands. “There are cinnamon pinwheels, jam thumbprints, and iced sugar cookies. Irene let me use her kitchen to make them last night, and they were the best I could do with the supplies she had on hand.”

“Let?” Irene scoffed as she herded us into the house. “I practically dragged you in there and forced you to make ‘em. It was downright cruel of me to even suggest you work so hard in the kitchen just to impress your new boss. You were so tired after that long bus ride, but you didn’t complain. Not even once.”

It was a not-so-subtle reminder that the girl had traveled half-way across the country on the promise of a job. It was my word that’d been given, but only because I’d been expecting her to be a guy. What they said about making assumptions was certainly true. I was the ass in this situation, but I wasn’t sure I had it in me to act like one to Alexandra—not with her staring up at me with wide eyes that had dark smudges underneath which amplified the fear in them. “Thanks for taking the time to make cookies for me.”

The shy smile she offered me as we walked into the kitchen made the effort I’d taken to be kind well worth it. Her pretty blue eyes widened as she took in the granite countertops and professional grade appliances. “Is this where I’ll be working?”

“There’s a bigger kitchen down in the employee quarters for the ranch cook.” My response was automatic, but then my brain kicked in and I thought about how she’d be surrounded by my men day and night if she worked and slept down there. No way in hell was that gonna happen. “But you can’t stay down there. All of my ranch hands are men, and you’re—”

“Not,” she finished for me softly.

I wanted to kick my own ass when a lone tear spilled down Alexandra’s cheek, and I wasn’t any happier with Irene when she offered a solution. “She’s more than welcome to use a room at the motel. I’d be happy to give her rides in exchange for her skills in the kitchen in her downtime.”

“No,” I barked. “That’d mean she’d never get a break from work.”

“That’s okay,” Alexandra interjected softly. “I’m used to cooking large meals every day.”

Her confidence in her cooking abilities was a big part in my decision to hire someone so young, but I didn’t like to hear that this beautiful, young girl was so familiar with hard work. But that wasn’t why I continued to argue. It was because I didn’t want her spending the night off my property, outside of my protection. “She can use one of the guest bedrooms here.”

“Here? With you?” Alexandra gasped. “I couldn’t possibly.”

“Do you want the job or not? Because it comes with room and board, and this is the only option that’s acceptable to me.” No way in hell was I going to let her live with my men. It didn’t matter that I could’ve swapped people around so she’d have her own private space. Not that I didn’t trust them to stay away from her if I told them to—my men followed my orders. And as much as I wanted to believe that my insistence on this was because she would’ve been a young girl living among all men, I knew that I really had my over-the-top reaction to her to blame for it.

“I do want the job, but”—she heaved a deep sigh and peered up at me from underneath long lashes—“I don’t want to put you out or anything, having me stay under your roof when you have living quarters for all of your other your employees. I mean, wouldn’t your men think it was weird?”

“Don’t you worry about them. They know better than to question my decisions.”

Irene bellowed out a laugh. “That’s puttin’ it mildly. Those boys are so scared of getting on your bad side, I doubt they’d even utter a peep about Alexandra staying up here at the big house.”

“Damn straight. There’s one boss here at the Circle B Ranch, and it’s me.”

“Maybe it’d be better if I stayed at the motel then.” Alexandra’s nose wrinkled. “I’m not good when it comes to dealing with bossy men.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll do just fine with me,” I promised her. There was no arguing that I was bossy, but I was willing to go easy with her until she got used to me. Then I’d find out what bossy man had sent Alexandra running to my ranch and make sure he never got close to her again.

Chapter Three

Alexandra

My father was domineering.

My brothers were overbearing.

Their bossiness had sent me halfway across the country in the first place, only to find that the man who’d hired me and given me the out I’d needed was the very epitome of bossy. But even though I didn’t trust my father or brothers as far as I could throw them, that’s exactly what I wanted to do with Colton Booth. I wanted to believe in the honesty blazing at me from his dark brown eyes.

Not that it was any surprise that I wanted to believe him. Any woman would, considering how insanely hot he was. His light brown hair was a few weeks past needing a cut, with a thick lock that I wanted to sweep off his forehead. If I hadn’t already figured that he spent a lot of time in the sun because he was a rancher, his tanned skin would’ve made it obvious. He was tall, towering over me by about six or seven inches. His broad shoulders stretched the seams of his button-down, flannel shirt, and his jeans had a belt with a big, silver buckle that had a bucking bronco etched into it.

“At least give it a try, Alex.” I shook my head to clear the sexy cowboy induced fog after Irene chimed in to offer her support of Colton’s solution. “You came all this way for a job on the Circle B Ranch. It’d be a shame to turn around after less than twenty-four hours in our town and get back on a bus to head home again.”

There was only one way I would ever go home again to my father and brothers, and that was if I was dragged back kicking and screaming. Knowing that, I wasn’t left with much of a choice. “If the room you’re going to put me in is half as nice as this kitchen, it’s not like I’ll have anything to complain about.”

“Smart decision, girl. All of the rooms here at the big house are a lot fancier than the ones at my motel.” Irene flashed me an approving smile, seemingly unbothered by the fact that she basically just put down her own business. “You wanted to get here bright and early so you’d be ready to make lunch. We’d better get your bag from my car or else you’ll find yourself runnin’ short on time. The last thing you want is for your first meal to be mediocre or else those boys’ll give you a hard time.”

“Those boys’ll appreciate whatever food she puts in front of ‘em if they know what’s good for ‘em,” Colton growled.

“I’m sure they will,” Irene agreed, nodding her head as she reached for my hand to lead me back through the house and out to her car. “Don’t forget your backpack is on the backseat.”

While she popped the trunk, I opened the back door to the car to grab my backpack. I went to sling it over my shoulders, but a big hand plucked it out of my hold. I turned to find Colton standing maybe a foot behind me. He hoisted my backpack over one broad shoulder and had my bag in his other hand. “Only one bag and the backpack?”

“Yeah.” I was barely able to get the one-word reply out as my cheeks filled with heat.

“Is the rest of your stuff being shipped in boxes that’ll come later?”

I shook my head. “No, this is all of it.”

He lifted his chin in a jerky nod and told Irene goodbye when she climbed into the car. I offered her a little wave, and she drove away leaving me alone with Colton.

“C’mon. I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”

I followed behind him, watching his butt cheeks flex in his jeans. It was hard to believe this sexy cowboy was my new boss...and roommate. And the room he led me to was quite a shock too. It was huge; about three times bigger than the motel room I’d stayed in the night before. It was decorated nicer than anything I’d ever seen before, even on television or in magazines. The walls were painted pale blue, the bed had a fancy quilt on it, and the carpet covering the floor was super plush. On top of all that, I also spied a bathroom through the partially opened door opposite the bed. “This is the room you want me to use?”

He stared at the wall behind the bed’s headboard and ran his fingers through his hair before nodding. Then those dark eyes of his were full of determination when he focused on my face and gave me an answer I didn’t fully understand at the moment. “It’ll do for now.”

“Alrighty then.” It suddenly hit me that I was standing in the most beautiful bedroom I’d ever seen with a guy who was too hot for my own good. Alone. Just the two of us. Before I did something stupid, like throw myself at my new boss, I latched onto the first excuse I could think of to get Colton out of my space. “Is there enough time for me to unpack now? Or do we need to head out so you can show me where I’ll be working and I can get started on lunch?”

“Go ahead and unpack. It shouldn’t take you long.” His gaze swept down to my backpack and suitcase, which he’d set on the big bed. “There’s more than enough room in the closet for your things. You’ll find plenty of hangers and a dresser in there. Feel free to use whatever you need.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Thinking about how big the room was and how little I’d brought with me, a startled giggle slipped past my lips. “It shouldn’t take me long. Maybe five minutes?”

Colton nodded, and I headed over to my stuff while he walked towards the door. I was unzipping my bag, and my head jerked up when he called out to me. “You take as long as you need, darlin’. The men have been fending for themselves since our last cook left a couple of days ago, and they know you traveled a long way before you got to town. They’ll appreciate anything you make ‘em for lunch today, even if it’s just those cookies you brought and some cold cut sandwiches.”

“I baked them for you,” I mumbled.

“Pardon?”

“The cookies.” I wasn’t sure why I was being so insistent about it. I’d save time if dessert was done before I even started making lunch, but for some odd reason I really wanted those cookies to be all his. “I didn’t plan on using them at lunch today. But if your men like dessert as much as you do, I’m sure I’ll be able to whip something easy up for them. They eat at noon, right?”

“Yup.”

“The kitchen down there is fully stocked?”

“Always.”

“Great. There are a bunch of no-bake desserts I could do if I’m short on time. Peanut butter-chocolate cookies, Somoa bars, Rice Krispie treats—” I trailed off when I noticed the hungry look in his eyes. They’d darkened a shade and were filled with the kind of heat that even a virgin like me knew had nothing to do with food. My throat was completely dry, in sharp contrast to my panties. With the way his eyes heated further, I had a feeling it was something he was well aware of. Like he had some kind of hot-guy, damp-panty radar.

“I’ve got to be honest with you.” I braced myself at his husky drawl, prepared for him to tell me he’d changed his mind about the job. “I saw you on the porch and thought you were the prettiest thing I’d ever laid eyes on, but I wasn’t happy to learn you were the cook I’d hired. As sexist as it sounds, I wouldn’t have given you the job if I’d known you were a girl.” My heart dropped, only to soar again when he continued. “But seeing you gettin’ settled in this room? Talkin’ about all the desserts you wanna make while you’re here?” His lips tilted up in a wicked grin and his drawl thickened further as he continued, “I’m not used to makin’ mistakes when it comes to runnin’ my ranch, but I’m not gonna beat myself up over this one ‘cause it brought you here.”

“Whoa,” I breathed out, dropping down on to the mattress as he walked out of the room.

I had practically no experience with the opposite sex, except for a little fumbling around with a boy I’d liked when I’d just started high school. His interest in me had quickly fizzled out when my mom died and the small amount of free time I’d had disappeared. But nothing I’d done with him prepared me for my reaction to Colton, who was in no way a boy. He was all man. A domineering one at that. And my boss. He was absolutely the last guy I should be interested in...but my body didn’t seem to care.

Chapter Four

Colton

Leaving Alexandra behind in the guest room I’d given her had been difficult as fuck since my rock-hard cock was urging me to push her down on the soft mattress, strip her out of her clothes, and see how far the pretty, pink blush on her skin went down her incredible body. But it was a hell of a lot worse when I led her down to the outbuilding where my employees lived, feeling masculine eyes on her and knowing my men’s thoughts about her were just as dirty as mine had been. I’d never been a jealous man, but I was quickly discovering I had a deep-seated streak of possessiveness when it came to Alexandra.

As we walked past the barn, a few of the men stopped what they were working on to stare at her. “Do your fucking jobs or you won’t have to worry about having one tomorrow.”

There was a bit of grumbling, but I knew they understood the reason behind my warning when their gazes snapped away from Alexandra fast enough to cause whiplash. She was too damn innocent to catch it, though. “Are you always so...harsh with your employees?”

I didn’t like how hesitant she sounded, her voice whisper soft and with a pause as she tried to decide how to word what she wanted to say. Almost like she was afraid I’d go off on her here and now. I’d earned my reputation for being a tough bastard, but I had no intention of showing that side of myself to her. It was liable to send her running from the Circle B...and me. “Only with the men”—I didn’t mention that I’d never had a female work for me on the ranch—“and only when they damn well deserve it. It’s a busy time of the season for us, and they have more than enough work to keep them busy.”

“I’ll be making big meals three times a day; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Planning. Shopping. Prep work. Cooking. Serving. Cleaning,” she rattled off. “I’m going to have lots of work to do, too.”

The job duties for the cooks on my ranch hadn’t changed in years, but hearing her list of everything I expected them to do made me uncomfortable. I didn’t like the idea of her slaving in the kitchen for ten to twelve hours a day. The days were long on the Circle B Ranch, and everyone worked hard. They always had, but I found myself wanting different for Alexandra. An inkling of an idea began to form, but I didn’t have time to work it out in my head at the moment because I needed to focus on alleviating Alexandra’s worries or else I wouldn’t even have the chance to put it into place. I opened the door in front of us, but I placed my hand on her shoulder as she walked in front of me to head inside. She turned to look up at me with wide, startled eyes. “My word means a lot to me, and I’m giving it to you now. I’ll never treat you harshly. Ever.”

She searched my face, and I knew she was trying to decide if she could trust me. When her plump lips turned up at the corners, I figured she’d made up her mind that she could. Then her blue eyes twinkled with humor, and I knew for sure that she had. “Not even if I serve you rubbery eggs and burnt toast for breakfast tomorrow morning?”

“That depends,” I teased back.

“On what?”

I smiled at her. “On if you bake me another batch of cookies.”

“Irene wasn’t exaggerating your addiction to baked goods, was she?”

“Not even the tiniest bit.” I nudged her through the doorway and followed her inside. “But even if you didn’t make cookies, I still wouldn’t bite your head off for serving me a crap breakfast tomorrow. It’s not like it’d be any worse than what I made myself this morning.”

She laughed softly and shook her head. “Yeah, but it’s not your job to serve edible food. It’s mine.”

“And judging by the photos you sent in with your application, I don’t need to worry about rubbery eggs and burnt toast anymore.”

“True.” She tilted her head to the side, blond curls spilling over her shoulder. “It’s been a really long time since I messed up such a simple meal, so you can rest easy knowing you won’t have to suffer that fate while I’m here.”

It was unusual for someone as young as Alexandra to be that confident in their abilities, and it only made her more attractive to me. I was looking forward to learning more about her and where she’d picked up her cooking skills. But that’d have to wait for a later time since I needed to get her settled in the kitchen so she could get started on lunch while I checked to make sure my men weren’t falling behind on getting everything set up to brand the calves. It would take us three days to get the job done, and we needed to start tomorrow. Unfortunately, work had to come first. Not just because we were under a time crunch, but also because the men were likely to revolt if they didn’t get a decent meal today.

I swept my arm in an arc as I led her towards the kitchen. “This building serves as a combination of a mess hall for all the men and a bunkhouse for anyone who wants to live on the ranch. My stable manager and a couple of hands who are married have homes closer to town, but everyone else lives here.”

“Everyone except me.”

I winked at her. “And me.”

“And you. Right.” This time, the nerves in her eyes were because of the chemistry between us instead of fear. My cock twitched in response, and I hurried over to the walk-in fridge to cool off. I followed that up with the deep freeze, side-by-side fridge, and pantry since she needed to know where to find everything. Once the tour was over, I laid out the schedule for her.

“Meals are served family style at set times; six in the morning, noon, and six at night. It’s a tough schedule, but you’ll have downtime in between meals to take time for yourself.” More than just a little if I had my way—which was a sure thing since I always did on the Circle B.

“You good?”

“Yeah, I can for sure do some damage with this kitchen.”

“You got everything you need?”

“And then some,” she laughed. “You definitely don’t have to worry about me serving no-bake dessert and cold cut sandwiches for lunch. I can do a heck of a lot better than that with two hours and the supplies you’ve got stocked in this kitchen.”

“I look forward to seeing what you come up with.”

“Then I guess I’d better get to it.”

I reluctantly left her but quickly got caught up in work and the time flew by before I headed back to the mess hall.

“Shit, boss. You didn’t mention our new cook was a knockout.” I slapped my stable manager upside the head, and there were two reasons he got off so lightly—he was happily married and he’d said it low enough that Alexandra hadn’t overhead him and become uncomfortable. Word must have already spread amongst most of the other men because they refrained from eyeing her up too much; at least in front of me. And once they caught sight of the meal she served up, a full-on taco bar with Mexican brownies for dessert, they were too busy shoving food into their mouths to say much of anything about her.

They did remember to express their appreciation before they stumbled out of the mess hall to get back to work, their bellies fuller than they’d been in a long time. Alexandra’s first meal was already better than most of what our last cook had served in all his time on the ranch. And her dinner of roast pork loin with baked macaroni and cheese, sautéed vegetables, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert was even better.

By the time I made it back up to the house, it was already dark outside and there was a storm getting ready to roll through. A big one. Odds were good that the electricity would go out, and I’d have to start the backup generator. I hadn’t bothered using it in a while since it’d only been me at the big house, but it’d been properly maintained along with the others on the property. Wanting to give Alexandra a heads up, I lightly rapped my knuckles against her door and pushed it open when she didn’t answer.

I spotted her on the bed and groaned. She was wearing nothing but an oversized T-shirt, and it’d ridden all the way up her thighs to rest just under the curve of her perfect ass. She was even more gorgeous than I’d thought she’d be, and my stupid ass had put her in the only guest bedroom that shared a wall with mine. I couldn’t even claim that I’d done it so she’d have a bathroom to herself since one of the other rooms did, and the last two shared a Jack and Jill between them. Nope, I’d been thinking with my cock and now I was going to pay the price—especially now that I’d seen her practically naked.

“Fuck,” I groaned, backing out of her room. I deserved to go to hell for the thoughts I’d already been having about Alexandra. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it through the four months of her contract with her sleeping so near. But even worse, after just one day I wasn’t certain I was going to be able to let her leave when that time was up.

Chapter Five

Alexandra

I worked harder than I ever had before over the next few days, but cooking for Colton and his crew was satisfying in a way it had never been when it’d been my father and brothers eating the food I made. Nobody questioned my menu selections. There weren’t any complaints about the quality of the meals. Instead, I’d received heartfelt gratitude and a ridiculous amount of compliments about my skills in the kitchen.

When I’d accepted the job at the Circle B, I’d been hoping to find somewhere my father couldn’t find me while I figured out what to do with the rest of my life. But only four days in to my stay at the ranch, and I was already starting to realize I’d found so much more. I had a gorgeous room with a super comfy bed. My own bathroom with a huge tub where I could take long baths to loosen my muscles after a long day in the kitchen. And a sexy cowboy for a boss who made me feel safe whenever he was near because nothing happened around the Circle B without Colton Booth’s say so.

It was a bounty of unexpected blessings, and I blossomed under it all. I was happier than I had been since my mom died. So much so that I’d sometimes found myself singing while I worked. I’d ditched my cell in town before I left because I hadn’t wanted my dad to be able to use it to find me. It’d been the right decision, but it meant that I didn’t have anything to listen to until I had time to go into town and buy a new one. Today, I’d mostly stuck to songs from movies I’d watched with my mom when I was little.

“Damn, I’m never going to be able to see a commercial for a kid’s movie again without—”

At the sound of a male voice, I spun around and my hand flew to my chest. One of the ranch hands, a guy who was maybe a year or two older than me, was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. His hat was in one hand, and the other was clutching the back of his head. Colton stood behind him, and I was almost certain he’d smacked the guy to get him to shut up. Since I’d thought I was alone, I was more than a little startled to find them both there.

“Is everything okay? Dinner won’t be ready for another hour.”

Colton pushed past the ranch hand and walked over to stand by my side, his hand sliding to my lower back. “Alexandra’s too polite, but I’m not. What in the hell are you doing here alone with my...with Alexandra?”

The ranch hand paled and shook his head. “It ain’t like that. I was just hoping to grab a slice of dessert ‘cause I’m gonna miss out on it since I’m takin’ my girl to dinner in town tonight.”

“Of course you can.” I tried to move towards the counter to cut him a piece, but Colton’s hold on me tightened.

“And what were you saying about her singin’ when I walked up?”

The ranch hand’s cheeks turned ruddy and he sputtered, “I—well, it’s just—I mean—look at her, boss”—he waved the hand holding his hat in my direction—“can you really blame me?”

“I can.” Colton yanked me closer to his side. “I really can.”

“Shit, I can’t even blame you none for that,” the ranch hand grumbled. “Sorry, ma’am. I didn’t mean no disrespect.”

“None taken,” I whispered.

“It won’t happen again, sir.”

Colton nodded. “It better not.”

He turned and walked away before I could get him the slice of pie he’d wanted, but I had other things to worry about when Colton turned me in his arms. “Does this happen a lot?”

“This?” With his dark eyes burning into mine, it was hard to hold his gaze. I lowered my head a little and realized I’d missed something vital when he’d walked into the room—my sexy boss wasn’t wearing a shirt. How I’d missed those broad shoulders and all those muscles before was beyond me, but seeing them now stole my ability to think.

“My men comin’ in here when I’m not around.”

“What?”

“Eyes up here, sweet girl.” A long finger pressed against my chin until I tilted my head up again and met his gaze. “Have my men been coming around and botherin’ you when you’re alone?”

“Why aren't you wearing a shirt?”

His lips tilted up in a satisfied smirk. “Answer my question first and I’ll tell you.”

It took me a moment to remember what he’d asked, and my cheeks filled with heat at the knowing look in his eyes. “No. I usually don’t see anyone until it’s almost time to eat. There’s only been a few times when someone’s popped in to see if they could grab something because they were going to miss a meal for one reason or another.”

“Dessert?”

“Yeah.”

“Why am I not surprised,” he sighed, shaking his head. “It’s a damn good thing Joe’s gonna come next week.”

“Joe?”

He answered the question I’d asked earlier. “I was headed up to the big house to grab a new shirt because I ruined the one I was wearing.”

“Ruined?” I scanned his chest, searching for any signs of injury.

“I tore one of the sleeves early this morning, got caked in mud after lunch, and drenched in water about twenty minutes ago. Runnin’ a ranch is a dirty job, and I go through a lot more shirts than there are days of the week.”

He made it sound like a regular thing. How was I supposed to concentrate on my job if Colton walked around without a shirt all the time? And why was I thinking about all the ways I could dirty up the clean one he was going to put on so he’d have to take it right back off again? I was pulled out of my fantasies when he explained who Joe was.

“Joe used to work for me a few years back. He gave me a call the day after I hired you, lookin’ for work. He was good at his job, got along with everyone, and I was sorry he couldn’t stay on longer since he had family obligations he had to see to back then.”

I smiled up at him. “Then I guess it really is a good thing Joe is coming back.”

“I’m glad you think so ‘cause Joe was our cook.”

“Your cook?” I jerked back, my smile completely wiped away. He didn’t let me get far, wrapping his hands around my upper arms and holding me in place with a firm but gentle grip. “But I’m the cook here now. Are you firing me?”

“I’m not firing you, Alexandra. No way are you gettin’ away from me that easily.”

I shook my head, not understanding at all. “Then why did you give my job away to someone else?”

“Because Joe’s wife finally lost her battle to cancer, and he needs the job for more reasons than just the money it’ll pay him.”

“Oh.” With the way Colton treated me, I suspected his tough exterior hid a soft spot inside. I was happy this proved it, but I was also worried about what his decision meant for me. Not just because I wasn’t sure where I’d go if I wasn’t working on the Circle B anymore, but because it’d mean leaving Colton if I had to go. “So you hired Joe back, but you aren’t firing me? How’s that going to work?”

“I’d like you to handle my meals up at the big house.”

“Instead of cooking for twenty people three times a day, you want me to cook for just one?”

“It’ll be for two since there won’t be a need for you to eat down here if you aren’t cookin’ for the men, and most days it’d only be two meals since it’d be easier for me to just eat lunch with them.”

That meant he planned to eat breakfast and dinner up at the big house. Just the two of us. I wanted that with a fierceness that surprised me, but it didn’t feel right taking him up on the offer since it was barely enough work to cover my room and board, let alone the salary Colton paid me. “It wouldn’t be fair for Joe to do all that work while I barely did anything.”

His dark eyes lit with approval. “Joe served up some damn good food, but his bakin’ wasn’t much to write home about. You could still be in charge of desserts for my crew.”

I loved to bake, so that wasn’t a hardship. “I like that idea, but the only way I’m going to agree to this is if you’ll let me help out more around the house. Since you go through so many shirts, maybe I can do the laundry or something.”

“Laundry, yes. Cleanin’, no. I’ve got a service that comes in twice a week for that.”

“But—”

“You wouldn’t want to put anyone out of a job, would you?”

I shook my head and sighed, “No, I wouldn’t want that.”

“Does that mean we’ve got a deal?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “Once Joe gets here, I guess my job duties will change to only include cooking for you and me, making desserts for everyone, and doing your laundry.”

“I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, but you drive a hard bargain.”

He looked entirely too smug for that to be true, but I couldn’t bring myself to care if he’d gotten exactly what he wanted. Not when it meant I got to stay at the Circle B. With Colton.

Chapter Six

Colton

Joe was a good enough cook that the men didn’t complain too much when he arrived the following week and took over the kitchen in the bunkhouse. And the steady stream of desserts Alexandra brought down each day for lunch and dinner sure didn’t hurt. Neither did the homemade biscuits or banana bread she surprised them with a couple of mornings. Things were running smoothly on the Circle B, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

My mornings started with Alexandra serving me breakfast before she headed back to bed to catch some extra sleep. I came back home to the big house each night and ate whatever dinner she’d made with her sittin’ across the table from me. My laundry basket barely got halfway filled before she emptied it and cleaned all my clothes. And best of all, I’d been able to spend most of my nights getting to know Alexandra better.

When she’d mentioned over dinner one day that she loved movies but hadn’t been able to see many of them over the past few years, I’d hoped she’d share why but she’d clammed right up once she’d realized what she’d said. I let that slide and focused on what’d make her happy instead. Firing up one of my streaming services, I’d let her pick a movie for us to watch and it’d become a nightly thing since then.

I had a feeling she’d tried to take my tastes into consideration with her pick tonight, but it hadn’t held her attention and she’d fallen asleep about halfway through it. I should’ve moved when she slid sideways and settled with her head on my thigh, but it’d felt too damn good having her so close to give it up. By the time the movie ended, one of her hands was tucked under her chin and the other was wedged between my leg and the couch cushion. Her blond curls were fanned out, and I couldn’t stop myself from gently sliding them through my fingers. She was just so fucking pretty. And sweet as fuck.

I’d had my fair share of good luck over the years, but none of it compared to how fortunate I was to have had Alexandra land on my doorstep the way she had. I couldn’t think of anything I’d done in my life to deserve it, but I sure as fuck wasn’t going to let her go now that she was here. Only an idiot would allow that to happen, and one thing I’d never been was dumb.

I proved how smart I was by turning on a baseball game once the movie was over. It was an easy excuse to stay right where I was, with Alexandra’s head on my lap. When the game ended, I slid out from under her and got up before lifting her off the couch and carrying her upstairs. I’d fully intended to place her on her bed and shut the door behind me, but I hadn’t planned on her arms wrapping around my neck as I neared her door. Or how her eyes filled with feminine interest when she blinked up at me. And then when she rasped out my name, I walked past her room and headed into mine instead.

I kicked the door closed behind me and crashed my mouth down over Alexandra’s as I lowered her onto the mattress of my bed. I settled myself between her legs, and she cried out when my hard cock pressed against her. It took every fucking ounce of my strength to rip my lips away from hers and peer down at her. Her crystal blue eyes were wide, but I was relieved to see they didn’t hold any fear. Only desire.

“This isn’t my room,” she whispered.

“It’s mine.”

“How long was I asleep on the couch?”

That wasn’t the question I was expecting her to ask. “A couple of hours.”

She tilted her head to the side, and her blond curls spilled across my pillows. “So not long enough for the entire world to change?”

I bent low and brushed my lips against hers. “I don’t know about the rest of the world, but it was long enough for mine to change.”

She wiggled beneath me, and I lifted up a little so I wasn’t crowding her too much. “And mine too apparently.”

“Since you’re the reason for the change to mine, yeah.”

She offered me a shy smile. “I am?”

“Fuck yeah,” I rasped. “I’ve been going slow, givin’ you time to get used to being on the Circle B. Time to get to know me. To get comfortable here. But then you fell asleep with your head on my lap and looked up at me so trustingly while I was carryin’ you, and I couldn’t wait any longer. I’m not sayin’ it has to go any further than the kiss we just shared, but I want you in my bed tonight.”

Her arms twined around my neck. “What if I already had all the time I need and I’m already comfortable here...with you?”

“Are you sayin’ what I think you’re sayin’?”

She pressed her soft body against mine. “Yeah.”

Her agreement wiped out the control I’d been holding onto. My hands tunneled under her T-shirt to shove it up over her head and toss it on the floor. Her bra was the next thing to go, and my mouth watered at the sight of her perfect tits. They were round and full, with hard, pink little peaks at the tips. I couldn’t wait to get a taste, so I bent down and took one in my mouth, nibbling and swirling my tongue around her nipple while she moaned beneath me.

As amazing as it was to have my mouth on her tits, it wasn’t enough of a taste for me. I needed more, and I needed it from her pussy. Sliding down her body, I unbuttoned her shorts and yanked them low, taking her virginal white cotton panties with them. With nothing left to keep me from her pussy, I used two fingers to open her lips wide and licked up her center. “Fuck,” I groaned. “You taste even better than I dreamed.”

“You dreamed about me?” Her cheeks turned pink, and I was thrilled as fuck to be able to solve the mystery of how far down that blush went—all the way to the bottom of her perfect tits. “Like that?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely like that, sweet girl.” I gave her another long lick. “I’ve fantasized about gettin’ my mouth on your pussy more times than I can count.”

Her hips lifted off the mattress and her fingers fisted into my hair. She liked my admission a fuck of a lot. And I liked her reaction to it just as much. I began to devour her pussy like I wanted, licking and sucking all around it before plunging my tongue inside her tight hole. I kept at her until she was writhing beneath me, screaming my name. When I figured she couldn’t take much more of my sensual torture, I finally pinched her clit as I drove my tongue in and out of her pussy. Her entire body stiffened, her legs locking around my head, and she shuddered as her orgasm ripped through her. I licked her through her climax and shucked off my clothes when she melted against the mattress.

Crawling over her body, I pressed my hands into the mattress on either side of her shoulders and stared down into her beautiful face. Her blue eyes were heavy-lidded, and the pink in her cheeks had turned deep red. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to get any more gorgeous, but seein’ you like this? You’re downright stunnin’.”

I shifted lower and lifted a hand to reach between us and grip the base of my cock. I pumped the length once, from tip to root, and squeezed the base in an attempt to slow myself down because just having her taste in my mouth pushed me to the edge of my control. “I need to know, sweet girl. You want more or was that enough for now? There’s no pressure here. I’d die a happy man tonight with what we’ve already done.”

“I want more, but—”

She dropped her gaze as she paused, and I need the connection back. “C’mon, sweet girl. Don’t be shy with me. You can tell me anything.”

Her blue eyes met mine again as she whispered, “It’s just that I’ve never done this before.”

The possessive side of me that only came out with Alexandra wanted to roar in victory, but I wanted to make sure I understood exactly what she was trying to tell me. “Are you sayin’ you’re a virgin, Alexandra?”

“Yes.”

It was only one word, one tiny syllable, and it cemented my feelings for her. She was giving herself to me, which made her mine. And I wasn’t going to let her go. Not for anything or anyone.

“Does that change things for you? Knowing I’m not experienced?”

“Not in the way you’re thinkin’, sweet girl. It only makes me want you more, knowin’ I’m the only man who’ll ever know what it feels like to have your tight pussy wrapped around their cock.”

“Oh.” Her plump lips rounded into a perfect circle, and I dropped my head to claim them in a deep kiss. While our tongues were tangled together, I lined up my cock with her pussy and began to inch my way inside. When I hit the proof of her innocence, I paused to warn her, “I’m sorry, sweet girl. But this is gonna hurt for little bit.”

She gave me a jerky nod, and I thrust my hips forward, burying my cock all the way in her pussy. Her crystal blue eyes filled with tears, and I kissed them away as they spilled down her cheeks. When they stopped and she started to wriggle her hips a little, I slowly dragged my cock out of her wet heat and inched back in again to make sure she was ready for more. She flung her head back and dug her nails into my back, and it was the sign I needed to go a little bit deeper using more force behind my thrusts. It wasn’t long before she was screaming in ecstasy.

“That’s right, Alexandra. Let me hear those cries. Show me you’re enjoyin’ this as much as I am.”

Her legs tightened around my waist, and I slid my hand between us to pinch her clit when I felt my balls draw up against my body. I was ready to blow and couldn’t hold on much longer.

“Colton!” she gasped, her pussy clamping hard around my cock and sending me right over the edge with her. I stayed deep inside her until we both caught our breath, and then I reluctantly pulled out and shifted on the mattress to pull her into my arms.

She’d already been tired when I carried her upstairs, and I’d wrung two intense orgasms out of her body. As I sifted my fingers through her hair, it didn’t take long for her eyes to drift shut. I waited until she fell into a deep sleep before I slid out of bed. I went into the bathroom and grabbed a washcloth to use to clean her up. The sight of her blood mixed with our combined come had my cock hardening again when it should’ve had me running for the door. I probably should’ve felt bad about not talking to Alexandra about using a condom, but I was too happy pulling her body close to mine again to have any regrets.

Chapter Seven

Alexandra

I woke up later than usual, in a bed that didn’t belong to me. It took me a moment to remember what’d happened last night. When I did, I rolled over and searched for Colton but he wasn’t in bed with me anymore. My cheeks filled with heat as I thought about the things I’d let him do to my body.

“I lost my virginity to my sexy boss.” Even though I thought I was alone in the room, my voice was whisper soft. But then I jumped when the mattress dipped and strong arms wrapped around me.

“You sure did.” Colton nuzzled against my neck, and he must not have shaved yet because his stubble scraped against my skin. “And it was fucking incredible.”

I offered him a shy smile over my shoulder. “It really was.”

“But there’s something I need to tell you.” My heart hammered in my chest and I held my breath, worried it was going to be something bad. Like maybe he regretted what we’d done even though he’d enjoyed it. “I didn’t use a condom.”

“Oh.”

“I fuckin’ love the way your mouth looks when you’re startled by somethin’ and say ‘oh’ like that.” He swiped his thumb across my lips. “But I need a little more from you, sweet girl. Are you on birth control?”

“No. My mom died when I was fifteen, which meant I would’ve had to talk to my dad about it and that wasn’t going to happen.” I shuddered just thinking about how that conversation would have gone. “Since there wasn’t really a need for it, I didn’t bother.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your mom passing when you were still so young.” He turned me in his arms and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “If you ever wanna talk about it, I’m here to listen.”

“Thanks,” I whispered. I’d avoided the topic of my mom in all of our conversations, not because I didn’t want to talk about her but because telling him about her loss would’ve been impossible without also telling him about my relationship with my father and brothers. And that was a topic I wasn’t ready to get into. So much that I grabbed onto our lack of condom usage to avoid it. “But we’ve got bigger problems to worry about right now. Like the fact that we had unprotected sex and I’m not on birth control.”

“You brought up two important issues. When it comes to being unprotected, you don’t need to worry. It’s been at least a year since I’ve been with anyone else, and I’ve never gone bare before.” He lifted his head and smiled at me. “As for the lack of birth control, I want kids.”

My mouth opened, but nothing came out. Colton must’ve taken that as an invitation to continue.

“And I want more than just a couple. Four. Maybe five.”

“You want five kids?”

He nodded.

“Are you telling me this because you’re worried that you might’ve gotten me pregnant last night and one of your five kids would be with me?”

He shook his head. “No, I’m tellin’ you how many kids I want ‘cause I’d like all of them to be with you. I figured you’d might as well know now since the barn door’s already open and there’s no gettin’ it closed again.”

His dark eyes were completely serious, but I felt a little dizzy at the idea of becoming a parent—let alone to five kids. As the only girl with four big brothers who loved to boss me around, I had no desire to have that many children and run the risk of the youngest being bullied like I’d been. “Five is way too many.”

“How many do you want?”

“I never really thought about it before.” I shrugged. “Maybe two?”

“It’s important to me that my children have a sibling since I was an only child and know how lonely that can be sometimes. Two would do that, so it works for me.”

“Wait.” My heart began to pound for a completely different reason than before. “Are we really having a serious conversation about how many kids we should have together?”

“Damn straight.” He flashed me a grin. “And we just agreed on two.”

“Wow.”

I wasn’t sure how else to respond, but it didn’t matter because he didn’t give me the chance. He took my mouth in a deep kiss before climbing off the mattress. It wasn’t until he walked around the bed to stand in front of me that I noticed he was already dressed. He dropped a few ibuprofen on the bedside table, next to a glass of water that was already sitting there. “I want you to take these and try to go back to sleep. Take a long bath when you wake up again.”

“What about breakfast?”

“I already made myself something.”

I jerked up, clutching the sheet to my chest. “But you’re a horrible cook!”

“Eatin’ rubbery eggs and burnt toast was a small sacrifice to pay to make sure you slept in.”

Was it any wonder that I’d fallen into his bed so easily? Colton wasn’t just sexy; he was so damn sweet to me. “Thank you.”

“You gonna do what I asked?”

“You didn’t ask. You told me what I was going to do.” Because he was also bossy, but I didn’t mind since he was never mean about it and had demonstrated that he always had my best interests in mind.

“But you’ll do it anyway, right?”

“Yeah.” It’s not like I was going to argue about going back to sleep and taking a bath. And that’s exactly what I did when he left the room. It was already after ten when I woke up again, and I spent about an hour in the tub. Once I was done, I found myself missing Colton more than usual. So I whipped up a quick lunch, packed it up, and headed out to find him. It wasn’t hard to do since his ranch hands were quick to point me in the right direction, the horse stables. I smiled at the stable manager when I walked inside.

“If I wasn’t so afraid of the boss man, I’d try to bribe you into giving me whatever you’ve got in that bag. No offense to Joe, but I miss your cooking.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet. Thank you.”

“No thanks needed, I’m only telling the truth.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “You’ll find him back there at the last stall. He’s with a customer, but he won’t mind you interrupting him.”

I unwrapped the top of the bag I was carrying and pulled a cookie out. He snatched it out of my hand and stuffed it in his mouth like he thought someone was going to steal it from him. I was still laughing about it when I rounded the corner and spotted Colton talking to the customer his manager had mentioned. But he’d left out a few details...like the fact that she was pretty, had big boobs that were barely covered by her shirt, and liked to flirt with Colton.

He spotted me and met me halfway, with her trailing behind. As soon as he got close, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and dropped a kiss onto my lips.

“Who’s this?” His flirty customer’s lips were pursed together like she’d sucked on a lemon.

“Alexandra, this is Samantha. She’s a trainer who works for one of my customers. She’s here to pick up a horse for her boss.” His dark eyes were ice cold when he switched his attention back to her. “Samantha, this is Alexandra. She came to the Circle B as my new ranch cook, but—”

“I thought you had a rule against hiring female employees? At least that’s what you told me when I applied for a position here!”

He tugged me even closer, and her eyes narrowed. “The rules don’t apply when it comes to Alexandra.”

“Why not?”

I was beyond irritated with her attitude. “Because I live in his home and sleep in his bed.”

“What?” the woman squawked. “Is this—this—twelve-year-old your girlfriend?”

I felt Colton’s body stiffen, and I knew he’d lost his temper too. But this was a battle I wanted to fight for myself. “If I was twelve, the things he does to my body would be illegal. And as much as they feel like they should be, they aren’t because I’m old enough to sleep in his bed”—my hand dropped to my belly—“and I might even be carrying his baby already.”

Samantha took a step towards me, and it was enough to make Colton snap. He moved between us and bit out, “The horse will be ready to load into the trailer in five minutes. Wait in your truck until one of my hands let you know you’re good to go.”

“But Colton—”

“You’re no longer welcome on Circle B land, and I’ll be giving your boss a call to make sure he’s aware that I won’t accept his business unless he sends out someone else.”

She whirled away and stalked out of the stable. Most of my anger was wiped away by his staunch defense of me, but I was still irritated enough to give him a hard time when he turned and pulled me into his arms. “Maybe if anyone outside of the men who work for you on the ranch ever saw us together, women like her wouldn’t be so surprised to find out we’re together. Unless you’re embarrassed to be seen with me?”

Chapter Eight

Colton

Underneath the irritation in her pretty eyes, I thought I saw a thread of insecurity. After the shit Samantha had pulled, the annoyance was well deserved and I’d figure out how to make it up to her...probably with an extra orgasm or two in bed tonight. But the doubt, whether it was in herself or me, was completely unacceptable. I tugged her out of the stable and headed straight for the mess hall since it was almost noon and most of the men would be in there by now. I paused at the door and looked her straight in the eye, hoping she’d see how much I meant what I was about to say. “The only reason I haven’t taken you into town is because I’ve been a greedy fucker, wanting to have you all to myself. It’s why you live in my house and cook in my kitchen instead of down here. But I’m proud as fuck to have you at my side, and I haven’t hidden it from my men.”

“That’s the understatement of the century,” one of my ranch hands mumbled from behind us.

Alexandra burst into laughter, and I opened the door to let him go in ahead of us. She looked up at me with raised brows. “What’s the story behind that?”

“I warned all my men off you a few times.”

“A few times?”

“Okay, more than a few,” I admitted. “And now I’m going to stake my claim in a way nobody can miss.”

“What? How?” she gasped as I pulled her into the mess hall and tugged her towards my body. As I lowered my head, she figured out what I was about to do and a pink blush swept across her cheeks. Dropping my hat low, I shielded us from curious eyes while I claimed Alexandra's lips. Not because I wanted to hide that she was mine—I'd already made that damn clear to my men and every single one of them knew what we were doing behind my hat even if they couldn’t see it—but because my sweet girl was still shy, and I fucking loved it.

Her blush deepened when the men hooted and hollered, but she beamed a smile up at me as I pulled away. It didn’t dim as we sat down, not even when the guys gave her a hard time about bringing lunch just for me and not them.

“Hey,” she called out. “Quit your complaining. I didn’t even bring anything for myself.”

“Yeah, but you can make yourself whatever you want when you head back up to the big house,” someone pointed out.

“C’mon now, you guys are gonna hurt my feelings,” Joe complained. “Which is a risky thing to do when I’m the one cooking your meals.”

“Sorry, Joe.” Alexandra flashed him a smile before leaning towards me. “I think that’s probably my cue to head back home.”

I fuckin’ loved hearing her call my house her home, but what she said next was even better.

“Bringing you lunch was just an excuse to see you because I missed you,” she admitted softly. “But I know you have work to do.”

“I missed you too, sweet girl.” I lifted her hand off the table and brushed a kiss against her knuckles. “You wanna head into town when I’m done? Grab dinner out, just the two of us?”

“Like a date?”

“Definitely a date.”

She beamed a smile at me, her eyes shining with pleasure. “I’d love that.”

“As long as nothin’ goes horribly wrong, I should be back home and ready to go a little after six.”

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

Her promise ran through my head repeatedly over the next five hours, pushing me hard to get done early because I wanted as much time with Alexandra as I could get. The men razzed me a bit, but they also pitched in since they knew I was taking her on our first official date. I appreciated it a fuck of a lot since it meant I was heading up to the big house a little past five. Also because I knew it was their stamp of approval for Alexandra’s change in status on the Circle B Ranch. She’d gone from being the ranch cook, to the big house cook, and now she was officially my woman as far as they—and I—were concerned. And the entire town was about to find out too.

I rushed through my shower, tossed on a pair of jeans with a button-down shirt, and pulled on my boots before heading downstairs in search of Alexandra. When I spotted her standing in front of the fireplace in the living room, dressed in a skirt that ended an inch above her knees and a tight top, I had to fight the urge to toss her over my shoulder and carry her upstairs to my bed. “Are you tryin’ to get some guy killed for looking at your legs too long in that skirt?”

She laughed like she didn’t think I was serious and shook her head.

“C’mon, we’d better head out before I change my mind about sharing your beauty anyone else.”

The ride into town was quick, and we got to the steakhouse about thirty minutes before our reservation.

“Maybe we should go for a walk while we wait?” Alexandra suggested. “The downside to robbing the cradle is that I can’t sit in the bar with you until our table is ready.”

“The table will be ready,” I assured her, and I was proved right when we went inside. After we were seated, I continued, “Even if it hadn’t been, you’d have been fine in the bar with me as long as you weren’t drinking.” I dropped my gaze lower. “Which you shouldn’t be doin’ anyway.”

“I’m not pregnant,” she whisper-yelled at me.

I flashed her a wicked grin. “You might be.”

The waiter’s arrival prevented her from arguing, which was probably for the best since all eyes were on us. I was well known in the community, and I’d rarely been seen taking a woman out to dinner. And never at the local hotspot for romantic dates.

She was so focused on me and her meal that she didn’t notice the stares we were getting until after she pushed her empty plate away. She leaned closer to me and whispered, “Has nobody ever seen a woman eat an actual meal before?”

I chuckled, and the looks intensified. “They’re all just curious about who you are because pickin’ this place for our date makes one hell of a statement.”

“It does?”

“This is my mom’s favorite place for special occasions, and they’ve never seen me here with any woman other than her.”

“Wow? Really?” Her eyes widened in surprise. “Lots of firsts for us over the last twenty-four hours, huh? The, uh, obvious one last night, your first time bringing a date here, and my first real date.”

I’d known my sweet girl was inexperienced, but I hadn’t realized quite how innocent she was until that moment. “I already admitted to being a greedy fucker when it comes to you, so I’m more than okay with getting as many firsts from you as I can.”

Her voice dropped lower, “What about second times? You looking forward to those too?”

“First.”

I pressed a soft kiss against her lips.

“Last.”

Another kiss, with a little more pressure that time.

“And everything in between.”

Unlike Alexandra, I wasn’t a virgin. But sitting across from her, I knew deep down in my bones that I wasn’t just going to be her first and only, she was going to be my last.

Chapter Nine

Alexandra

Colton moved me into his bedroom after our date. Even though I slept in his bed, we hadn’t had sex the past few nights because he was worried that I needed time to recover from losing my virginity. Not that I had anything to complain about because he’d done a very thorough job of examining my pussy to see if it’d healed. He used his mouth and fingers, giving me as many orgasms as I could handle until finally this morning he announced that I was good to go tonight.

Time never moved as slowly as it did once he told me that. I tried to go back to sleep after we had breakfast together, but it was impossible. I took a bath, put in a load of laundry, and wrote up a shopping list. Then I used Colton’s laptop to go online and look for some good deals on clothes since I hadn’t brought a ton of stuff with me when I’d left home. I wasn’t due to get my first paycheck from Colton for another week or so—which I wasn’t even sure I could accept since it would be super weird to accept money from the man I was sleeping with—but I felt secure enough to dip into my savings a little.

I shivered a little at the thought, almost like someone had walked over my grave or something. It scared me, making me wonder if I was tempting fate by being so happy. The worried feeling clung to me all day, and it drove me out of the house in search of Colton in the middle of the afternoon. When one of the ranch hands told me I’d find him in the stable meeting with a customer, I groaned and muttered to myself as I headed down there. Luckily, the scene when I found him was different from what I’d stumbled across the last time I’d visited him in the stables.

I was so relieved the horse trainer he was meeting with wasn’t a flirty woman that I smiled up at the man in welcome. It quickly dimmed when his eyes lit up in appreciation as they swept over me and I realized he was taking it in a way I hadn’t intended.

“Howdy there, beautiful. I’m Robert. Who’re you?”

He moved towards me with an outstretched hand, but he didn’t get far before Colton yanked him back. Stepping between us, he growled, “Mine.”

“Pardon?”

“She’s mine,” Colton repeated. “And that’s all you need to know about her. You get what I’m sayin’?”

“Consider your warning heard and understood.” The man took a step back and held up his hands. “No offense intended.”

Colton swept his hat off and ran a hand through his hair before gripping the back of his neck. “I wish I could say none taken, but—”

“Like I said, heard and understood. You’ve got somethin’ beautiful to protect. You wouldn’t be the man I know you to be if you weren’t as fierce about that as you are when you’re doin’ business.”

“Thanks for your understanding. Kickin’ another customer off my property would’ve been bad for business,” Colton grumbled.

“No worries there, man. Send those papers over, and I’ll sign ‘em.”

They shook hands, and the guy tilted his hat at me before turning to leave. Then Colton flung me over his shoulder and stormed up to the big house. We passed a few of his men along the way, but they were no help to me. They just chuckled and egged him on even more. I wasn’t too worried...until I caught the dark gleam in his eyes after he dropped me on the mattress and stared down at me. That man trying to flirt with me had sparked his possessive side, and I shivered a little wondering what it meant for me.

“Did you come down to the stable, lookin’ for trouble?”

“I wasn’t looking for trouble.” I slid my hands up his chest, hoping to soothe him. “I was looking for you.”

“Seems to me that you found both.” His gaze dropped down to my outfit. “Struttin’ down there in that shirt and shorts, lookin’ better than any woman should. It’s no wonder Robert wanted to steal you away from me.”

“All he really did was introduce himself.”

I was trying to reason with him, but he was beyond being able to listen. “You’re not a man. I am, so you can trust me when I tell you that I know exactly what was runnin’ through his head when he saw you. It was the same damn thing I thought when I saw you standin’ on my doorstep.”

A thrill raced through me, knowing he’d been as drawn to me from the start as I’d been to him. But then my shiver took on a whole new meaning when he growled, “I think you need to be punished.”

It took me a moment to catch my breath and stutter, “Wh-what do you mean?”

“Strip out of your clothes.”

My pussy clenched at his order, but I kept my hands on his chest as I asked again, “What’d you mean by punished?”

“I wouldn’t hurt you. Not for anything,” he swore. I nodded, knowing deep in my heart that he would never raise his hand in anger like I’d seen my father do to my mom. Like I’d feared he’d eventually do to me if I didn’t get out of there.

I trusted Colton with my body...and my heart. He’d handed me the opportunity to prove it to him, and I wasn’t going to pass it up. Not even if I was a little bit nervous.

I dropped my hands to the bottom of my shirt and lifted it over my head. His eyes darkened as my bra, shorts, and panties joined my shirt in a pile on the floor next to our bed.

“I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you.” His fingers traced across my cheek, along my neck, and down my chest to rest over my heart. “Not just on the outside, but on the inside too. It’s why I call you my sweet girl.” His head dipped low, and he claimed my mouth in a deep kiss. “That’s exactly what you are. So damn sweet and all mine.”

“Am I sweet enough to skip over the punishment thing you mentioned and head straight to having fun?”

He rose up on his knees, and his lips tilted up in a satisfied smile. “I’m gonna have a lot of fun handin’ out your punishment since the only kind you’ll ever get from me is so many orgasms you won’t be able to talk, think, or move once I’m done.”

My shiver was visible, and he chuckled before moving lower to lick my nipple and suck it deep into his mouth. It was crazy sexy to have him fully dressed, kissing his way down my completely naked body. When he made it to my clit and latched on, he made the first two parts of his prediction come true. My brain stopped working, and the only sounds coming out of my mouth were whimpers, moans, and screams. But I could still move, and I did—my hips thrusting up and down as I rode his face.

His tongue lapped at me. Filled me. Flicked at my clit.

His fingers held me open. Toyed with me. And finally thrust deep inside me.

He drove me to the brink of orgasm over and over. Pushing me past me past it often, only to keep at it until I was there again. With his tongue on my clit and his fingers working in and out of my pussy after what felt like hours had passed, my legs trembled and my head was pressed back against the pillows.

“Colton,” I rasped, experiencing my most powerful orgasm yet. My entire body quivered as shock wave after shock wave hit me. Colton must’ve known I’d reached my limit because he climbed up the mattress and wrapped his body around me. My head fell against his chest. And like he’d promised, that was about all I could manage. Talking, thinking, or moving was beyond me.

My eyes slid closed, and I listened to his heart. The rhythm slowed and became steady. Just like him. Constant and unwavering. As I drifted off to sleep, I promised myself that I’d find the right time to let him all the way inside and talk to him about what my life had been like back home. If I'd known my father was already headed to the Circle B Ranch, I wouldn’t have waited. I would’ve found the energy to wake up and bare my soul to him right then and there.

Chapter Ten

Colton

I’d left Alexandra sleeping in our bed when I got up this morning. I’d worn her out burning through the possessive urges that’d roared through me, even with the nap she’d taken when I’d gotten some more work done. She had dinner ready and waiting for me when I came back up to the house, and as soon as the plates were cleared I dragged her up to our room and took her hard and fast. The wait for her to heal from losing her virginity had been torture. Combined with what’d happened with Robert, I’d been insatiable and woke her up a couple of times through the night.

I’d briefly considering doing it one more time after my alarm went off, but the purple bruises under her eyes told me I’d already pushed her to her limits the night before. Her needs came before mine. Always. So I’d been extra quiet as I left the room and headed down to the mess hall to grab breakfast with my men.

They ribbed me a little about how the Circle B would go belly up if I kept trying to run off every customer who tried to flirt with Alexandra. And there’d been some reenactments to how I’d carted Alexandra up to the house. I knew it was all in good fun, and nobody meant anything bad by their teasing. It was just how guys were with each other, even though I was the boss and they obeyed my orders.

Before Alexandra, they rarely had the opportunity to turn the tables on me and they made the most of it now that they had plenty of ammunition. Having her around had lightened the mood on the Circle B, which was good considering the grueling work we all did together between the cattle we ran and the horses we trained. But it didn’t mean we’d lost our edge, or that we were any less aware of our surroundings. If anything, knowing I had Alexandra to protect made me more alert. Which was why I trusted my instincts when a black Mercedes I didn’t recognize drove onto my property.

Other than the years I’d spent on the rodeo circuit; I’d lived here my whole life. Ours was a tight-knit community, and I knew pretty much everyone who lived around these parts. I also knew what they drove—mostly trucks and SUVs. When the luxury vehicle pulled up in front of the barn, the driver pulled around so he was facing out towards the driveway. It would allow him to make a quick exit if need be, but it also gave me a view of his license plate.

Iowa—the place my sweet girl had left behind and avoided talking about.

I didn’t like the coincidence. Not at fucking all.

“Steve, Bob, Ken.” The three guys closest to me looked up from their work when I bit out their names. “Head up to the big house. One of you go inside and make sure Alexandra’s inside. Ask her what she’s makin’ for dessert. Make a special request to get her talkin’ about recipes. Whatever you’ve got to do to keep her there, safe and sound.”

“Yes, boss,” all three agreed. They knew I wouldn’t suggest one of them seek out my sweet girl alone unless I had a damn good reason for doing it.

“One of you needs to wait on the porch in case trouble heads that way, and the other should gather up as many men as you can before you join him there. But do it quietly.” I turned to look at the man who was getting out of the car. He was big, maybe an inch taller than me, with a stocky build and gray streaks at the temples of his blond hair. “If he gets past me and makes it up to the house, do whatever it takes to stop him from getting to Alexandra.”

They did as I ordered, and it left me standing there alone as I waited for our unwelcome guest to join me. Familiar crystal blue eyes met mine, and I knew exactly who he was.

“Colton Booth?”

I crossed my arms and nodded.

“I’m—”

“Mr. Cooper. Alexandra’s father.” I finished his sentence with a goal in mind, figuring between the car and his clothes that he was the kind of man who didn’t like being interrupted. Judging by how his cheeks turned ruddy, I was right.

“I’m looking for Alexandra.” His eyes iced over as he stood taller and looked down his nose at me. “Is she still working for you?”

“Nope.” It wasn’t entirely true since I hadn’t technically fired her, but the moment she gave herself to me her status had changed. She wasn’t my employee. She was my woman.

“Nobody in town mentioned her leaving when I asked around.”

Odds were good it was a bluff. People around town would gossip until the sun went down, but not about a local to an outsider. Alexandra had been seen with me at the steakhouse, which made her one of us. So I just shrugged and waited to see what he’d do next.

His gaze shifted over my shoulder, towards the big house. “She’s up there, isn’t she? That’s why your men are there. To block my way.”

“What’s it to you if she is?”

“She’s my daughter!” he roared. “I wasted a week of my time chasing after the ungrateful girl after she ran away from home without a word.”

“She’s eighteen,” I pointed out. “Which means she’s not a runaway you can drag back home. She’s of legal age to make her own decisions about where she wants to live.”

“Legal age,” he scoffed, puffing out his chest. “Is that how you excuse yourself for taking advantage of an innocent girl? Are you the reason she left home how she did? Did you lure her here? I always knew the girl was stupid, but I never imagined she was that dumb.”

I didn’t know what’d happened between Alexandra and her father, but I figured it couldn’t have been good if she took off without telling anyone where she was going. And even if it hadn’t been as bad as I thought, there was no way in hell I was going to stand there listening to him spout shit like that.

I’d been in more than my fair share of brawls over the years, and it paid off in that moment. I moved quickly, closing the distance between us and fisted his shirt with one hand to pull him towards me as I drove the other into his gut. “I don’t care if you’re her father, nobody talks about Alexandra like that in front of me and gets away with it.”

His reaction proved the kind of man he was—a bully who backed down when faced with a worthy opponent. “Keep her. She isn’t worth the bother.”

“She’s worth jail time to me. Manslaughter. Murder. Whatever it takes.” I gave him a rough shake before letting him go. “You should remember that if you ever decide to come looking for her again.”

He stumbled away and hurried to his car. I waited until I couldn’t see his taillights anymore before heading to the big house. My men left the porch when they saw me coming. As Steve came outside, Alexandra followed after him. She spotted the ten men walking from the house to the barn, and her eyes went wide.

As soon as I reached her, she clutched my arms. “What happened? Is everything okay?”

“It is now,” I reassured her. “But your father paid us a visit.”

“My father?” The fear in her voice made me wish I’d landed a fuck of a lot more than one punch before I’d let the man leave.

I led her inside the house and over to one of the couches in the living room. “You don’t need to worry. He won’t be comin’ back.”

“Are you sure? My father doesn’t really listen to other people.”

It all came tumbling out of her. The pain from the loss of her mom. Her fear of her father. How he and her brothers had treated her like an indentured servant over the years. Her story made me shake with rage, and I wished again that I’d taken the time to do more damage to the man. One punch and the threat of death wasn’t enough after the hell he’d put her through.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Are you mad at me?”

"Am I pissed you didn’t tell me how bad things were with your father? Yeah, a little bit.” Her lips trembled, and I knew she was trying to stop herself from crying. I yanked her into my arms and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “But I’ll get over it, sweet girl. Especially since I’m just as much to blame for my ignorance about the situation as you are.”

She pulled back and looked at me with wide eyes. “How’re you to blame? I’m the one who avoided talking about what’d made me leave home the way I did.”

“And I’m the one who let you.”

“Let,” she snorted.

I finally understood why she’d have issues with bossy men like she’d said she did back when we first met. But having seen her dad in action for myself, I also got why she’d come to accept my bossiness. There was a hell of a difference in the way each of us treated her, and I was impressed that she’d recognized it so quickly. I wouldn’t have blamed her for trying not giving in to me, considering how she’d lived under her father’s thumb for so long. And it meant a fuck of a lot to me that she was willing to follow my lead so often. Mostly in bed, but out of it too when it was important to me.

“I hate that you had to live through what you did, but I’m damn happy that when you went runnin’ it brought you straight to me.”

Chapter Eleven

Alexandra

Happy didn’t even come close to how I felt when I was with Colton. When I’d boarded the bus that’d brought me to Texas, I thought I’d only stay until the end of the summer. But now I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. Or with anyone else.

The Circle B and Colton had become my life, but I’d risked losing them both by not opening up to him. I knew there was a chance my father would track me down with the intent to drag me back home, and I should’ve told Colton because he would’ve been better prepared to handle him. But I’d put off talking about it because a part of me worried it’d make him see me differently. As a girl instead of a woman. And I would’ve been devastated since he’d never acted like our age difference was important to him. I’d wanted to keep it that way, and I’d allowed my fear to lure me into making a bad decision. One I wanted to make up to Colton.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hold up.” He swung me into his arms and carried me up to our bedroom. “If there’s makin’ up that needs to be done, it’s gonna happen in our bed.”

Since I liked the sound of that, I didn’t complain. In fact, it even sparked an idea. When he dropped me on the mattress, I crawled to the edge and sunk to my knees on the floor in front of him. Grabbing his belt buckle, I peeked up at him. “Maybe I could give you another of my firsts, making my apology to you with my mouth but without any words.”

I’d never given someone a blow job before, but I wasn’t nervous. Not until I unbuckled his belt, got the button undone, pulled down the zipper, and he wrapped his hand around my wrist when I snuck my hand inside his pants.

“Stop, sweet girl.”

I didn’t understand. Was he turning down a blow job? My eyes jerked back up. “What? Am I doing it wrong? Already?”

“If you wanna wrap those pretty lips around my cock, any way you decide to do it will be perfect.” Bending down low, he slid his hands down to my waist and lifted me off my feet. “But you’re not gonna do it on your knees. You don’t get on ‘em for anyone. Not even me.”

“Colton,” I whispered. My heart felt full, close to bursting. It only grew fuller as he continued.

“You’re meant to be cherished,”—he pushed his jeans and boxers down his legs and kicked them off—“no matter what we’re doing in our bed”—his shirt was next, and I joined in on the action and stripped my clothes off too—“or how dirty it might get.”

We stood next to the bed, completely naked and staring into each other’s eyes. “Even when I’m fuckin’ you, it’ll still be makin’ love. Just rougher, deeper, and harder.”

“It will?”

“Of course it will. Because I love you.”

My eyes filled with tears. But not sad ones. The absolute happiest because I hadn’t expected him to say those three little words. My mom was the only person who’d ever said them to me before. “Another first. I’ve never had a man tell me they loved me.”

“You better not mind my greediness because I’m hopin’ to get another of those firsts today.” He claimed my mouth in a deep kiss, stealing my breath before pulling away and whispering against my lips, “Give it to me, Alexandra.”

I had no doubt what he was asking me for, and the words burst from my lips. “I love you, too.”

“Fuck,” he groaned, brushing his lips across mine. “I’ve never heard sweeter words.”

“Neither have I.”

“I love you,” he repeated as he nudged me onto the bed. His lips trailed down to my throat, and he nibbled at my pulse point before moving back to my lips to feed hungrily at my mouth. Each time we kissed, it was amazing. But this time was...more. Knowing he loved me made all the difference. It was everything, and it gave me the confidence I needed to go after what I wanted—a taste of him.

I pushed at his chest and prodded him to roll onto his back. Licking my lips, I shifted to my knees and crawled over his body. Then I trailed my fingers along his broad shoulder, down his muscular chest, and headed straight to his hardened length. I wrapped my fist around it. “You’re hard but smooth, like silk over steel. But scalding hot.”

“’Cause I’m burning up for you,” he panted. “Since that first day.”

I loved hearing that and flashed him a satisfied smile as I bent over him. My hair hung around my head like a curtain, sliding against his skin, as my tongue snaked out to flick against the tip of his cock. It was my first real taste of him, and I loved it just as much as I did the groan it earned me.

“Goddamn, that feels good.” He reached down and cupped my chin with one hand, his thumb brushing against my bottom lip. “You gonna wrap these around my cock and take it inside your mouth?”

“Yes,” I breathed against him, making his cock twitch. Parting my lips wide, I sucked a few inches inside and moaned because of how it felt to have my mouth stretched around his cock. His hips jerked, only a little before he held himself back, and it pushed him farther inside. Then he gathered my hair up in a fist and watched as I bobbed up and down his hard length. After a few minutes, his control broke and he tapped my cheek.

“Lift off, sweet girl. As fuckin’ amazing that feels, I need to sink inside your tight pussy. I can’t wait to feel it suckin’ me dry while you tell me you love me again.”

I pulled back and twirled my tongue at the tip to gather up the bead of pre-come there before I let his cock go with a popping sound. He flipped me over, pressing my back into the mattress before levering himself up until he was staring down at me with dark eyes that were burning with need—but also shining with unadulterated love.

I parted my legs and wrapped them around his hips went he settled between them. His hand went between us, sliding through my wetness. “Thank fuck you’re ready for me, sweet girl. Because I can’t wait another minute.”

“Neither can I.”

He took that for the invitation it was and slid inside with one forceful thrust. Giving him a blow job had turned me on more than I’d expected. It only took a few drives of his hips to bring me close to the edge. I tried to fight it, wanting our first time together after we’d admitted our feelings for each other to last longer. But I couldn’t stop myself from lifting my hips and meeting him thrust for thrust.

“Your pussy’s clenchin’ hard around my cock. I know you’re gettin’ close, and I wanna hear you say it. Now.” His fingers tightened on my hips, hard enough to leave marks behind. I didn’t care, though. I’d wear them proudly because they came from Colton.

“I love you,” I panted.

His pace quickened, and he went deeper. Harder.

“Again.”

“I love you.”

His hand slid between us, and he circled my swollen clit with his thumb.

“One last time as you come for me,” he ordered.

“I fucking love you!” I screamed as I shattered into what felt like a million pieces.

“I love you, too,” he groaned, sinking deep and holding himself there while his muscles tensed and his cock jerked inside me. His hot come splashed against my pussy walls, filling me up. We hadn’t bothered with a condom. Again. Only this time, I didn’t worry about the possibility of getting pregnant. It was probably too soon, and we could use more time together as a couple before that happened. But I loved Colton, and he loved me. Whatever came our way, we’d handle it together.

I snuggled into his arms and a sigh of contentment escaped my lips. I pressed a kiss to his chest and peeked up at him when he chuckled. “What?”

“I made my sweet girl come so hard, she swore.”

Even though I’d been in the throes of an orgasm when I’d done it, that wasn’t the reason why. I'd never had somewhere I felt I truly belonged until I'd come to the Circle B Ranch. Because of Colton. I could do anything I wanted here with him. He’d broken the chains of my past and set me free. “No, I love you so much that I swore.”

Epilogue

Colton

One month after Alexandra stepped foot onto my ranch, I slipped a diamond ring on her finger. Two weeks later, we got a plus sign on a pregnancy test. Three days after that, we went to the courthouse and got married. The only reason I waited that long was because the state of Texas required a seventy-two-hour wait after applying for our marriage license. I’d tried talking her into hopping on a plane to Vegas, but she’d wanted to get married in her new hometown and I found it difficult to deny her anything.

She’d made the wait worth my while, though. She looked prettier than ever in the slinky white dress she’d ordered online and had delivered to the ranch. A sideways glance at her had my cock getting harder, and I pushed down on the accelerator.

“We’re almost home, Mrs. Booth.”

“That we are, hubby.”

I brushed my thumb over the rings on her finger

The sight that greeted us when we pulled into the drive leading up to the ranch wasn’t what I’d expected.

“We were only in town for an hour,” she gasped. “Where did all these people come from?”

“It looks like our neighbors wanted to celebrate our wedding with us?”

She gestured out the window towards the tents, tables, and chairs. “But how did they do all that?”

“They can come together and build an entire barn in a day or two after an emergency.” I shook my head and chuckled. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that they were able to pull together a wedding reception in an hour, especially since they had three days to plan it. Word would’ve spread like wildfire when we applied for the license.”

Alexandra spotted my mom and Irene standing together before I did. She’d met my parents the week before I proposed. The first moment my mom had gotten me alone, she’d pulled my grandmother’s engagement ring off her right hand and pressed it into my palm. It’d been just one of the many ways she’d shown me how excited she was to welcome my sweet girl into the family.

I was glad my parents had stayed in town to get to know her better. I’d been surprised when they hadn’t argued about our plan to get married at the courthouse, just the two of us. I should’ve known my mom wouldn’t let us get away with it. She loved throwing parties, the bigger the better. And today was no exception.

I parked my truck in front of the big house and decided that since we were the guests of honor, the party wouldn’t really start without us. In the grand scheme of things, a delay of an hour or so wouldn’t matter much—especially since I didn’t want to wait to consummate the marriage.

Considering how many people were on Circle B land to celebrate our wedding, it was beyond rude for me to heft my bride over my shoulder and carry her into the house. Not that it mattered to me. My men didn’t even blink an eye, they’d gotten so used to the sight. But our guests could wait. My need for her couldn't.

I hope you enjoyed Colton and Alexandra’s story! I had so much fun writing it, especially since I’m working with a great group of authors as Gigi. Love, Rochelle Paige

Who is Gigi

Gigi Thorne is a group of Amazon, USA Today and NYT bestselling authors who came together under one name to write bite-sized romance for the naughty girl.

We will bring you weekly releases in the shape of sexy, irresistible novellas you can devour in one sitting.

Follow us on our social media for giveaways, exclusive news & cover reveals - and be able to choose our future themes!

Subscribe to our newsletter

Join our readers’ group on Facebook

Write to us: authorgigithorne@gmail.com

Facebook Facebook

Instagram Instagram

Also by Gigi

Our releases have monthly themes!

June - Teacher & Student

Teacher’s Pet

Extra Credit

Schooled

Hot For My Teacher

July - Cowboys

Hard Ride

Buckle Up, Buttercup

Wrangle Me

Cowboy’s City Girl

Cowboy Confidential

Belt Buckles and Spurs

August - TBA