Read Online Bowles, Jan - In Debt to the Dom [Guilty Pleasures 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Jan Bowles - Free Book Online Page A

that I would be going shooting. A little target practice first. Would you like to come?”
    If she turned him down, she might never be asked again, and rattling around the ranch all day on her own was a lonely experience. Maddie had always been more of a social animal.
    “Thank you, I’d like that.”
    “Can you shoot?”
    She shook her head. “I know nothing about guns.”
    “Good, then I will enjoy teaching you the correct way. I’ll be leaving in,” he looked at his watch, “a half hour.” With that, he left the room.
    Maddie wondered if she had done the right thing by accepting his invitation, then shrugged her shoulders. What did it matter? Surely, he wouldn’t have asked her if he didn’t want her to come. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that he had something more to say.

    * * * *

    Keaton watched as Maddie emerged from the ranch wearing jeans and a multicolored chiffon blouse. She looked much better than she had yesterday.
    He remembered what he had learned this morning about her sister, Simone. Why would a sister be so selfish? And why hadn’t Maddie told him the whole truth? Well, later on he would enjoy getting to the very bottom of this sorry mess.
    He opened the passenger door to the black Mustang and she slid inside, revealing the swell of her ample cleavage as she leaned forward.
    Yes, tonight he would get to sample everything that Maddie had to offer. He’d make it a night to remember in more ways than one. There was something in particular that he wanted to show her, something that he would enjoy surprising her with.
    He must have been smiling as he settled into the seat next to hers, because she commented, “You seem in good spirits.”
    He turned to her, focusing on her pale green eyes. “I am. I’ve just discovered something rather interesting.”
    “Oh?”
    “Hmm.” If he wasn’t careful he’d let the cat out of the bag and ruin the surprise element. He gunned the car into life, reveling in the heady offbeat sound of the V8. “I’ve just shed some new light on a business agreement, Maddie. That’s all.”
    He drove for several minutes down the dusty dirt track, all the while aware of the woman sitting next to him. Occasionally, he caught a whiff of her perfume, reminding him how incredibly feminine and soft she was.
    Eventually, they reached his private shooting range and parked the car. He stilled the engine, and then turned to Maddie. “Now, we’ll be firing live bullets, so you need to follow everything I say to the letter. Understand?”
    Her eyes looked huge, and he knew the idea of live rounds scared her.
    “Perhaps it’s best if I just watch.”
    “Maybe. We’ll see. There’s no reason to worry if you follow everything I say.” He stroked a hand into her hair and tucked a few stray tendrils behind her ear. He noted with some satisfaction that she accepted his touch without surprise or by pulling away. Maddie was clearly warming to the way he worked. And because she was neither submissive nor combative once out of the bedroom, he realized he was warming to her, too.
    “Come on, I’ll show you around.” He guided her to the range. “I had this built a couple of years ago.” His staff had prepared a table with an awning earlier in the morning. It gave dappled shade to the two chairs placed beneath it. He pointed to the excavated earth that lay sculpted around a pit dug into the side of the hill and allowed a line of paper targets to stand safely in a row.
    “It’s very impressive, Keaton.”
    “It’s all fully automated.” He pressed a button on the table and the targets fluttered like drying laundry toward them. Within seconds, he had them returning to the range.
    “Make yourself comfortable. It’s been quite a while since I was last here. Work pressures see to that. Let’s see if I’ve still got the knack.”

Chapter Nine

    Maddie relaxed into the soft seating, glad for the shade that the awning gave. Keaton had brought a cooler box full of drinks