Read Online Cowboy's Bride by Barbara McMahon - Free Book Online Page A

shouldn't have said it at all."
    "Oh, sure, it's fine for you to come in and
throw your weight around, but if I say anything I'm wrong." She
jumped up and began pacing the room. "You can just get out, Trace.
I don't need help like yours. I'll find another foreman."
    She stopped across the room from him, leaned
against the counter and tilted her head, looking far more confident
than she really felt.
    He rose, all six feet of him, and strode
across the wooden floor, the heels of his boots stomping until he
stopped mere inches from her, his nearness causing her to press her
back against the tile edge to gain a smidge more room. Glaring at
her, he shook his head.
    "No. You're not getting another foreman. I'll
do it until you decide to sell."
    "I'm not going to sell!" Kalli almost
screamed in frustration. Why wouldn't he listen to her? If he
thought he could drive her away, he didn't know her very well.
    Maybe her family should
clue him in. They knew how stubborn and tenacious she could be.
They had tried to talk her out of becoming a nurse, citing the
physical strain and arguing that the emotional trauma would unravel
her. But Kalli had become a nurse. And yes, it had been hard
sometimes, but the rewards had been well worth it. As would the
reward of making a go of her ranch.
    "You're fired," she said. "Get out and don't
come back."
    He moved even closer, deliberately trying to
intimidate her. She had to tilt her head back until her neck ached,
the coolness of the tile like a band across her back. He was so
tall, so strong and so damned male!
    "I'm not leaving," he said, his voice low,
threatening. He raised his hand.
    "Don't touch me. If you think you can seduce
me into agreeing to sell, you're crazy."
    He reached out and clasped her waist, tossing
her up on the edge of the counter. Pressing open her knees, he
stepped between her legs, bunching up her skirt, his hands hard and
hot on her waist, clamping her in place even as she wiggled to
escape. Lowering his face until his nose almost touched hers, he
spoke softly, almost menacingly.
    "Let's get one thing straight here,
sweetheart. I want you. I told you that before. But it doesn't have
a thing in hell to do with getting your ranch. If I sleep with you
from now to doomsday, I'll still want the ranch. If you never let
me touch you again, I'll still want the ranch, and I'll get
it."
    "I don't want you to touch me." She had meant
to sound assertive, strong. But her voice came out almost
wistful.
    "Liar. I can see the pulse point in your
throat, your heart's racing, your breath catches. You want me as
much as I want you."
    "That’s mere reaction from fear," she said.
Or excitement, or anticipation or fierce yearning. She could feel
her- heart pounding, the blood roaring hot through her veins.
    "Liar," he repeated softly. His gaze dropped
to her mouth when she nervously licked her lips. He stared at the
moisture for a long moment, then slowly pressed his lips against
hers, capturing the wetness on his own. Slowly his tongue traced
her lips, moistening them, rubbing along the seam. Not pressing
forth, not trying for anything but a taste of her.
    Kalli closed her eyes to better enjoy the
sweet sensation. His breath fanned across her cheek. His tongue
slowly, gently rubbed against her lips. She parted them slightly to
allow him access to her mouth, but he held off. Shockingly aware of
the intimacy of their position, she leaned into the embrace, her
hands inching up his arms to encircle his neck and hold his head so
he couldn't pull back.
    At the feel of her capitulation, Trace's
hands pulled her hard against him, until there was not an inch of
space between their bodies. He could fed the heat of her inner core
through the straining denim of his jeans. He could feel the rise
and fall of her breasts as her breath brushed over his cheeks. Her
pounding heart slammed against his chest as she pressed against
him. She felt so damned good, so right.
    Plunging his tongue into the warm welcome