Daddy Wore Spurs (Mills & Boon Cherish) (Men of the West, Book 32) by Stella Bagwell
Authors: Stella Bagwell
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way.”
“Nice, hell! If you think a man like him understands nice, then you’re too damned naive to be living out here alone!”
Furious now, she said, “You don’t own this ranch. And you certainly don’t own me. From now on I’ll handle my personal business.”
His nostrils flared and though the sparks in his eyes were fueled by anger, the sight of them made her wonder if he made love with the same sort of unleashed passion. The notion sent a shiver of excitement slithering down her spine.
“You think— Oh, to hell with it,” he muttered.
He turned to leave the porch and Mariah instantly snatched hold of his forearm.
“Finn, I’m trying to understand your behavior,” she said, her voice growing softer with each word. “But you’re not making it easy.”
He turned back to her and Mariah’s heart lurched into a wild gallop as his hands closed over her shoulders.
“Then I need to make things plainer, Mariah. Maybe I ran that creep off because I don’t want him, or any man, thinking they have a snowball’s chance in hell of doing this.”
This? The question had barely had time to zing through her thoughts when she saw his head lowering to hers. Yet the realization that he was about to kiss her wasn’t enough to make her step back. If anything, she wanted to step into him. She wanted to feel his arms around her once again, to experience the taste of his hard, searching lips.
In a feeble attempt at resistance, she planted her palms against his chest, but before she could push a measurable distance between them, the warmth of his muscles seeped into her hands and raced up her arms. The sensation was so pleasurable, she couldn’t move, much less make her lungs work in a normal fashion.
“This shouldn’t be happening again.”
The breathless words rushed past her parted lips but did little to slow the downward descent of his head.
“Probably not,” he whispered, his mouth touching hers ever so softly. “But I don’t think either of us is going to stop it.”
Chapter Six
M ariah had never been kissed outside in broad daylight, not like this. It made her feel exposed and naked and even a bit wicked. Finn’s lips were making a hungry foray over hers, turning her into a melted mess, making it impossible for her to think.
Closer. That was the only thing she wanted, needed. With that one thing on her mind, her hands instinctively moved to the back of his neck, the front of her body arched into his, while their lips rocked back and forth to a rhythm only they could hear.
Her head began to whirl until she was certain she was floating off into the blue sky. Her breathing stopped and her heart pounded. If the kiss ended, she’d surely die, she thought. But eventually it did end when Finn finally lifted his head.
Sanity rushed into Mariah’s brain and with it came the reality of how lost she’d become in Finn’s embrace. Her fingers were tangled in the hair at the back of his neck, while his hands were splayed against her back, holding her upper body tightly against his.
Through a foggy haze, she stared up at him. “Finn,” she whispered hoarsely, “I don’t know what’s happening to me. To us!”
Not waiting to hear what, if anything, he had to say, she pulled away from him and hurried to the other side of the porch. With her back to him, she stared out at the distant mountains and tried to gain control of her labored breathing. She was trembling all over and her body felt as though a wildfire had ignited inside her and was now spreading from her head to her feet.
The sound of his boots moving across the porch floor alerted her to his approach. Even so, she wasn’t ready for the contact of his hand as it rested gently against the back of her shoulder. Until she’d met Finn, she’d had no idea that the simple touch of a man’s hand could have the power to shake her like an earthquake.
“Mariah, if it makes you feel any better I’m just as confused as you are. I didn’t come here
“Nice, hell! If you think a man like him understands nice, then you’re too damned naive to be living out here alone!”
Furious now, she said, “You don’t own this ranch. And you certainly don’t own me. From now on I’ll handle my personal business.”
His nostrils flared and though the sparks in his eyes were fueled by anger, the sight of them made her wonder if he made love with the same sort of unleashed passion. The notion sent a shiver of excitement slithering down her spine.
“You think— Oh, to hell with it,” he muttered.
He turned to leave the porch and Mariah instantly snatched hold of his forearm.
“Finn, I’m trying to understand your behavior,” she said, her voice growing softer with each word. “But you’re not making it easy.”
He turned back to her and Mariah’s heart lurched into a wild gallop as his hands closed over her shoulders.
“Then I need to make things plainer, Mariah. Maybe I ran that creep off because I don’t want him, or any man, thinking they have a snowball’s chance in hell of doing this.”
This? The question had barely had time to zing through her thoughts when she saw his head lowering to hers. Yet the realization that he was about to kiss her wasn’t enough to make her step back. If anything, she wanted to step into him. She wanted to feel his arms around her once again, to experience the taste of his hard, searching lips.
In a feeble attempt at resistance, she planted her palms against his chest, but before she could push a measurable distance between them, the warmth of his muscles seeped into her hands and raced up her arms. The sensation was so pleasurable, she couldn’t move, much less make her lungs work in a normal fashion.
“This shouldn’t be happening again.”
The breathless words rushed past her parted lips but did little to slow the downward descent of his head.
“Probably not,” he whispered, his mouth touching hers ever so softly. “But I don’t think either of us is going to stop it.”
Chapter Six
M ariah had never been kissed outside in broad daylight, not like this. It made her feel exposed and naked and even a bit wicked. Finn’s lips were making a hungry foray over hers, turning her into a melted mess, making it impossible for her to think.
Closer. That was the only thing she wanted, needed. With that one thing on her mind, her hands instinctively moved to the back of his neck, the front of her body arched into his, while their lips rocked back and forth to a rhythm only they could hear.
Her head began to whirl until she was certain she was floating off into the blue sky. Her breathing stopped and her heart pounded. If the kiss ended, she’d surely die, she thought. But eventually it did end when Finn finally lifted his head.
Sanity rushed into Mariah’s brain and with it came the reality of how lost she’d become in Finn’s embrace. Her fingers were tangled in the hair at the back of his neck, while his hands were splayed against her back, holding her upper body tightly against his.
Through a foggy haze, she stared up at him. “Finn,” she whispered hoarsely, “I don’t know what’s happening to me. To us!”
Not waiting to hear what, if anything, he had to say, she pulled away from him and hurried to the other side of the porch. With her back to him, she stared out at the distant mountains and tried to gain control of her labored breathing. She was trembling all over and her body felt as though a wildfire had ignited inside her and was now spreading from her head to her feet.
The sound of his boots moving across the porch floor alerted her to his approach. Even so, she wasn’t ready for the contact of his hand as it rested gently against the back of her shoulder. Until she’d met Finn, she’d had no idea that the simple touch of a man’s hand could have the power to shake her like an earthquake.
“Mariah, if it makes you feel any better I’m just as confused as you are. I didn’t come here
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