“Don’t worry. You’ll like mine.”

He captured her hand and led her to the group gathering around the horses. After introducing himself and pairing everyone with their horses, Jag led them outdoors and nodded to Mac, who was in the corral teaching rope-tying skills. He slowed to let Alix catch up to him, and when he cast her a glance, his heart missed a beat. Her cheeks were flushed from the sun, her long hair flying haphazardly behind her. He noticed she wore a different pair of shorts and a new shirt, minus the sleeves.

She looked happy and content, her shoulders no longer hugging her ears as she smiled at him. Cowboy country was good for her. It was for him, too. Which was why he wanted to live here permanently—with a big family. He rubbed the stubble on his face. Yeah, he had no trouble packing up and moving here full time. He had no folks or family back home waiting. Truthfully, the only things he had back in Nova Scotia were his pals, Mac and Coop, and they were here on the ranch nearly every weekend anyway.

The more he thought about it, the more the idea of living here full-time appealed to him. He already knew that distancing herself from those who tried to run her life, and finding her own path, was good for Alix, too.

But what did she want?

They spent the afternoon riding trails, stopping to refresh their horses and drink from their canteens at the river. Alix snapped pictures along the way, capturing couples stealing kisses during their adventure. A long while later, on their return home, he noticed she seemed a bit uncomfortable. He slowed his horse until she caught up with him.

Worry tightened his gut. “You okay?”

She pulled a face and said, “I think I have saddle sores.”

Jag cringed. He could relate. “I think maybe we overdid the riding on your first few days here.” He tapped his lap. “Maybe you’d like to hop on over here and ride bareback with me.”

Heat moved into her cheeks, and as she tucked her hair behind her ear, she gave him a sensuous, naughty look before saying, “Maybe later.”

“Maybe? Hell, cowgirl. There’s no maybe about it,” he said, his voice dripping with promise. “I’m going to hog-tie you and have my way with you all night long.”

“Jag,” she said, the want in her eyes exciting him as one of the guests rode past, easily able to hear what he was saying.

Jag grinned and kicked his heels in, taking the lead as they made their way back to the lodge. His cock ached as he thought about what he had planned for Alix tonight, and he picked up the pace, happy the adventure was over, because he couldn’t wait to get started.

After returning all the horses, the sun began setting in the west, and he felt his stomach grumble. But his hunger could wait. He was starving for more than food at the moment.

Tired, the guests filed out of the barn, headed toward the lodge for dinner. All alone inside the stable, he stepped up behind Alix, who was running her hands over her horse. His dick twitched as he watched her, wanting that kind of attention on his body, one part in particular.

“Hey, beautiful,” he murmured in her ear, and loved the way she relaxed into him. “My place or yours?”

“Aren’t you original,” she whispered, turning to face him, her hair a tangled mess, her cheeks pink from the afternoon sun. His heart missed a beat. She’d never looked sexier.

He slid his hands around her waist and down her back until he reached her ass. “About these saddle sores,” he said.

She arched a brow. “What about them?”

He dipped his head. “If you’d like, I could kiss them better.”

Her eyes lit with desire, and as her mouth curved sensuously, a bell sounded outside. “I think that’s our dinner bell.”

“We’ll order in, because right now, baby, there’s only one thing I’m interested in putting in my mouth.” A small sound caught in her throat as he grabbed her hand and tugged. “Come on.”

Strides determined, he led her to his room in the lodge. Once inside, he peeled his sweaty shirt off. She stood there staring at his body as he walked up to her and slowly started unbuttoning her blouse.

“How about you join me in the shower?”

She nodded as he pushed her shirt off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. His hands went to her bra. “You have the most beautiful body. I think I want you naked for the rest of the week.”

“I don’t think the other guests would appreciate me walking around the ranch naked.”

He arched a playful brow. “Who said anything about leaving this room?”

She looked at the bed. “I think I’d like to disappear inside this room with you for the rest of the week.”

Jag grinned and led her to the bathroom. He turned on the water, and they both finished undressing. He climbed in and pulled her in with him, letting the water wash the day from their skin. He soaped his hands and rubbed them over her body, paying extra attention to her nipples and the sweet juncture between her legs. She moaned and widened for him, but he wasn’t going to give her what she wanted. Not yet.

Once thoroughly cleaned, she turned the soap on him and spent a long time lathering his throbbing erection.

She licked her lips, and he throbbed in her hands. He growled and pulled away before he shot off right then and there.

She pouted. “Hey, I wasn’t finished.”

“Yeah, but I nearly was,” he said, and grabbed two towels from the rack. He tied one around his waist and wrapped her in the other one, then, catching her off guard, he tossed her over his shoulder. She yelped, but he ignored her cries and carried her to the other room where he dropped her on the bed.

Her hair flared around his pillowcase, and he just stood there, taking his time to look at the beautiful, smiling woman sprawled across his bedding. She was so perfect. And he was so fucking lost—in her.

“Alix,” he murmured.

“Jag,” she said, and crooked her finger, urging him close. As his erection tented the towel, she dropped her gaze and said, “Didn’t you say something about a surprise?”

With his hard-on thickening, aching to be inside her, today, tomorrow, forever, he walked over to his video equipment and pressed a button. When he turned back to face Alix and saw passion moving into her eyes as she zeroed in on the action taking place on the TV screen, he knew this was one surprise she really liked.

Chapter Five

“Jag,” she whispered, her glance going from the television screen to the gorgeous, half-naked man standing close and back to the television again. She looked at the woman on the screen and hardly recognized herself. Desire thrummed through her veins, and she realized that even though he’d been letting her call the shots, he was the man in control, the man guiding her and freeing her sexually.

“How…when?” she asked, even though she already knew the answer to that question as she watched Jag lavish her body with attention on the television, her soft moans of pleasure filling the room through the speaker.

“I left the camera running. I thought you might enjoy a playback.”

Seduced by the scene unfolding before her, a tremble moved through her body as she watched the action from the other night. She was shocked, even though she shouldn’t be. Jag knew so much about her. More than she knew about herself¸ actually.

She swallowed, her hands going to her breasts in much the same way as they’d done in the clearing, feeling completely at ease touching herself with Jag watching. Jag’s growl simply prompted her on, and she pinched her nipples hard before rolling them between her fingers. An erotic whimper bubbled in her throat, heat settling deep in her womb.

He dropped his towel and stepped up to the side of the bed. Her mouth watered when she caught sight of his big, beautiful cock, so hard and ready for her. Sexual energy swamped them, and she could feel his desires and needs, knew they matched her own. She breathed in his clean, soapy scent, and sensual overload nearly fried her brain as her gaze swept the length of his solid body.