“Alixis, where are you?” she asked, her voice boarding on hysteria.

“I’m”—she paused and looked up to find Jag staring at her—“out of town. Visiting a friend.”

“A friend? Who? Where are you?”

She pinched the bridge of her nose. She could only imagine what her mother would say if she knew she was here with Jag. Maybe she should tell her, and while she was at it, let her know she was thinking about having wild, crazy sex with him. Then again, she didn’t want to send her into cardiac arrest.

“No one you know,” she said.

“Nelson called and said you weren’t home or answering his calls. He was very worried about you.”

I just bet he’s worried. About his career, her father’s political pull—losing it all.

“I’m fine,” she lied, pretty sure she’d never be fine again. A beat of silence reigned, then she asked, “Did he say anything else?”

“What else would he say?”

“Nothing,” she said, feeling defeated. There was no point in saying anything. Her mother had stood in the shadows of her father’s affairs, and likely expected Alix to do the same.

“Then get yourself home right now,” she demanded, her voice so loud she had to pull the phone away from her ear. “You know Nelson has that very important fund-raising dinner and speech tomorrow tonight. How would it look if you weren’t by his side? And your father needs you in the office tomorrow. You have responsibilities. I don’t know who you think you are, or what’s gotten into you, but you can’t just take off whenever you feel like it.”

Her gut squeezed, the sense of duty that had been pounded into her since birth swimming to the surface. “I know. Okay—”

Jag moved closer, lightly cupped her elbow, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “What do you want?” he asked.

Her words fell off as she took in the concern in his eyes. Oh God, he’d heard. Embarrassment clutched her, but as he continued to stare at her, he tightened his grip. Like a match to tinder, the strength of his touch, and the power behind it, sparked something inside her and set off a chain of events that filled her with rebellion.

What did she want?

How come no one had ever asked her that before? She rubbed one temple, feeling like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders and that she could collapse at a moment’s notice.

“Alix, I don’t know what you’re up to but it’s your duty…”

There was that word again. “Duty.” Except to her it wasn’t just a word, it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.

“I have to go,” Alix said quietly, her calmness belying the storm going on inside her. Even though her mother was still lecturing, she powered down her phone. Much like an ostrich that shoves its head in the sand, she dropped her phone into her purse, zipped it shut, and ignored everyone and anything except this man staring at her. One who wanted to know what she wanted.

Jag rubbed her wrist with his thumb. “I want you to know, this week is about you. Anything you want, I can make happen. You’re the one calling the shots.”

She swallowed, hard. Her whole life she’d been a good girl, taught to behave in certain ways, inside the bedroom and out. But she was tired of that, goddammit, and maybe a week with the boy from the wrong side of the tracks was just what the good girl needed before facing her life back home. It wasn’t like there could be more between them, or she’d fall for him in the end. They were different people from different worlds.

Am I really considering this?

She took a step back, from Jag and the whole situation closing in around her. “Well, you should probably know that I’ve sworn off men,” she blurted out, still unsure about this whole setup. “In fact, I’m thinking about switching teams.”

His grin widened, his dark eyes smoldering with passion and laughter as he raised his hands in surrender. “Okay. So you’re playing for the other team now. That doesn’t mean you can’t hang out here and relax, does it?”

No, it didn’t, and truthfully, she just couldn’t face going home right now. She’d give herself this week, and then go back to her duties as a political daughter and administrator. Nelson, however, that was a different story. God, she’d been so stupid.

“I’ll tell you what,” he said, patience in his voice as his hands reached for hers. Every muscle in her body tightened. Would he be just as patient in the bedroom, taking his time to leisurely touch his woman’s body, slowly building her climax, carefully, methodically bringing her higher and higher until she tumbled into a powerful orgasm? “Come tomorrow, if you want to leave, I’ll make the arrangements.” He dipped his head, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “But if you change your mind and decide to stay, I promise to make it worth your while.”

Even though she’d already made the snap decision to stay, she clamped her mouth shut, wanting to hear what Jag had planned for her. “Worth my while?” How intriguing.

“Maybe I can rustle up a few cowgirls who can show you a good time.”

With his mouth inches from hers, Alix swiped her tongue over her bottom lip and knew he could see right through her lie. From the way her body reacted to his closeness, everyone within a fifty-mile radius could tell how much she’d rather play with a sexy cowboy. He shifted closer, and when he aligned his body with hers, a warm shiver tingled all the way to her toes.

“In the meantime,” he said, “why don’t we take the horses out, and I can show you around.” He gestured with a nod toward his camera case hanging on the hook inside the barn. “We can even take some pictures of the countryside, if you like.” Heat moved into his eyes as they traced her face. “Or whatever else you’d like to take pictures of.”

Alix’s pulse leaped in her throat. But she quickly calmed herself, her heart settling back to a steady rhythm. No way could Jag know that she did contract work for a photography studio, one that on the surface looked like any other business, but under the radar offered sensual photography to selective clientele.

He arched a questioning brow. “You still enjoy photography, don’t you?”

She bit back a moan and hoped like hell he couldn’t see her body’s reaction as she thought about the kind of photography she enjoyed. “Yes, but—”

“So what do you say then? Want to go for a ride with me?”

Ride? Need gathered in the pit of her stomach. What the heck was going on with her? She struggled to make sense of her reactions to him. How could she be thinking about sex with Jag after finding out her fiancé had cheated on her, and had a baby on the way?

Because you never loved him. Because you’re tired of being an obedient daughter and fiancée. Tired of always doing what everyone else expects of you, never calling the shots yourself.

But wasn’t this laid-back cowboy giving her the opportunity to do just that? If she did, would he judge her? Or would he push her and encourage her to be herself around him?

With the warm summer sun beating down on them, Jag looked over the beautiful but far too tense woman standing before him. Everything from the way the mayor’s daughter dressed to her rigid body language told him so much about her. She was cultured and elegant, yes, but that put-together, outward appearance was merely a disguise, one that hid who she truly was.

Back in high school, he caught glimpses of the real Alix, a girl who was only allowed to associate with people from her parents’ social circle. But now that he’d grown into a man with a successful career, he hoped she would look at him differently, give him a chance, and see that they might be good together.

At least I think we’d be good together.

A horse behind him whinnied, and he asked, “Have you ever ridden before?”

Her head jerked from side to side, his big hat swaying back and forth, making her look so adorable. “No. I always wanted to, but my mother thought horses were dirty creatures.”