Her breasts grew heavy and full, highly sensitive inside her suddenly too-tight demi-bra, the telltale hardening of her nipples letting the world know what the half-naked—half-hard—cowboy was doing to her libido. Jess crossed her arms over her chest to hide her arousal and pinched her thighs together in an effort to get herself under control.

Publicly lusting after a guy was so uncharacteristic of her. Everyone knew she was shy, quiet, and conservative—a good girl who never had the nerve to put herself out there sexually, even though she’d always wanted to. This, of course, was why she kept her naughty fantasies to herself, secretly writing them down in the private journal she kept tucked under her mattress. But there was something about Mac, something from the way he moved with self-assurance to the perceptive way he looked at her, like he could see beneath the surface and read every desire that tempted the vixen inside to come out and play. The truth was, everything about him made her think about sex. Hot. Hard. Toss-me-onto-the-hay-pile kind of sex.

Her mind took that moment to careen in an erotic direction, urging her to step out of character and bring a few of her written fantasies to life. Honest to God, she’d be crazy not to, considering the boy from her youth had grown into a drool-worthy cowboy, one she’d likely never see after this week. She had no doubt getting reacquainted was a euphemism for sex, and when it came right down to it, wasn’t he presenting her with the perfect opportunity to break free and indulge? She knew Mac, trusted him…well, she trusted the boy she remembered from her youth, anyway. So why the heck shouldn’t she spend the week bedded down with him? Mac was just the guy to help her play out her fantasies and take her beyond her wildest imagination.

Jess sucked in a quick breath, both shocked and excited at the direction of her thoughts. She panned the wide expanse of ranch and took in the corrals, the horses, the man-made lake off in the distance, the lodge that sat in the shadows of the towering Rocky Mountains, and the large homestead near the lodge that looked empty.

A week ago, she never would have expected to find herself smack-dab in the middle of a working dude ranch, thousands of miles away from home. But when the anonymous invitation had arrived by courier and promised a week of rest and relaxation at an all-inclusive ranch in Springvale, Alberta—a far cry from her beloved one-bedroom condo and yoga studio on Canada’s East Coast—she couldn’t help but be intrigued. Nor could she help but think there was a mix-up of sorts. She didn’t know anyone out west, or even outside Nova Scotia, for that matter. But after a bit of research, she discovered the invitation was legitimate. She went to the airport out of curiosity, and when she recognized two women from her high school days and they all exchanged similar stories, the next thing she knew, the three of them were boarding the plane to embark on a cross-country adventure.

The last thing she expected to find was Mac and his proposal waiting on the other side for her.

“So, let me get this straight. You invite me to this ranch. A ranch you own with Coop and Jag,” she clarified, waving a finger toward the lodge, where she saw Mac’s childhood best friends enter earlier. “Because you want me to spend one week with you so we can get reacquainted, because we have unfinished business?”

“I’ve never been able to get you out of my head, Jess,” Mac said honestly. His glance met hers, his eyes so piercing and serious her heart missed a beat. “No matter how many women I’ve kissed over the years, your lips are the ones that still haunt me.” He stood there staring at her waiting for her to say something. “I need to know, Jess. I need to see this thing”—he stopped and waved a finger back and forth between them—“this connection between us through. If I don’t, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

Butterflies took flight in her stomach, as she thought about how they could go about that. “Then why your rules, your terms?” she asked.

He angled his head, his eyes moving slowly over her face. “Do you still trust me?”

“Yes,” she said, without hesitation, realizing he’d never done anything to break the trust they had in their youth.

“Okay, then I need you to trust me on this. By the end of the week, you’ll understand.”

She nodded, and as she thought things over, he turned his attention to his boots. He toed them off and reached for his belt buckle.

Good God, he’s not about to strip down naked in front of me, is he?

The snap of his jeans coupled with the hiss of his zipper answered her question. Jess broke out in a sweat as he pulled off his jeans and stood before her in nothing but his boxer briefs. A tortured noise crawled out of her throat, and she hoped like hell he hadn’t heard it. She squirmed restlessly on the edge of the pool, then kicked off her sensible shoes to dip her feet into the frigid water, praying it would help cool down her libidinous body, or at least one spot in particular.

Fully aware that she was gazing at the hottest guy she’d ever known, Jess briefly closed her eyes and worked to settle her rattled nerves. When her lashes flickered open, Mac turned his back to her, giving her an up-close-and-personal view of his ass before diving headfirst into the deep end. Cold waves splashed up to soak the dusty sundress she’d yet to change out of, and the droplets practically sizzled when they landed on her scorching flesh. He disappeared under the water, and she took a moment, her mind reeling, trying to make sense of what was happening.

Mac wants to explore the connection between us.

A connection he’d tried to explore all those years ago, but she’d never given him the chance. She recalled the stolen kiss under the mistletoe during their high school Christmas dance. And oh what a kiss it was.

When they were younger, Mac and his mother had often visited her house. As an introvert herself, and an only child, she would always listen intently when they were alone and Mac shared his dreams. But years later, when out with his friends, he was loud and boisterous, always on the quest for the next exhilarating adventure. He was a force to be reckoned with and rarely stayed in a relationship for long—his antics between the sheets were as legendary as his practical jokes.

Even though his outgoing personality always scared her off in high school, it made him into a successful marketing tycoon. Not only had she read about him in the papers over the years, a workaholic who flew around the country making business deals, but his towering office complex was just around the corner from her yoga studio.

“Why did you bring me here for this, Mac?” she asked.

Standing waist-deep in the water, he waved a hand around the vast land. “Out here in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to distract us, it’s the perfect place to spend some quality time together, don’t you think?” He went quiet for a moment, thoughtful, then added, “Remember when we were kids, and it was just the two of us?”

“Yeah,” she said, her heart warming at the memories.

The hard angles of his face softened, making him look so adorable when he said, “I miss those times, Jess. I miss you.”

Beneath the blue in his eyes, she caught a glimpse of something deeper, something that made her think that maybe, just maybe, this arrangement wasn’t all about sex. She quickly dismissed that thought, reminding herself this was Wildman Mac she was talking about, and since he was trouble with a capital T, he’d probably had the horse knock him into her on purpose.

He pushed off from the pool wall and swam toward her. Every nerve in her body came alive, and despite everything, she couldn’t deny that she was interested to hear more. His head came up by her knees and he propped himself on the ledge, his arms draped over her thighs as he shimmied in close and pulled himself up until his lips were inches from hers.