“You’re a very persuasive man,” she responded. “It’s no wonder you’re so good at what you do.”

“So does that mean—?”

“Yes.”

“I need to hear the words.”

“I’ll do it,” she said, her words tumbling out in a breathless rush. “I’ll do everything you ask. No questions.”

Mac grinned, reared back, and pulled her into the water. Jess gave a startled yelp as the coolness engulfed her heated flesh, but Mac was there, slipping his arms around her, his big hands splaying over her lower back in a protective way, in a way that told her she had nothing to fear, while his legs worked to keep them afloat.

“Trust me,” he said, his first command.

With Mac’s breath hot against her skin and his groin pressed against hers, Jess angled her hips, fitting his hardness into the notch of her thighs. Could have been nerves, could have been her brain in overload of sexy wet man pressing closer, but she suddenly found herself nodding in agreement.

“Okay,” she said, suddenly very anxious to see where this weekend cowboy planned to take her, just how he intended to prove she was the girl for him. But suddenly, the logical part of her brain kicked in, the part that wondered what the heck her inner vixen had just agreed to.

She was both nervous and excited to find out.

Chapter Three

Mac tugged Jess close, water splashing around them as he anchored her small, lithe body to his. Despite the fact that they were in a cold pool, the heat they generated was enough to boil the water. There was no denying the natural attraction between them—one she’d never given him the chance to act on. When Coop had set this plan into motion, she was the only girl who’d come to mind. Looking at her now, tucked under his arm as if she’d been tailor-made for him, it made him feel alive again, something he hadn’t felt in years.

Honestly, she was unlike any woman he’d ever met. She had the body of a dancer, but it wasn’t just her outer beauty that attracted him; it was the warmth she exuded, her inner peace and quiet strength, and goddammit, he missed having her in his life.

They’d grown up next door from each other, and while their mothers had been friends, she’d never really opened up to him. When they were kids, she always listened intently when he spoke, but when they got older and his circle of friends grew, he’d always tried to involve her, only for her to whip around and head in the opposite direction. But here on the ranch, with no return flight until tomorrow night, she had nowhere to run. Not that she seemed in a hurry to escape. In fact, she seemed genuinely intrigued by his offer. From the intense way she looked at him to the way her expressive honey-flecked eyes gleamed with desire when he laid out his plan, Mac knew she was interested in exploring so much more.

And explore they would.

That night, all those years ago, when he’d first kissed her, caught words like “ménage” and “kink” in her journal, he knew there was another side to her. Damned if he wasn’t going to be the man to help her shed her inhibitions and introduce her to a world of pleasure, giving her everything she ever wanted but never had the courage to ask for.

He dipped his head, felt the rush of her hot breath on his face as her chest rose and fell erratically. She moistened her lips like she was waiting for him to kiss her, and he would, when the time was right. His cock twitched in anticipation and pressed against her stomach. She looked past his shoulders when the sound of voices reached the pool area.

“Jess,” he said in a firm tone that brought her attention back to him. He moved against her, letting her know exactly what she did to him, and her eyes widened as he lifted her onto his hips, wrapping her long legs behind his back.

“Someone’s coming,” she whispered as he pressed her against the pool wall with his chest, caging her there with his arms.

When he heard Blake’s voice closing in behind him, he cursed silently and inched back to put a measure of distance between them. This was neither the time nor the place to take her where she needed to go.

“Hey, Mac,” Blake called out. “Looks like Eleanor has finally settled down.”

Mac cleared his throat. “Glad to hear it,” he responded. He turned to see his friend, who was escorting a group of newcomers around the property for their familiarization tour.

Mac pushed farther away from Jess and noticed the way her glance moved over Blake as he stepped up to the pool’s edge. Mac felt a flash of possession, but then, because this was about her, he considered the curiosity in Jess’s eyes, the flicker of interest as she took in the rough and rugged ranch hand, a guy Mac enjoyed hanging out with, on and off the ranch. Oh yeah, he had no doubt there was another side to the girl from his past, and he was going to do whatever it took to help her discover every facet of her sexuality while he deepened the connection between them.

“You heading to Wranglers tonight?” Blake asked Mac, his gaze moving to Jess.

“No,” Mac said.

Blake angled his head and gave Mac a wide smile that spoke volumes. “That’s too bad. I guess I’ll see you around then.” Blake gave Jess one last lingering look, then led the group of guests to the east barn, the same barn where Eleanor was resting.

Jess gave Mac a confused look. “What was that all about? What’s Wranglers?”

He swam back to her, pulled her close, and shrugged. “It’s just a club.”

Intrigue backlit her expressive dark eyes, and he could almost hear the wheels spinning when she asked in a low, almost seductive voice, “What kind of club?”

He cocked his head, and when he saw the real curiosity moving over her pretty face, he said, “A private club, where private things happen.”

“Oh,” she said, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. “So you mean like, a sex club?”

He watched her, reading her body language. “Wait, do you want to go?”

She drew in a breath, her glance momentarily flickering to Blake before he disappeared inside the barn. Turning back to Mac, she said quietly, almost demurely, “I guess that’s up to you, since you’re the one calling the shots.”

Mac couldn’t help but laugh. Jesus, he had no doubt that discovering all her desires, all her secret fetishes, as he coaxed her out of her shell was going to be as exciting for him as it was for her. But first he wanted to get to know her better outside the bedroom.

“Come on,” he said, jumping from the water and pulling her out with him.

“Where?” she asked as her wet body collided with his.

He groaned and fought down the heat rising in him. “There’s someone I want to formally introduce you to.”

“Oh? And who might that be?” she asked, suspicion in her eyes.

He grabbed his clothes off the pool deck and reached for her hand. “Eleanor.”

“Ah, Eleanor. The infamous runaway horse.”

He eyed her. “Why is it I get the feeling you think I had something to do with that?”

“The jury’s still out,” she replied, and he couldn’t help but laugh.

He looked over her wet clothes. “First I should let you get changed. Benjamin delivered your luggage to your room already.”

“Benjamin?

“Retired rodeo rider who now works the front desk. You’ll love him.”

He guided her to the main lodge and noted the way she kept throwing glances his way. “What?” he asked as he slicked his wet hair back.

“I don’t know. I guess it just surprises me to find you here in the middle of nowhere.” She looked around. “I figured you’d need to be somewhere where there was a constant source of excitement.”

“Believe me, there is always something exciting happening around here, and if not…” He paused to give her a wink before adding, “Wrangler’s isn’t too far away.”