Irresistible Little Ivy (Littles of Rawhide Ranch #7)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

Ivy

With my breath in my throat, I stared at my empty suitcase atop my king-sized bed, then let out a long and loud burp.

Rubbing my stomach, I winced.

Darn anxiety-induced reflux.

My best friend Talia, a famous kink podcast host, laughed so hard she had to flop down on my bed next to the open suitcase.

Her dark spiral curls spread out on the chenille blanket that covered my bed as she smiled up at me. “Please don’t forget your medicine. I love you, but those burps of yours are astonishing. You’re like 120 pounds soaking wet, hearing something that aggressive come from a wide-eyed, sweet-as-pie strawberry-blonde woman is unforgettable. You don’t want that as a first impression.”

I sighed, turned, and tugged at the drawstring of my pale-gray yoga pants, staring at my open wardrobe across the room. If someone randomly walked in and glanced around the large and crowded space, they might have thought two people shared my closet. A corporate woman who could afford luxurious, yet conservative suits and dresses, along with a teenager with a black card and a taste for all things sparkly.

They would be wrong. This was my closet and it represented me perfectly. First there was my responsible and driven corporate self who’d sacrificed everything for success. The stand-up young woman who’d raised her three younger sisters from the age of twelve on while her single mom had worked sixty hours a week. I’d missed out on a lot of things because I’d had to stay home and take care of my siblings. Eventually my mom got enough raises that she didn’t have to work insane hours to house and feed us, but by that time I had already graduated and was in my sophomore year of college.

Full scholarship.

With honors.

“Speaking of first impressions”—I gestured to my closet–“what do I wear?”

“What do you want to wear?” Talia asked as she pet my grumpy old calico cat, Cleo. “More importantly, what do you feel good in?”

“This,” I said gesturing down to my tank top and yoga pants outfit before pointing to my rack of suits. “Or those. When I put one of my suits on I feel powerful. Like it’s armor.”

“Understandable,” Talia said while she continued to pet my cat, who was now making biscuits in my pillow with her paws. “So let’s think of it like this. The point of your vacation is to attend Spirit Week at the Rawhide Ranch. The dress code is for Middles only, the Littles will have their own things going on, so the atmosphere will be different than our local Little-oriented clubs. Think like… you know, high school.”

I crossed my arms over my small chest and frowned at her. “You mean the place where I had to focus only on my work so I could get a scholarship and get out? The place where I didn’t allow myself to have friends, or a boyfriend? I was a virgin until I was twenty-two.”

Talia sat up, and Cleo let out a rumbly mew of complaint when the petting suddenly stopped. “Well, that was seven years ago, babes. Considering we met at a BDSM club, I’m pretty sure you’ve more than made up for your late start. There isn’t anywhere on your entire body that is pure and untouched now.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “True.” I took a couple steps forward and ran my hand down the sleek side of a glittery purple dress. “But I feel like I missed out on so much fun stuff as a teenager, and I regret that I didn’t allow myself at least a little bit of a social life. Yes, my sacrifice has paid off in ways I can’t even begin to be thankful for. I’m one of the top app designers in the world, I’m pretty much my own boss and set for life, but I can’t get back my high school years. This week will be the closest I’ll be able to get a second chance at all the fun stuff I missed out on. I’ll get to do a sleepover, go to a homecoming game, participate in fun Spirit-Week activities as well as taking some classes. Oh, did I mention that one of those is an erogenous zone class with Dr. Joi and Dr. Ramsfield?”

Laughing, Talia pushed herself off my bed and joined me at my closet, her hands on her hips as she scanned the contents. “Yeah, you mentioned it about twenty times. I don’t mind, though. It’s cute to see you so excited. Unless we’re at the club, you’re usually so serious. It’s nice to see you all sparkly eyed like this.”

“If my eyes sparkle it’s just because my closet looks like a glitter bomb exploded inside.” I couldn’t help but smile as I ran my hands over my new outfits. “It was so much fun shopping for these clothes. I told the sales ladies that I was shopping for my niece, and we were the same size so I would try on the clothes I’d be buying her. And that my niece had a thing for 80s fashion. Then I showed them my black card and suddenly I had my own little harem of help all too eager to give my supposed niece a fabulous wardrobe.”

“Ohhh, love the new lingerie,” Talia said as she slid a hanger aside, revealing a sexy and strappy black teddy with dark-red roses embroidered along the bodice.

“My confidence boosters,” I said as I took it out of the closet and carefully placed the lingerie in my suitcase. “You know me. Beneath my suits I like to have something sassy on. Makes me feel powerful and a little naughty to know that if most people saw what I wore under my corporate image, they’d faint.”

“That’s because you can be a cold-ass ballbuster at work,” Talia said as she handed me more hangers with various cute skirts and pretty shirts for me to pack. “I should know. I didn’t last a week as your assistant.”

“You called me an uptight bitch,” I said in a dry tone as I folded a pair of decidedly 80s-looking hot-pink fishnet stockings and leg warmers.

Talia pulled out a pair of neon-orange lined in lime-green booty shorts. “Girl, what is up with all these bright colors?”

“The theme is the 1980s, I’m trying to dress the part.”

“Okay then,” she said in a doubtful tone as she handed me three bikinis in various neon shades. “Is there going to be a pool party?”

“Yep. They have a huge indoor pool and one of the nights they’re going to play 80s movies on a big screen on the edge of the pool. They’re going to have all kinds of floaties and rafts, so people can relax and watch the movie. And there’s going to be games, and a huge barbecue spread. Of course it will all be indoors because early spring in Montana is no joke, but it will still be fun.”

Talia grinned, then bit her full lower lip before returning her dark gaze to mine. “Please know that what I’m about to say is coming from my heart, okay?”

I paused in my packing, my pulse suddenly picking up as worry started to knot my stomach. “What is it?”

“Well, you tend to be a little closed off and you are difficult to get to know. Not that there is anything wrong with that, you are who you are, but if you only have seven days at the Ranch, and you want to spend it with a good Master, you might have to lower your inner walls a bit.”

My shoulders slumped as I nodded. “I know. My therapist said the same thing. That if I’m really going to let my inner teenager out, I needed to let her run free. She said I need to try to recognize my adult hang-ups for what they are and just have fun without overthinking everything. She told me I needed to be impulsive.”

Talia laughed at my no doubt sour expression. “Oh boy, you loath being impulsive.”

“I know,” I muttered dryly, resuming packing and holding up a few of my favorite collars. “And look, I’m bringing these so whatever Master I end up with can properly claim me.”

“What if they have their own collars?” Talia asked as she looked at me over her shoulder while getting more items from my closet. “Would you wear one of theirs?”

“Actually, it will work a little different for Spirit Week. Guys get a black class ring they wear on the middle finger of their right hand that has their name engraved on the inside. If they decide to claim a submissive for the week, they attach their ring to the submissive’s collar. Rawhide’s version of going steady.”

“That is adorable,” Talia gushed as she gave me starry eyes. “I am so jealous that you get to go. Please tell me you’ll wear some lucky guy’s ring by the end of the week?”

I turned away from her hopeful face. “I wish I could say yes, but that would depend. I have no problem with casual relationships, as long as we’ve both had the proper STD tests and background checks. Since Rawhide requires both before a guest can even make a reservation, I won’t have to wait to fool around for any test results to come back. I can go in there knowing that any single and willing man I meet I can fuck to my heart’s content. But I’m not fooling myself thinking I’ll find anything long term there. This is a vacation, and vacation romances rarely last. I will hopefully find someone I click with, and we can have fun together, then we’ll go our separate ways and be fond memories for each other.”

“Don’t be such an unromantic poop.” Talia stuck her tongue out at me. “You never know. Maybe you’ll meet the quarterback and become homecoming queen!”

“Right,” I said sarcastically then blew out a tension-filled breath. “Too bad I was never into the football guys in my high school. Either way, I’ll be having a ton of fun, learning things, and hopefully having a lot of quality orgasms. Sounds like a win-win to me.”

“That’s my girl!” Talia said as she resumed lying back on my bed and petting my cat. “I wish I was going with you, but I have a conference I have to attend. Make sure you take notes for your classes so I can read them, especially the full contact ones. Having sex in a classroom, with everyone watching?” She fanned her red cheeks. “So hot. Make sure you volunteer as a test subject for all of your full-contact classes.”

“You know I will. I wish you could come with me as well.” I gave her a fond smile. “After all, you introduced me to the Middle lifestyle. I owe you.”

“How could I not? You’re my sister from another mister.” She winked at me and tossed her curls back. “Besides, it’s super fun having someone I can have sleepovers with who won’t think it’s weird that I sleep with a stuffed animal.”

“And you really brought fun back into my life. I am so much happier now that I allow myself to be immature and play.”

Talia fished a necklace out from under her shirt where a silver half heart dangled. “Besties.”

I held up my necklace, stroking the other half of the heart charm with my thumb. “Besties.”

Three days later

Large fat flakes of white landed on my head and shivers overcame me as I hustled up the long walkway to the steps leading to the front doors Rawhide Ranch’s main lodge. On either side of me, snow lay almost thigh deep, but the walkway had been cleared and salted. The lodge glowed in the darkness, looking like a divine refuge from the cold, solid enough to withstand any storm. Lovely and warm-cream twinkle lights twined about the large porch, chasing back the night. It was only 5:15 pm and the sky was already dark.

Spicy burning wood-scented the air and multiple chimneys on the various buildings billowed smoke into the crystalline air.

My teeth grew cold as I stared upwards at the entrancing night sky. Clouds sped past overhead, parting here and there to reveal a full moon. The shafts of light that pierced the clouds seemed to glow like silver. Snowflakes somehow still fell in such a picturesque manner that I felt like I was in a movie. The air seemed to glitter as a biting wind whipped ribbons of snow over the frozen crust of the drifts around me. That same wind cut through me like a knife and my body gave a convulsive shiver, breaking my fascination with the sky.

Now that I wasn’t mesmerized by nature’s glory, I realized I was freezing .

I mean, I knew it was going to be eleven degrees, but I didn’t take into account the wind that snuck through my sweater and froze my skin.

Or what eleven degrees actually felt like.

Shoving my hands in my armpits, I hurried faster, the salt crunching beneath my low-heeled boots.

Stupid, stupid me had left her jacket in the airport bathroom. I’d been distracted by a flurry of texts from my department at work and had walked right onto the plane without it. That left me freezing in my pale-jade floral sweater and jeans. My sweet driver had offered his coat, but it was a quick walk to the lodge so I’d told him I would be fine. And I would have been if I hadn’t stopped to stare at the sky like some slack-jawed fool.

The cold was so intense it was painful, and I walked even faster. By the time I reached the front porch, my whole body was shaking like I was having a seizure. The icy bite of the metal door handle hurt my hand, but I yanked it open and staggered inside a massive foyer decorated in a lovely western-meets-the-rugged-northern-woods vibe.

I would have appreciated it more if my eyes weren’t tearing up and blurring my vision.

Wiping my eyes on the back of my sweater’s sleeve, I startled as a smooth and slightly southern-accented male voice said, “Holy shit, you look like you have frostbite. Are you okay, miss?”

I still couldn’t see anything, and when I attempted to speak, my chattering teeth made it difficult. “C-co-l-ld.”

“So I see. What are you doing out there without your winter gear?” He took both of my hands in his and I stilled as their warmth enveloped me. “Yep, frozen. Come on, let’s get you warmed up.”

The man, whoever he was, led me slowly over to a roaring fire. I might have shoved past him in my eagerness to get to the fireplace.

My eyes watered again, but this time they cleared up after I wiped at them.

“Thank you,” I managed to say past my clenched teeth.

“No problem,” was his slightly amused sounding reply.

The heat felt absolutely divine on my cold skin.

Feeling warm enough to rotate, I looked at where I was for the first time. Large dark reddish-brown leather couches, three of them, were arranged in front of the fire. In the middle a large light-wood table held an elegant bronze statue of two moose locked in battle. A pair of women sat on the couch closest to the door, their curious eyes locked on me. The blonde, wearing a pair of white furry kitten ears and a cream bodysuit, sat up abruptly as she took me in.

The blonde’s mouth formed an O before she said in English with a slight Hispanic accent, “Oh my gosh, Caleb, what happened? She looks half frozen to death. Poor thing still has snow in her hair.”

I brushed it away, my shaking hands no doubt making a mess of my hair.

“Don’t know,” the male voice that must belong to Caleb said from over my ear. “I was cleaning up the melted snow by the front door when she came in. I thought she was dead for a second there with her skin being so pale. Her lips looked kind of purple.”

“They still look blue,” said the brunette sitting next to the blonde who also wore cat ears, but hers were black. “And her hands are almost purple. Miss, did someone do this to you? Did someone leave you outside on purpose?”

I shook my head, bits of melted snow dropping on my face from my hair. “No. I f-forgot m-my jacket. Then I got dist… distracted by the sky.”

The blonde frowned at me. “You got what?”

“Sky,” I repeated, sighing after a shiver subsided. “There is a full moon and it’s snowing. The sky was so beautiful that I didn’t realize how long I’d been out there. I’ve never seen anything like it.” A residual shiver moved through me and I rubbed my hands together as pins and needles sensations spread through my fingers. “I paused to admire the moon and I didn’t realize how quickly I’d get cold. I’m…” I managed to say through clenched teeth as I held my hands out to the fire again, “from Miami.”

The lovely brunette woman with the black cat ears repositioned herself on the couch to face us. “Oh yes, your tan totally screams Miami.”

There was a moment of silence before the women giggled and the guy behind me chuckled, his tone rich and deep.

The man finally came into my view and I found myself instantly drawn to his harsh features. He had high cheekbones and the kind of hollow-cheeked look that men with strong features sometimes get. Younger than me by maybe a few years, he stood a good five inches taller and wore a stylish tan suit that fit him well. Longish dark hair hung down over his forehead, partially obscuring his eyes, giving him a bit of a rebellious air despite the suit.

With a flick of his head he tossed his hair back from his face and returned my gaze. “Don’t mind Georgiana, she can be a bit blunt at times.”

“Hey,” the brunette woman who must be Georgiana protested while the blonde cat giggled. “I’m not that blunt. I am honest and I speak my mind. Something more people should be brave enough to do.”

Caleb ignored her and cupped my cheeks in his hands. His skin felt blazing hot, and I couldn’t help but sigh. Those long, elegant fingers of his stroked over my cheeks, then down my neck, warming everywhere they touched. When they brushed over my lips I looked up with surprise, not realizing my lids had lowered as the pleasure of his warm caress chased back the chill.

He smelled really nice, and there was a hint of roughness to his hands that made me tingle. My grandfather would have said Caleb had working man’s hands, something that didn’t go with the expensive suit and delicious cologne. He stroked his thumb over my cheek, and my breath hitched slightly as little pricks of electricity sparked beneath his potent touch.

I’d never felt anything like that before.

Maybe I did have frostbite.

Or maybe I was just really horny. I hadn’t had sex in a few months, I was in between partners and work had been insane. Jumping on the first man I saw was unlike me, so I gave myself a mental check and blew out a long breath.

My shivers had slowed and I could finally take a deep breath. “Thanks for warming me up, but I should be okay now.”

There was an almost reluctant look in his shimmering blue eyes as he let his hands drop from my face.

Oddly enough, I almost instantly missed his touch.

It had been rather comforting in a protective way that I found highly attractive.

There was an undercurrent of dominance to Caleb. I seemed somehow attuned to pick that up in men. Like an invisible magnetic pull that made me want to soften. To relax and let him take over. To finally have a few blissful minutes of not being in control of everything all the time. For me, trust was a heady drug that I couldn’t get enough of, and BDSM was the living embodiment of trust. I had to trust that my partner would respect my boundaries. I had to trust that my partner would look after my pleasure. And I had to trust my partner to own me, at least for a few brief moments, and allow me to completely let go of my control.

Something that took a great amount of effort on my part.

Caleb took a half step closer, the unexpected warmth once again blossoming within me. My nipples grew hard and I drew in a deep breath, taking in his cologne. Something woodsy and crisp. Though freshly shaved, he had the kind of beard growth that kept an almost permanent five o’clock shadow along his jawline.

“Didn’t you bring a jacket?” he asked while the two women whispered together, watching us closely.

I turned back to face him, rubbing at the still numb tip of my nose. “Of course I did. But I lost it at the airport. I didn’t know it was like negative a million degrees windchill outside. Never in my life have I been in weather this cold. How do you stand it?”

The corner of his mouth kicked up a smile, the shadows of the fire giving his strong features interesting shadows as his sapphire-blue eyes glinted. “We know how to bundle up and we tend to stay indoors a lot.”

“Yeah?” More than aware of the women openly whispering about us had me taking a step away. “Well, I better get checked in. They’re bringing my bags straight to my room for me and I can’t wait to get into my jammies. Maybe after a warm shower. I could use a good soak to get the cold out of my bones.”

He smiled at me, his stance changing somehow so that he was almost looming over me. “That sounds like a good plan. Have the front desk call to have a bath started while you check in so it will be ready for you. I’d recommend the hot chocolate bath. They use a cocoa-based bubble bath, and you get a giant cup of hot chocolate and some cookies.”

“That sounds divine, thank you for suggesting it.”

He gave me a little mock bow. “Here at Rawhide we’re all about going above and beyond for our guests.”

“Caleb,” Georgiana sang out, “why don’t you offer to scrub her back.”

“Ignore her,” Caleb said with a grin and I couldn’t help but smile in return. “She’s had too much sugar. What’s your name?”

“Ivy,” I held out my hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you,” Georgiana said in a snide voice as she mocked me. “My name is Ivy, can I suck your dick?”

The laughter fled from Caleb’s face and a rather scary look took its place as he glared at the cat woman. “Georgiana, this doesn’t concern you. Please stay out of it. You’re being rude.”

“I’m being rude?” The brunette pouted as she said, “You and Mason invited us here to spend the weekend—maybe longer. And now you’re obviously flirting with a woman right in front of us and you’re saying I’m being rude?”

“ You messaged us, asking us to meet you here at the fire,” the blonde said, her Hispanic accent deepening.

“I messaged you to meet me here to discuss a possible contract.” Caleb gave a tired sigh, then rolled his eyes in my direction before he said in an exasperated voice, “Mason and I contacted both you on behalf of Rawhide Ranch to see if you wanted to be judges in our Pet Parade and do a guest lecture series. You both live the Pet lifestyle, have a podcast with over five million viewers, a social media empire, and are extremely driven and talented.” He glanced over his shoulder as he said, “Don’t make our relationship sound like it’s anything more than business. You love drama, it’s part of your cat personas, I get it, but keep our relationship professional. If you want to film some drama for your social media, fine, I’ll play along, but do not talk to our guests in such a rude manner. It’s uncalled for and will not help you in our negotiations. In fact, Derek may decide he doesn’t want you to teach here at all if he believes you’re trouble makers.”

The women both looked down, whispered to each other, then Georgiana said, “You are correct. Forgive me, Ivy was it? I sometimes forget myself during negotiations. Some places anything goes… others”—she gestured to the busy lobby—“others have a more stringent code of rules for business. I misjudged you, Caleb.”

“We’ll discuss this in a moment,” Caleb said swiftly before dipping his chin in my direction. The firelight turned his face sinfully handsome as he drawled out, “Ma’am, I apologize for this. If you’ll go ahead and go over to registration, they’ll make sure you get into your room right away. Tell them Caleb sent you. Go on now, I need to have a frank conversation with Georgiana and Petal. Leave your room number for me at the front desk.”

He was so well-mannered, his deep voice so smooth and velvety soft, yet I felt like he’d ordered me rather than requested. There was something in his tone, in the way that he looked at me right in the eyes, that told me he expected me to march on over to the counter like the good little girl he evidently thought I was. I took a step back, glanced around, then smirked at Caleb.

Sometimes, I loved being a brat.

Okay, most of the time.

Brats got to have more fun.

Placing my hands on my hips, I raised my eyebrows and said, “I’m sorry, you must be used to dealing with Littles. See, I’m a Middle. I don’t blindly follow orders. Quite the opposite. I do what I want and what I think is right.” I even added a snotty little tilt of my nose, waiting to see the man’s blue eyes darken with anger. Controlling men usually didn’t like mouthy brats who didn’t instantly fall to their knees in subjection. My submission had to be earned, not given. “At the moment, I need to thaw out a little more before I leave the lovely heat of this gigantic fireplace because I’m pretty sure my eyelashes still have frost on them.” I frowned and rubbed between my eyes. “And my head is starting to hurt.”

My body erupted in tingles as he slid his warm hands into my hair, cupping my still chilly skull and massaging lightly. Those long, graceful fingers of his worked pressure spots on my skull that had my knees going weak. Literally, I found myself leaning into him, surprised that the chest my forehead rested against was rock hard beneath the smooth cloth of his suit. I would have been embarrassed, but he was making the pain and tension of my hours of travel go away.

“You’re very good at this,” I mumbled, wondering if I was drooling as he worked my neck. “Don’t you have a conversation to have or something?”

“They can wait a moment.”

My head was as limp as a doll’s, and I instinctively followed his directions. Moving with him felt as natural as breathing, and soon my whole face was smooshed against his chest. I allowed myself to fully enjoy the sensation, already giving permission to my inner teen to come out to play. She was all about pleasure and reveled in his unique ability to make our body relax.

“That is so good,” I grunted as he pressed his thumb into a tense muscle at the base of my neck. “God.”

“I’ve heard that before,” he said in a soft and slightly arrogant voice that plucked at my nipples.

The hint of overconfidence irked me a little, even if it was deserved, so I said with a mock sad sigh, “It’s so lame that men with really good hands usually lack in other departments. What is it? Are you one of those guys who doesn’t believe in going down on a woman? Or do you have terrible rhythm in the sack? Maybe an issue with premature ejaculation? I heard wearing two condoms might help with that.”

The cat women gave little delighted gasps of shock, and the hands around my neck stilled.

“ Santo Dios ,” the blonde who must be Petal said, “she is brave.”

“Or stupid,” Georgiana whispered back. “Either way, it is very entertaining. The Littles I have met so far have been adorably sweet and submissive, but not entertaining. I think I like these Middles.”

“But still,” Petal whispered back, “Caleb has big hands. If he spanks her, she may not be able to sit down for a week.”

I eyed Caleb’s hands.

They were indeed big.

Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to tease an unknown Dom at a sex-positive resort.

In fact, I was pretty sure I’d read somewhere that they had rules of conduct for guests.

“Um, I’m not checked in yet,” I said as I opened my eyes and ducked out of his loose grasp. “So I’m not breaking any rules by being a brat. And I’m not collared so you can’t complain to anyone about my behavior. I’m… I’m still a civilian.”

I thought Caleb might be mad, but instead he put his hands on his hips and chuckled. Softly at first, then a little louder with a headshake thrown in. His dark, silky hair slid over his tanned skin as he lifted his face to the high-beamed lodge ceiling. The light just seemed to love this man’s face, because every angle entranced me. He wasn’t super handsome, but he was fascinating. I found myself watching him raptly, waiting for his gaze to meet mine again. Wanting to feel that thrill of an unspoken and unacknowledged connection between us.

His laughter grew a little louder, but it still had an intimate quality to it. A sinister smile twisted his lips as his attention returned to me. Those hooded, sapphire-blue eyes of his bored into me like he saw into my soul. In my experience, only very powerful and older Doms had acquired that look. Either he had an old soul or a young face.

“A civilian, huh?”

My response was dumb, but I decided to brazen it out. “Yes.”

The power of his gaze flipped all these unknown switches inside of me, activating emotions and sensations I was unprepared to deal with. Looking into his eyes made me feel new things, ones I didn’t want to face. The feeling of something growing between us grew more powerful by the moment, and I took a step back, my gaze falling to the floor as I sought to regain my mental footing.

I couldn’t think staring into his deep blue eyes, not while my body went up in flames of lust.

The blonde stood up, her voluptuous frame filling out her catsuit. “Don’t let Caleb boss you around. Women look at him and they think, oh he’s such a nice, lovely-on-the-eyes gentleman. He is so polite and sweet, surely he does not have a mean bone in his body. A pretty face. It is a lie.”

Caleb snorted, the laughter on his face fading to a small smile. “I am a nice guy.”

“Yes, but you’re not simple,” Georgiana said as she remained reclined before the fire on the couch, the shifting light of the flames revealing her spectacular figure. “Caleb, you are a very astute businessman. And sneaky. You’ve refused to get distracted by any drama we have thrown at you. I try to flirt with you and you turn me down, I try to argue with you and you ignore me. I even tried to ruin your chances with a woman you are obviously attracted to, and you didn’t let me. It is annoying.” She crossed her arms and gave an adorable pout. “I need you off-balanced for our negotiations.”

Caleb shrugged, then took a step back from me, releasing me from his hold. “Sorry to disappoint.”

My shoulders dropped and I took a deep breath, freaked out by my attraction to this random guy.

Maybe I needed to get laid. I mean, I wanted to drag this guy back to my room and make him fulfill the unsaid promises in his gaze. But I’d promised myself I wouldn’t rush into finding a partner. I had seven days and part of the fun would be being single. Even my inner teenager was picky about our partners.

Though she was totally on board with getting to know Caleb in a biblical sense. Consequences be damned. I’d never felt such an instant attraction to a man before. It was out of character for me, so of course my anxiety decided to make an appearance. My libido, the twisted thing that it was, decided to get even more aroused as I flushed from the center of my chest to the tips of my ears. I never understood why being slightly embarrassed was a turn on for me, yet it was.

Suddenly Caleb turned, his head cocked and his gaze resting on my face. “You have such a sweet blush, Ivy.”

This man was dangerous to my sense of well-being.

I forced myself to not respond to his compliment and instead walk away. “I need to get checked in, shower, and eat. My flight got delayed, then I had to run to catch another one, and I rode this… small prop jet out here and that was scary. I’ve never been on a small plane that landed in the snow before. So, I’m just going to go to bed. Thank you for the welcome to Rawhide. Maybe we’ll see each other around again since it sounds like you work here. I’ll be here all week for the Retro Spirit Week and a couple days after.”

“Homecoming?” I heard Georgiana say from behind me, “What Spirit Week?”

“It’s a charity event,” Caleb responded in a dry voice, “this year they are recreating the feel of the 80s. People dress up and role play like they’re in high school back then or something. Mason knows more about it than I do.”

Petal squealed as Georgiana said, “Oh my gosh, it all makes sense now. I’ve seen so many women in what I swore looked like 80s clothes. And hairstyles. I thought it was just something that people were into. But now it makes sense. Is this why you were trying to hustle us out of here? Because you didn’t want us to be here for Homecoming?” She tossed her head defiantly. “Well, your plan has failed. I am going to the owner right now and asking to attend Spirit Week. I know he will be thrilled to have us.”

“Hold on,” Caleb’s voice came from behind me, loud enough for me to clearly hear, “Ivy, I’ll be seeing you around.”

“Maybe,” I called over my shoulder, nearly stumbling as I got caught up in his gaze. “I’ve got plans to attend a lot of events, I won’t have much free time. Thanks again for warming me up and suggesting the hot chocolate bath.”

He merely grinned and I had to turn away before I tripped over something. It took a great deal of willpower to check into my room, knowing he was watching my every move. There were various large mirrors around the foyer and I could watch him without him knowing. Though it was hard to keep from laughing as the two women obviously ganged up on him after I’d left.

Right before I left the large lobby, he was looking at the ceiling as if praying for mercy while Georgiana shook her finger at him.

By the time I made it to my lovely room, decorated in cream, blush, and sky-blue tones, I was a tired mess of nerves and hormones. The sight of my suitcase filled me with relief, and I quickly unpacked then took a shower. I didn’t care how tired I was, I had a rule about showering after I traveled. Once I got out, smelling like my lemonade-scented soap and conditioner, I felt so much better.

Still horny as heck thanks to that unexpected encounter with Caleb, but better.

Food had been delivered to the table in the bedroom, and I quickly ate while watching the late-night news. Switching time zones sucked, and I needed to get to sleep so I could catch up with everyone else. With this in mind I grabbed my favorite vibrator from my suitcase, gave myself an orgasm that didn’t nearly satisfy me, and fell asleep in an unfamiliar place dreaming of a man with sapphire eyes and a sinister smile.