Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
W hat the hell? Rance had some kind of nerve, grabbing her like this! Lani opened her mouth to protest. Too late. He was there.
What now? She could clock him with the mug in her hand, but an unconscious Rance could be a problem. Probably best to stand there and do nothing. He’d hate that.
Unfortunately he’d caught her with her mouth open. He used that to his advantage, settling in, getting frisky with his tongue. He had technique. Should’ve guessed he’d be good at this.
Uh-oh. A quiver of desire started low in her belly and worked its way through her system. Heat spread everywhere, relaxing her rigid muscles, smoothing away her resistance.
His soft groan told her he could feel it. Cupping her tush, he tucked her in close and thrust his tongue deep.
Her body got the message and responded with embarrassing enthusiasm. Had she ground her hips against his? His low chuckle gave her the answer. She should’ve clocked him with the mug.
Time to put a stop to this nonsense. And she would. But since it was a one-time event never to be repeated, she could enjoy it a little bit long?—
“We need to stop.” His gentle murmur caressed her damp lips with a brush of air.
He was calling a halt? That was her job! She wiggled away from him, out of breath and pretending she wasn’t. “What’s this we business? I didn’t agree to that kiss. That was all your idea.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And wipe that smug smile off your face. You caught me in a weak moment. I recently… broke up with someone.”
“Oh? I’m sorry.”
“You don’t look sorry.”
“Okay, I’m not. I’m the opposite of sorry. But I didn’t know you were in a relationship. Did you mention him in August? Because I don’t remember anything about?—”
“I wasn’t involved with him then.”
“A short relationship.”
“Almost four months!”
“A medium-sized relationship?”
“A significant one. Transformative.”
“Uh-huh. Super smart guy. Lousy in the sack.”
She fought the urge to laugh. “You could say that.”
He tugged on the brim of his hat in a typical Rance gesture. “I believe I just did.” A seductive glimmer lit his brown eyes. “Then you weren’t reacting to me with that hip action. You’re just extremely frustrated after spending four months with a dude who couldn’t find a G-spot if his life depended on it.”
Hit by a wave of lust, she nearly tackled him. “Yep.” If he was willing to hand her a logical excuse for her behavior, she’d take it.
“In that case, I’m happy to offer my services.”
“Rance!” Her face grew hot along with the rest of her. “Good grief! I’m not going to have an affair with you.”
“Why not? You have an itch. I’m happy to scratch it. That’s perfectly legit in the twenty-first century.”
“It’s a trap. You want me to fall in love with you and move to Rowdy Ranch.”
“You’re a level-headed woman. I’m sure you wouldn’t confuse good sex with love.”
“You’re right, I wouldn’t, but even if I considered it, which I won’t, there’s the matter of logistics. I’m in my folks’ cabin and you have Granny living in yours.” Why was she even discussing it with him? Because you want to, dummy.
“Facing the roadblocks is the first step toward removing them.”
“We can’t remove them. I’m not sneaking you into my parents’ guest room and I can’t imagine frolicking in yours with Granny right across the hall.”
He grinned. “Frolicking is such a great word. I’ll bet you didn’t frolic with what’s-his-name.”
Not because she hadn’t tried. “I’m not going to frolic with you, either.” But how she wished she could.
“What if I told you I’ve discussed the possibility with Granny and she’s all for it?”
“ What ?”
“I do believe you’re more prudish than she is. Last week, before you and your folks arrived, she brought up the subject.”
“On her own?”
“Absolutely. I swear she can read my mind. I was talking about the sleigh ride, and out of the blue she says, Ya know, luv, I’m in bed by nine and out like a light. Then she winked at me.”
“But she’s still in the cabin. Unless you’ve soundproofed your bedroom… oh, wait. I can picture you doing that.”
His eyebrows arched. “Can you, now?” He looked more pleased than insulted.
“I wouldn’t put anything past you.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It isn’t.”
He shrugged. “If you say so. Anyway, Granny had a follow-up. I took to wearin’ earplugs to block m’oul fella’s snorin’ and now they’re a comfort even if it makes no sense anymore. Once I take out m’hearin’ aids and put in m’earplugs, it’s deaf as a post I am.”
“Wow, you sound just like her. So does the granny in your story, by the way.”
“Thanks. I’ve worked hard on her character. But we’re straying from the topic of roadblocks. Which are now gone.”
Desire curled within her, as it did whenever he looked at her with that knowing gleam in his eyes. He saw past her defenses and knew exactly how he tempted her. “It’s still not a good idea.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Positive. Granny’s a matchmaker. Her comments prove she’s paving the way hoping we’ll end up together. When that doesn’t happen, she’ll be bitterly disappointed. Do you want that on your conscience?”
“Good argument, wrong premise. She’s determined to find me a wife, but if you don’t work out she won’t waste time being bitterly disappointed. She’ll move on to the next candidate.”
“Oh.” One argument down, but she had more. “She’s not the only person who’d like to see us become a couple. If there’s even a hint that might happen, my folks would get their hopes up. It’s why I almost didn’t make this trip.”
That clearly shocked him. “Because of me?”
“Because of the whole setup. While no one’s pressuring me to move, they would love it if I did. Last night at dinner Mom and Dad suggested I could go remote and use their air miles whenever I need to fly back East.”
“Would that be so bad?”
“Yes. Square Glasses Press is a small, intimate operation so I’m not just editing manuscripts. I’m in on all of it — cover designs, launch dates, marketing strategies. We brainstorm stuff and gather in the conference room on the spur-of-the-moment. I’d miss out on a lot.”
“You love it there.”
“I do.”
He sighed. “I can’t argue with that. I feel the same about the ranch. If writing ends up making me a lot of money and I could live anywhere, I still wouldn’t leave.”
“Which means you need to find a woman who loves it like you do.”
“Excellent point.”
“That’s not me.”
“Ah, but the place is growing on you.”
“Sure it is. The setting’s magnificent and the people are great.”
“Including yours truly?”
She gazed at him. If only he didn’t look so damn sexy standing there, his hat cocked at a rakish angle, a half-smile tilting his talented mouth. “No comment.”
“You won’t let yourself like me.”
“Because you’re a pain in the ass.”
“That may be, but I guarantee I can find your G-spot.”
“Stop it.” Warmth cascaded through her, finding all her secret places.
“What if we agree we’re not meant for each other and we’ll just have sex because it’ll feel good?”
“That’s what Sara told herself when she met Kieran and you see how that turned out.”
“You’re not Sara. You’re made of sterner stuff.”
“I’m not having an affair with you, Rance.”
“Tell you what. Don’t decide yet.”
“I’ve already decided and the answer is no.” It had to be. If she stepped too close to the fire, she’d get burned.
“What if, after you finish the book, you come over for a Granny-cooked dinner so the three of us can discuss it and also plan how we’re going to do the big reveal for the family.”
“I might not finish for several days.”
He shook his head. “You were hooked. You’ll finish it by tomorrow if not sooner.”
“Not necessarily.” But he was right. Again. “Even if I finish it tomorrow, how can I justify going to your cabin for dinner?”
“Because we won’t play it like that. You just say you want Granny to check the authenticity of an Irish character in a manuscript you’re reading and all you have is the hard copy, which is the absolute truth.”
“That works. In fact, I don’t have to read your book in secret, do I? I can say it’s a submission, which it is.”
“Just don’t let anybody see my name on it.”
“I can manage that.”
“So the manuscript gets you over to my place, and then you text your folks to say Granny invited you to dinner.”
“What if they need the truck?”
“Don’t take it. I work eleven to five tomorrow. I’ll pick you up on my way home.”
“It’s not on your way home.”
“I’ll make a small detour. It’s the gentlemanly thing to do. The point is, we’ll have dinner, she’ll go to bed and we can decide if we want to go to bed, too.”
Her heart started playing the bongos. “That’s crazy.”
“Might be crazy good.”
She didn’t doubt it. Did she dare indulge herself for a couple of hours? “I can’t stay the night.”
“I’m not asking you to. I’ll take you back long before your parents wake up. No one has to know except Granny, and even she won’t know for sure.”
“You could only pull that trick once.”
“I know.”
“So that’ll be it. One and done.”
“That depends on whether I’ve sufficiently scratched your itch. If I have, we’ll call it quits. If I haven’t, I’ll dream up another scenario. Are you in?”
Anticipation made her shaky. “I’ll think about it.”
“You’re in.”
“I didn’t say that!”
His smile widened. “No, but your eyes did.”