Cowgirls Don't Cry(24)

                “You tried to pick me up in the hotel in Chicago. You knew you’d never see me again. A one-night stand, that’s all you were after. That’s all you wanted.”

                She jabbed her finger in his chest, and the nail pricked a little, but then her fingertip caressed the spot before trailing down a couple of inches. Cass jerked her hand back as if she’d been burned and jutted her chin. He worked very hard to keep a poker face because inside, he was grinning madly.

                “I bet you’ve never had a girl say no to you.”

                Well, no. I’m a Barron. They want to sleep with me for the name if nothing else. That thought hit a little too close to home, though he couldn’t figure out why it bothered him.

                “I bet nobody says no to you, in fact. You just...you have that arrogant air of being all charmed and stuff. Like everything you touch turns to gold.”

                Pretty much. I’m a Barron, baby. It’s genetic.

                “Guys like you are a dime a dozen. Good-looking enough to be a male model, and you just skate by.”

                Not quite a dozen, darlin’, unless the old man is hiding a few in the woodpile we don’t know about.

                “So why are you here? Why do you keep coming around?”

                “Does this mean you aren’t going out with me tonight?” He watched the flush creep up her neck, and he stepped toward her. Yes, he was a predator on the prowl, and she was his prey, but when she didn’t back up, he had to give her points.

                “What’s that got to do with this discussion?”

                “Discussion? Sounded more like a lecture to me, Cassidy. Why am I here? I came by to ask you out to dinner because I don’t have your phone number. Why do I keep coming back? Because you’re a damned attractive woman, and I want to get to know you. Is that so hard to believe?” He ignored the lie about her phone number, but all the other answers bounced around in his thoughts. And then the main one sucker punched him in the gut. Because my father wants to ruin you, and I’m having trouble with that.

                She lowered her chin, and he didn’t know if that was a good sign or a bad one. She blinked once. Twice. And a third time before her eyes narrowed. “Don’t expect me to go all Sally Field at the Oscars here. I left my ego at the front gate. I don’t trust you, Mr. Just-call-me-Chance. Not as far as I can throw you.”

                Cass paused to lick her lips, and that’s all it took. He wrapped his hands around her biceps and pulled her to him. He kissed her, taking her mouth by storm. She resisted for a long moment then relented, her tongue teasing his lips this time. He could feel her heartbeat, and was thrilled it galloped as fast as his own. His pulse pounded in his ears, every bit as loud as the thunder outside the barn.

                Her arms slipped around his neck, and he backed her up to the nearest wall without breaking the kiss. Heat flared between them, and he brushed his shirt off her shoulders. He could feel the rasp of the lace on her bra through her T-shirt.

                “Too many clothes.” He growled the words as he peeled the wet cotton over her head and then sealed his lips against hers again. One hand roamed down to stroke her thigh and just as he hoped, she rubbed her knee up his leg. He cupped her sweet ass and the next thing he knew, she’d wrapped those long legs around his waist. He couldn’t breathe for a minute as the most intimate part of her cradled his erection.

                Chance broke the kiss to gasp for breath and leaned his forehead against hers. “Baby, you are so hot but dammit, I want to make love to you in a bed.”