The Wrong Cowboy
by Megan Ryder
Series: Granite Junction, #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Western Romance
Release Date: August 26, 2020
Graduate from college? Check.
Land a school counselor job? Check.
Seduce her forever crush? Epic fail!
The sexy rancher is clearly not interested in long-term. In fact, he’s not interested, period. But Emma is determined to change his mind until his cousin, Gabe Buchanan, puts a definite crimp in her perfect plans.
Gabe has come to help his cousin with work around the ranch while struggling to unravel his next book plot. The last thing the he expected was to find literary inspiration in the curvaceous cowgirl pining over his cousin. Determined to prove he is the right match for her, he devises a plan to win Emma’s heart.
As much as Emma wants her childhood crush to finally take notice, she can’t help but be intrigued by sizzling hot and funny Gabe. When he asks her out, she can’t say no. Besides, it’s just a friendly dinner. No big deal. Yet when the lines between casual and interested blur, neither can deny the chemistry between them.
Can Gabe fill every box on Emma’s checklist and give her what she needs the most? His heart and a future together?
“We’re just getting started, darlin’. Hang on.”
He swung her around, then reeled her back in, both hands sliding down her body to rest on her hips and pull her against his body. He leaned in and whispered, “Wrap your arms around me or people might think you don’t want to be with me.”
She wound her arms over his shoulders, her fingers combing tentatively through the strands that tickled the nape of his neck. He sighed and let his hands slide around her to lower back, to flirt with the top edge of her very fine ass. He didn’t dare go too far down, not yet. But his thumb slid under the hem of her top to stroke along the exposed skin, the soft sweet skin that he could easily imagine tracing with his tongue. Emma gasped in his ear, then tugged his hair, enough to make his eyes water.
“Watch yourself, Buchanan. Don’t take liberties.”
He chuckled, face still pressed against her hair. “You can touch me wherever you want, sweetheart. I’ll stay PG for tonight.”
She grunted a little and pressed herself into him, then stiffened. “Gabe!”
He gave a slight shrug. “It’s a natural reaction to holding a beautiful woman in my arms. I can’t help it.”
She leaned back enough to glare at him. “Try.”
He gave her what he hoped was an innocent look, but her narrowed gaze told him she wasn’t buying it. He sighed. “There’s nothing I can do unless we stop dancing.”
She snorted. “Next you’ll tell me we have to keep dancing so you don’t embarrass yourself.”
His grin broadened. “Well, now that you mention it . . . it would help. I mean, it’s really about you so if you walk away, everyone will know.”
She rolled her eyes. “Let’s just finish this.”
He laughed too loud, causing several couples nearby to stare at them, including Tara and Hailey and their husbands, who eyed him with suspicion. He lowered his head and danced Emma further away from her friends and toward a dark corner.
“Now you’re sounding like a wife. Do you have a headache too?” She frowned at him and he just laughed. “Definitely like a wife. You should be looking like you’re in love with me, or at least in lust, if you don’t want your friends’ husbands to take me out back and rearrange my face.”
He glanced over at West and Chase, who were still watching them. He gave them an innocent smile but their narrowed gazes proved they didn’t buy his innocent act one bit. Emma smiled at them and laid her head on his chest, her resistance melting away. He closed his eyes and rested a cheek on her hair and let the moment sweep them away, a feeling of true peace settling over him.
The song ended and she stepped back and he felt the absence of her immediately. She glanced down and smirked. “You may want to hide out somewhere or figure something out about your, um, little problem.”
“Nothing little about it.” He leaned forward so only she could hear. “But you already know that.”
He swung her around, then reeled her back in, both hands sliding down her body to rest on her hips and pull her against his body. He leaned in and whispered, “Wrap your arms around me or people might think you don’t want to be with me.”
She wound her arms over his shoulders, her fingers combing tentatively through the strands that tickled the nape of his neck. He sighed and let his hands slide around her to lower back, to flirt with the top edge of her very fine ass. He didn’t dare go too far down, not yet. But his thumb slid under the hem of her top to stroke along the exposed skin, the soft sweet skin that he could easily imagine tracing with his tongue. Emma gasped in his ear, then tugged his hair, enough to make his eyes water.
“Watch yourself, Buchanan. Don’t take liberties.”
He chuckled, face still pressed against her hair. “You can touch me wherever you want, sweetheart. I’ll stay PG for tonight.”
She grunted a little and pressed herself into him, then stiffened. “Gabe!”
He gave a slight shrug. “It’s a natural reaction to holding a beautiful woman in my arms. I can’t help it.”
She leaned back enough to glare at him. “Try.”
He gave her what he hoped was an innocent look, but her narrowed gaze told him she wasn’t buying it. He sighed. “There’s nothing I can do unless we stop dancing.”
She snorted. “Next you’ll tell me we have to keep dancing so you don’t embarrass yourself.”
His grin broadened. “Well, now that you mention it . . . it would help. I mean, it’s really about you so if you walk away, everyone will know.”
She rolled her eyes. “Let’s just finish this.”
He laughed too loud, causing several couples nearby to stare at them, including Tara and Hailey and their husbands, who eyed him with suspicion. He lowered his head and danced Emma further away from her friends and toward a dark corner.
“Now you’re sounding like a wife. Do you have a headache too?” She frowned at him and he just laughed. “Definitely like a wife. You should be looking like you’re in love with me, or at least in lust, if you don’t want your friends’ husbands to take me out back and rearrange my face.”
He glanced over at West and Chase, who were still watching them. He gave them an innocent smile but their narrowed gazes proved they didn’t buy his innocent act one bit. Emma smiled at them and laid her head on his chest, her resistance melting away. He closed his eyes and rested a cheek on her hair and let the moment sweep them away, a feeling of true peace settling over him.
The song ended and she stepped back and he felt the absence of her immediately. She glanced down and smirked. “You may want to hide out somewhere or figure something out about your, um, little problem.”
“Nothing little about it.” He leaned forward so only she could hear. “But you already know that.”
Ever since Megan Ryder discovered Jude Deveraux and Judith McNaught while sneaking around the “forbidden” romance section of the library one day after school, she has been voraciously devouring romance novels of all types. Now a romance author in her own right, Megan pens sexy contemporary novels all about family and hot lovin’ with the boy next door. She lives in Connecticut, spending her days as a technical writer and her spare time divided between her addiction to knitting and reading.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
No comments:
Post a Comment