Page 26 of Ranch Rules

“I can’t take any credit. I had the kitchen put it together.”

She tried to smother her smile, but she wasn’t fast enough. “You were that sure I would say yes?”

“I had to eat either way.”

“Oh, so I suppose if I’d said no you would have found some other wayward client to dine with?” She asked the question in a light, teasing manner, but found herself sitting forward, ears straining. His answer was somehow very important to her.

“Don’t be silly. We only take on one client at a time.”

While it wasn’t exactly what she’d hoped to hear, she was surprised nonetheless. “Really? That’s no way to do business, is it?”

Thomas shook his head. “Is business all you think about?” But he raised a hand before she could answer. “Never mind, I forgot who I was talking to. There are eight of us, and guests only stay for a couple weeks at a time at most, a few days at the least. So there’s a steady stream of clients, in case you’re worried that you won’t be able to come back.” He reached out and lightly tickled her ribs.

Laughing, Natalie moved out of reach, delighted at this fun, playful side of him that somehow seemed to make her own emerge. Funny, she hadn’t felt fun in so long she’d assumed that was a piece of personality she’d buried too deep under a pile of contracts to ever see it again.

“You’ll get back here if you know what’s good for you,” he growled playfully.

She stayed out of reach, but poised to take flight if she needed to. “I might actually consider coming back to the ranch, if it weren’t for...”

His grin stretched into an all-out smile. “For the what?”

She dropped her gaze to stare at the blanket. “Nothing,” she mumbled.

But it had been a mistake to look away, because the next thing she knew he had stealthily moved in and pounced, tickling her ribs. Natalie shouted with surprised laughter as she tried to twist away, but Thomas had ahold of her now and his fingers danced up and down her sides while she giggled too hard to beg for mercy.

“Finish the sentence. For the what?”

“Please... please stop,” she gasped in between giggles.

“You’d come back if not for the what?” He continued to tickle while she writhed in his grasp. “Come, now, I can keep this up all the day, but you on the other hand...”

“I take it back!”

“You can’t take it back.” No matter how hard she squirmed and tried to evade him, he had no trouble keeping up his relentless attack. “Well, out with it. If not for the...”

“Please!” she begged, knowing all the while it would be futile.

His quick, playful fingers were merciless. “If not for...”

“The spanking!” she shouted, not caring how loud she was or who heard. She would do anything to make it stop.

Stop it did, as soon as the words were out of her mouth. It took her a few minutes to catch her breath, and once she wiped the tears from her eyes Natalie wondered if she should be too embarrassed to look at him now. But a quick peek showed that Thomas was dishing out food on a plate as though nothing had ever happened.

He handed the plate to her, complete with a fork, and she began to eat just to give her mouth something to do so she wouldn’t get herself into more trouble. Though it started out that way, as soon as she tasted how good it was, her appetite came back. The two of them ate their lunches in companionable silence, and after a bit Natalie felt her embarrassment subside. After all, what choice had she had? She’d been at his mercy, and there was no way he could hold that against her. And come to think of it, given their line of work, how could he ever hold the truth against her, even if he didn’t like it?

Maybe he won’t mention it. Maybe he’ll forget I even said it.

But as soon as he pushed his plate away, Thomas gave her his full attention. He waited until he had hers before he said, “I can think of more enjoyable things we could do.”

Natalie looked away, heat filling her cheeks. How did he keep doing that to her? “Yeah? Such as?”

“If that blush of yours is anything to go by, I’d say you already know.”

He hadn’t acknowledged noticing her embarrassment before and hearing him do so now only deepened the flush in her face.

“But if you want to hear me say it, I s’pect I could oblige you. We could, for instance, move closer to the water, closer to each other...”

He didn’t paint her pictures for her mind to feast on this time—she got there all on her own. She could see it, scooting next to him... his arm over her shoulders, hugging her close... the heat of his body warming her own. Then she would turn toward him, lift her face, and maybe taste those full lips on her own instead of just thinking about them.

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