Page 25 of Dirty Cowboy

“Just cute?” I challenge, tilting my chin. “How would you propose then?”

His smile fades slightly, his expression turning unreadable. “I wouldn’t.”

The words hit me like a slap. “You wouldn’t?”

“I’m not the marrying type.”

My stomach dips. “Let me guess. A girl broke your heart, and now you’re convinced marriage isn’t for you?”

“Not exactly.” His jaw tightens. “The ranch and the horses… They don’t leave room for much else. Women don’t want to sign up for that life.”

Irritation scratches at the back of my throat. “A life with only horses for company? What about…other needs?”

His gaze sharpens. “Whatotherneeds might those be, Ems?”

I swallow hard. At twenty-five, my virginity feels like a neon sign flashing over my head. No amount of late-night research or battery-operated substitutes could prepare me for the man sitting across from me.

Eric Waters isexperience personified.And he knows it.

I take a breath. “The need for human connection. Intimacy.”

The air crackles with an unspoken challenge. His brow lifts, amusement flickering in his gaze. “Are you suggesting I’m missing out?”

I lean in, my voice dropping. “Yes. Aren’t you just a little curious what you’re missing with someone like me?”

His smirk deepens, but there’s heat in his gaze now. He leans forward, closing the distance between us. “Tell me, darling, what exactly am I missing?”

“A young and willing woman who wants to learn all her duties from a cowboy.”

His chest rises sharply and his eyes flicker with something dark, something dangerous. And for a split second, I think he might kiss me.

Instead, he leans back, shaking his head. “I have a feeling, Emma, you won’t have any trouble convincing my grandfather we’re engaged.”

I exhale, my stomach tight with nerves. I lift my glass, sipping the sparkling wine to calm my racing pulse. “You’re changing the subject.”

He shrugs. “A woman doesn’t need a man who’s never home. I’m outside from dawn till dusk, and that’s not changing.”

I tilt my head. “So, horses are your one true love?”

“I never said that.”

I feign a thoughtful nod. “So, no relationships. No attachments. No needs?”

His lips twitch again. “I didn’t saythateither.”

I hold his stare, deciding to push just a little further. “Whatisyour thing, then? A one night stand? A sturdy headboard? A firm hand?””

A choked sound escapes him, and I bite my lip to keep from laughing.

“Now, look what you’ve done,” I tease as he wipes away the wine he spit out on his sweater. “Take it off.”

His brows shoot up. “Excuse me?”

“Your sweater. We can’t have your parents seeing you in a stained shirt. It doesn’t reflect well on yourfiancée.”

He eyes me, amused. “Are you playing with me?”

I give him a playful wink. “Just practicing for the role.”

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