Page 236 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 1

“You move fast.”

“No point wasting time when you know what you want.”

She wished she could be that confident all the time. He stopped the truck on the top of a hill, looking out over the land ahead of them. The sun was just starting to come out over the surrounding hills and her breath caught.

He climbed out and came around to help her. Then he led her to the front of the truck. They leaned against the hood and watched the sun rise.

“Magical,” she whispered. “I can’t believe how beautiful it is.”

“It is. And so are you.”

She blushed, suddenly realizing that she was holding his hand. But when she tried to tug it free, he wouldn’t let go. Turning to her, he trapped her against the truck. But she didn’t feel threatened. Nope, she was hot and turned on.

He let go of her hand to reach up and cup her chin. Then he kissed her. His lips were firm and unyielding. Demanding. And she melted. The kiss was both tender and hot.

It was the most amazing kiss of her life. And when he finished, she whimpered, trying to get closer to him.

“Yes, beautiful and tempting,” he whispered to her. “You can’t deny what’s between us, baby.”

“I . . . I’m still scared.”

“I’ll be right here, ready to catch you if you fall. What I can’t do is ignore this. Don’t ask me to do that.”

“What . . . what do you want?”

“Spend time with me. Get to know me.”

Her head still spinning from that kiss, she nodded. “All right.”

Leaning in, he kissed her again, and the rest of the world faded away.

Magical.

Chapter Five

There was a knock on the door just as she finished putting dinner on the table. Alex was late. That wasn’t like him.

Butterflies filled her tummy. She couldn’t believe it had been just two weeks since he’d taken her for that drive and kissed her. He’d been here each night for dinner and he’d kissed her several more times. Kelly liked to tease that Alex was courting her.

This was like nothing she’d experienced before. He might have a stern, commanding side, but he could also be kind and sweet. And he was so attentive. She’d even started feeling better with him watching over her, demanding that she rest and take it easy.

Although, she really needed to find a job now.

But that meant she might have to leave the ranch and him. That made her tummy feel yuck.

Think about it later.

The one thing really putting a damper on things was Lance. Over the last few days, he’d left her several voicemails and texts. She didn’t know what he wanted all of a sudden. She’d blocked his number without even looking or listening to the messages.

She didn’t owe him anything.

She turned to look at Alex as he entered the room. He was frowning slightly. Was something wrong?

“Hey, Alex, we were just putting dinner out,” Kelly said. “I was starting to think you couldn’t make it.”

“Actually, I can’t stay.”

He couldn’t? What was going on? Disappointment flooded her.

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