Lone Star Baby Scandal. Lauren Canan

side is very unstable.”

      “Will do.” Sophie mounted her Tobiano gelding and headed back down the trail. Within minutes she reached the clearing that opened up to the water. It was something out of a postcard: shimmering blue waters circled by red rocks with green sage grass filling in the distance between the rocks and the forest. She dismounted, leaving Hopper to graze while she scrambled to sit on a huge boulder overlooking the lake.

      Something in the water caught her eye. She looked harder and realized she was watching a small school of fish. They were feeding on something just below in the shade of the boulder. She wished she had a scrap of bread or corn to toss down and see if they would eat it. Maybe if she and Clay ever came back to this spot, she would remember to bring something.

      She realized what she’d just been thinking. She’d imagined them coming back together. This was a rare opportunity to go riding with Clay and share the beauty of the ranch. She might return here someday but she very much doubted if Clay would come with her.

      There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky and a slight breeze blew the hair from her face and teased the leaves on the trees. Suddenly she felt heavy hands on her shoulders. Cole sat down on the large rock, his legs bowing out around her while he moved to hold her close, his hands just beneath her breasts.

      “You pick good places to rest,” he said.

      “I was watching the fish. Can you see them?” She leaned forward, pointing.

      “They’re feeding off water-dwelling insects and minnows. I should have thought to bring a collapsible fishing rod. We could take home some trout for supper.”

      “Are they good to eat?”

      “Trout?” He sounded surprised. “You’ve never eaten trout?”

      “No.”

      “Oh, darlin’, we must expand your palate. I’m no damn connoisseur, but you gotta try trout cooked in butter and some spices. Maybe with a potato on the side. I like it best when it’s cooked over an open campfire.”

      “Maybe I’ll get to try it sometime.”

      “Maybe you will. Maybe I can cook it for you.”

      “You can cook?”

      “Damn straight I can cook. Nothing fancy but I can fill you up and provide good, hot nourishment.”

      “I would like that.”

      His body grew taught. “So would I.” He moved down to nuzzle the sensitive flesh of her neck. “Will you let me, Sophie?” He spoke softly against her ear, causing the goose bumps to race over her skin. “Will you let me fill you again?”

      Somehow their topic of discussion had changed from simply fishing to something much deeper and more raw. Sophie felt the heat in her lower region as it began to build and intensify.

      “I want you, Sophie. You know that.”

      The night they’d shared was completely wrong and should never have happened. While every cell in her body screamed for him, she would not make the same mistake twice. Suddenly Cole lay back on the huge rock and with an easy twist maneuvered her on top of him, face-to-face. Her forearms rested against his broad shoulders and she looked down into those emerald-green eyes. His body was at once hard and pliant, allowing her body to sink into the power of his.

      “Kiss me.” It was only a whispered request but she was so attuned to him she wouldn’t have missed his words if he was a mile away.

      “I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”

      “I think it’s a terrific idea.” One hand moved from around her lower back up to her head as he gently encouraged her lips to come closer to his.

      “Clay, I—” She opened her mouth but before words could form, he lifted his head and his lips found hers. They were hungry and he didn’t hesitate filling the cavern of her mouth with his tongue. It was everything she remembered and more. Without any doubt Clay was the sexiest man she had ever come into contact with. He was temptation run amok with an element of danger on the side.

      Her feelings for him had slowly come about in the months after the accident. But rather than pay heed and stay well away from him, she was drawn to him more than ever. The carefree, fun-loving bachelor, the love-’em-and-leave-’em guy, had been gone, replaced by a man of serious intent.

      Part of her wanted nothing more than to give him whatever he wanted; the other part, the smart side of her, wanted to run away as fast as she could. He had a ruthlessness she’d always known was there but felt secure knowing he kept it bottled inside. Since the abandonment by his fiancée, he was no longer in control of the anger and merciless drive. It both drew her to him and pushed her away out of self-preservation.

      Only one thing was certain: this attraction to her boss was going to eventually cause a rift between them.

      She turned her face away, breaking off the kiss she wanted more than air in her lungs. She realized she was now lying on the huge boulder with Clay above her, her head held in his large hand, his erection pressing hard against the apex of her thighs. Of its own accord, before she could summon the strength to stop it, her body pressed against him. Hard. She heard him moan, deep and hungry, and the heat of desire exploded inside her, igniting every vein. He cupped her breasts, first one then the other. Unbuttoning her shirt, he pushed her bra aside and his lips and tongue teased the stiff peaks.

      Voices. Through the sex-filled haze, her brain picked up on the distant sound of voices.

      “Clay,” she whispered. “Clay, someone’s coming this way.”

      “Let ’em.”

      “No! Clay, stop. Please.” Her own voice was breathy. The last thing she wanted to do at that moment was to push him away. She was in rapture such as she’d known only one other time in her life: with Clay.

      Finally he heeded her words and sat up. He drew in several deep breaths of air then turned toward her, his voice deep and full of determination. “I want you, Sophie. I want you so bad it hurts. One time was nowhere near enough. Mark it down as a friendly warning. I will have you again.”

      Offering his hand, he pulled her to her feet. She quickly repositioned her bra and began to fasten the buttons of her blouse. Clay watched her with a gleam in his darkened eyes.

      Before either could say anything more, three of the ranch hands rode their horses around the grove of pine trees and into clear view.

      “We came to fix that downed fence,” one of the riders said to Clay. “But looks like somebody already beat us to it.”

      They continued to talk while Sophie edged her way toward her horse. Mounting her ride, she eased into the saddle, content to wait for Clay from there. Eventually, the three cowboys turned their horses around and headed back to the barn, and Clay faced her with a lopsided grin.

      “Well, it was nice while it lasted,” he said as he mounted his horse.

      “What?” she asked, her brows furled in a frown. “Oh,” she corrected as she realized exactly what he was referring to: their brief time in each other’s arms.

      “Ms. Prescott? You certainly know how to make a man feel desirable.” With a shake of his head he reined his horse toward the trail leading back to the ranch. Sophie followed, biting her tongue.

      Impertinent man.