good himself. Real nice. A pair of jeans hugged masculine thighs, a pullover sweater and a leather bomber jacket with the crest of a SEAL on the back graced broad shoulders. In her book there was something about a man who wore a leather bomber jacket, whether he was a biker, a model or a navy SEAL.
She kept her gaze trained on him. When he opened the door and slid onto the leather seat, she couldn’t help but appreciate how the fit of his jeans tightened on his thighs.
“You went riding around your ranch dressed like that?”
“No. We finished early so I had time to change before joining my grandmother for breakfast. She missed your presence at breakfast by the way.”
“I told her about the report I had to review this morning.”
He didn’t say anything and she wondered if he believed her.
“You okay?”
It was only then that she realized she was still staring. She snatched her gaze away from his thighs, regretting that he’d caught her ogling him. “I’m fine.”
A smile curved his lips and her insides felt like they’d turned to mush. “Just checking,” he said, snapping his seat belt in place. “I don’t want you to start admitting you want me anytime soon.”
Layla frowned, remembering what he’d said last night. “Trust me. That won’t be happening.” She spoke with a degree of confidence she wasn’t feeling, especially when he shifted gears, causing those thighs to catch her attention again.
She forced her gaze out the window to view the pastures, valleys and hills they passed. Not for the first time, she thought the Silver Spurs was beautiful. Already they’d passed the new barn and several other smaller buildings. And there were several fenced rolling plains filled with cows. The sun peeked through a bevy of trees that layered the countryside and she knew it would be a beautiful day even with the chill in the air.
“Sleep well?”
She glanced over at him, wondering why he would ask. Did he assume that she hadn’t? Well, she intended to crush that assumption right then and there. “Yes, like a baby, straight through the night.” Maybe she’d laid it on too thick since most babies didn’t sleep straight through the night.
“Glad to hear it. So did I. I slept so well that I almost overslept this morning.” He didn’t say anything for a minute. “Which way?”
She lifted a brow. “What?”
“Directions. Gramma Mel said the spot is just past the old barn. Which way do I go after that?”
The barn he was talking about was a big empty building painted red. According to Ms. Melody, it hadn’t been used in years but the structure looked sound. More than once Layla had been tempted to take a peek inside but the doors were bolted up. She wondered if Gavin would allow them to keep their excavation equipment stored there. Since he seemed in a pretty good mood this morning, it might be a good time to ask. “And about that old barn?”
“What about it?”
“I’m going to need a place to store my heavy equipment, like the loader backhoe and tractor, for the excavation. May I use the old barn?”
He glanced over at her and she could imagine what he was thinking. Why should he do anything to help her when he was counting on her to fail? He surprised her when he said, “Yes, you can use the old barn.”
She smiled. Since he was being so generous she decided to go for the gusto. “There’s also a smaller building next to the barn. I understand it used to be the old bunkhouse.”
“What about it?”
“May I use that, as well? I’ll need somewhere to test soil samples and such.”
He looked at her again. “Are you trying to take advantage of my kindness, Layla?”
“Yes, I guess I am, Gavin.”
A husky chuckle escaped his lips. “At least you’re honest. Yes, you can use that old shack, as well.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She didn’t say anything for a minute as they drove. “Make a left turn at the next tree and drive another couple of miles,” she said. “You can park in the clearing next to the stumps. I’ve marked the exact spot where we’ll be digging.”
“Okay.”
The rest of the drive was done in silence. She was glad when he finally brought the truck to a stop a short while later.
* * *
Gavin drew in a deep breath. With his hands still gripping the steering wheel he stared straight ahead at the view out of the windshield. He needed to get his bearings. Everything about Layla was getting to him. The way she looked, her scent, the way she wore her hair. The way that same hair had blown in the wind when his truck whooshed across his property.
“I can tell you miss coming here.”
Did she make that assumption because of the way he was still sitting here, trying to keep his mind and body under control? Yet, she was right. He had missed coming here.
“Yes. As a kid I used to come to this area a lot. There’s a huge lake not far from here. It separates our land from the Lotts’ property and it’s on the Lotts’ land. But that didn’t mean anything to me. Not even the no-swimming-allowed sign Sherman Lott had posted. I used to sneak into the lake and go swimming as a teen every chance I got. On a good day I would swim for hours without getting caught.”
“And on a bad day?”
He chuckled. “On a bad day Sherman Lott would call my grandmother and report me for trespassing.”
She lifted a brow. “Honestly? He would actually call and tell on you?”
“All the time. He didn’t like anyone swimming or fishing in that lake. But I had a lot of years of good fishing there, as well.”
He smiled, remembering how defying Mr. Lott had pleased him immensely. “Time to look around. But before we get out there’s something we need to do.”
She lifted her brow. “What?”
“Kiss. More than anything, I want to kiss you, Layla.”
* * *
Layla couldn’t believe he’d said that. Kiss? Hadn’t they done that enough already? Not that she was counting but he’d kissed her twice. Why was he going for three? Why was she hoping that he would?
“Kiss me?” she asked, softly, hoping he didn’t pick up on the yearning in her voice.
“Yes, kiss you. It’s either that or talk you into my truck’s backseat.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “And you think doing that will be easy?”
“No, but it will be worth all the effort I plan to put into it. So how about unbuckling that seat belt and leaning a little over here? I promise it will be painless.”
Being painless, Layla thought, was the least of her worries. “Haven’t you gotten enough? Of kissing me?” she asked, studying the look in his eyes.
“No, I haven’t gotten enough, so lean over this way. Let’s engage in something pleasurable.”
The urgency in his voice was so intense, it sent shivers through her. She knew they shouldn’t kiss again. Doing so would lead to assumptions on his part that she’d rather he not have. But she’d had a hard time forgetting how pleasurable their last two kisses had been. Both times his tongue had stroked hers to a feverish pitch, until she had greedily responded.
Frustration spilled from her lungs in a sigh and with very little control left, she unsnapped her seat belt and leaned closer to him. In spite of her misgivings, she was prepared to give him the kiss he wanted because it was a kiss