Authors: Lorelei James

Cowboy Casanova (48 page)

Eyelids heavy, she fought against the tempting lust. “I made that mistake once. Never again. No more Doms, no more kink.”

His brow crinkled and he rubbed a hand across his chest as if he’d pulled a muscle or something. He lifted her from the floor, pulling her legs around his waist, opening her to him. She should have stopped him, but it felt so
good
after years of celibacy. “As I recall, it was far more than ‘once’. And it wasn’t all bad,
cara
.” He brushed his cheek against hers, the rough hairs of his goatee a sensual abrasion against her skin. “You left me with so many unanswered questions.”

She needed to find a way out of this, and soon, before lust hogtied her logic and she did something she’d really regret. That soothing blankness, of knowing she’d turned over all control to someone else, someone she trusted, beckoned her.

But she didn’t trust him anymore.

Hope pulled on every bit of anger toward Gabe that she could still muster at the moment. “Boo-fucking-hoo. Not my problem anymore.”

Though part of her wanted it to be. She’d come to terms with her role in the downfall of their budding relationship, learned from her mistakes, but that didn’t mean it would be wise to let him in again.

“Again with the language. Maybe you need something else to occupy your dirty mouth.”

He kissed her, their lips meeting as if it had been two minutes, not two years since their last kiss. His mouth, warm and wet, tasted of peppermint and that flavor uniquely Gabe’s. She’d been addicted to it once upon a time. They say just one taste can pull an addict back from abstinence and Hope couldn’t risk it. She tore her mouth away and struggled until he set her down and took a step back.

“That was bad, very bad. You had no right.” Pacing to clear her head and put some space between them, she walked the length of the mirror and back, feeling Gabe’s eyes on her the whole time.

He interrupted her whirring thoughts. “So Jax—you met him a few times, here actually—has invited me to go to Maison Domine this weekend. First month back in Cali, and he’s got me socializing once again.”

She froze and stared at him, thrown by the change of topic. But she shed her confusion when his words registered. “
The
Maison Domine? And yes, I remember Jaxon. And his Lara.”

He’d resumed his seat in the chair, looking casual and relaxed. But she recognized the tension in his eyes, the pupils dilated from lust.

“Yes,
cara
, that one.” Heat rippled through her at the nickname. “And I seem to be in a bit of a pickle.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And I think you can help me. I’ll be helping you in return.”

Wary, she nodded for him to continue. He patted the back of the chair. “Come stand here and we can talk.”

Step by anxious step, she drew closer, feeling like Little Red Riding Hood.
My, what a big cock you have.

“Tell me about this trade you have in mind.” She reached him and he wrapped his arms around her thighs, keeping her in close to him. With her heels, she managed to have a couple inches on his sitting form. Not much, and without them, he’d be within perfect kissing height.

“You’ve lost weight.” His voice sounded accusing. “I hope you’re taking care of yourself.”

She shrugged, knowing he wouldn’t be content with her explanation. Knowing him, he’d take her to the nearest smoothie place and make her drink a protein shake. His controlling, caring ways had driven her nuts even as they made her feel cherished.

Part of her knew this little interlude could tear through her hard-won centeredness, but that voice of responsibility was shouted down by her hormones. Though her relationship with Gabe had been a failure, the sex had always been spectacular.

She ran a hand through the stubble on his scalp. “Why’d you cut your hair? And where have you been the past two years?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

She nailed him with a glare and refused to answer.

He rolled his eyes. “It kept falling into my face while I was working.”

He ignored her second question. Alrighty then. His hands traveled up and down her thighs, sensitizing her flesh. Her fingers, with a mind of their own, continued their tactile exploration of his scalp.

Having his strong hands touch her again calmed her soul. Oh fuck.

Cowboy Casanova

Lorelei James

His rough touch makes her lose control...

Rough Riders, Book 12

In Sundance, Wyoming, you can’t throw a boot without hitting a McKay cowboy, so Ben McKay is used to fading into the background. Except on weekends, when he’s Bennett, imposing Dom at The Rawhide Club, surrounded by a bevy of female subs eager for the attention of his long…whip.

As for the curvy brunette eying him from across the room? He’ll eat his Stetson if she's the experienced Domme she claims to be. Bennett offers her a deal—he’ll let her call the shots for one night. But the next night he gets to prove to her how freeing it'll be when he takes the reins.

Ainsley Hamilton is amazed by how well Bennett read her every secret yearning during that one explosive weekend—and she's stunned when they come face to face in their everyday lives as rancher and new bank president. Now Ben’s urging her to explore her submissive side outside the club, and there’s something in his commanding gaze that makes it too easy to let him take control—of her desires and her pleasure.

Can Ben help Ainsley overcome her fear that a relationship built on dark sexual appetites won’t survive the light of day?

Warning: This book contains a lot of kinky sex. No, seriously, there's A LOT of kinky cowboy sex in this Rough Riders installment. You've been warned.

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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B

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Cowboy Casanova

ISBN: 978-1-60928-849-5

Edited by Lindsey Faber

Cover by Scott Carpenter

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First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: December 2011

www.samhainpublishing.com