out in the ashtray. “I’ll have Josito bring your car home in the morning,” he said. He turned. “Or I can have him fetch you and you can drive it home later.”
“Is that an invitation?” she asked.
He nodded. “We could go riding. We haven’t done that lately.”
She averted her eyes. “I don’t know that I want to go near your stables again. You seem to have the idea that all I want out of life is to seduce your ranch hands one by one.”
“Stop that!” His hand caught her chin and jerked her face around to his blazing eyes. “I don’t want to see men pawing you,” he said curtly. “Especially not my men when they’re drunk!” His eyes ranged over every inch of her soft body, touching it in a way they never had before. His fingers closed on her chin and his eyes were dark and full of secrets. “I don’t want any man…touching you,” he breathed roughly.
She stared up into his eyes helplessly, tracing the craggy face, the straight nose, the bushy mustache over that hard, sensuous mouth. She could feel the sigh of his breath on her face, and she felt tingly all the way to her toes at the feel of his fingers on her soft cheek and chin.
Involuntarily, her own fingers reached out to touch the mustache over that chiseled mouth.
He seemed to flinch just before his hand went up to catch her wrist in a steely grasp, holding it away.
“Don’t do that,” he said harshly. “Can’t you get it into your head that I don’t want you to touch me?”
Her lower lip trembled, but she managed a nervous laugh. “I’ve got the message, Mr. Durango,” she assured him. “Now if you’ll give me back my arm, I’ll gladly go away and let you rush back to your conquest at Elise’s party.”
But he didn’t let go, and his eyes were watchful. “You’ve been flirting hard with me tonight,” he said quietly. “Trying to make my cousin jealous, Satin?”
She felt shocked, and showed it. “I don’t have that kind of relationship with Donald. It’s the same as it is with you—we’re just friends.”
“Is that what you and I are?” he asked in a strange, deep tone.
“Of course,” she managed. He was making her feel strange. Wary. Excited. Her wrist tingled where he gripped it.
“Then it won’t bother you if I take Melody into my bed, will it?” he asked, his eyes intent on her face.
She felt her breath catch in her throat. John and that mercenary little blonde in bed together, her blond tresses tangling in the dark hair over his bronzed, bare chest as he brushed his mouth over her smooth young body….
With a faint cry, she drew away from him, her face strangely pale, her eyes wide and shocked.
“You may be off sex, but I’m not,” he said deliberately, and he was watching her like a hawk. “Just because I’ve never touched you, that doesn’t mean I’m a eunuch.”
She couldn’t meet his eyes. “I never thought you were,” she said quietly.
He drew a sharp, impatient breath and she heard the click of his lighter as he lit another cigarette.
“You smoke too much,” she chided gently.
“I do a lot of things too much,” he growled, and his eyes seemed to hate her for an instant.
“Like seducing blondes?” she asked, and could have bitten her tongue for the slip.
“It would take a blowtorch to seduce
you.
”
She glared at him, her eyes flashing with green sparks. “He hurt me!” she threw at him. “You’re a man. What could you possibly know about a woman’s feelings…?”
“He hurt you because you were a virgin,” he growled. His voice, like his eyes, was bitter. “And because he wanted a body, not the emotions, personality and spirit that went with it. No man who cared about a woman would damage her that way. He left scars that haven’t healed in two years. He crippled you.” He drew on the cigarette roughly. “By God, I should have killed him!”
She blinked at him, at the unfamiliar violence in his deep, lazy drawl. “You didn’t even know his last
“Is that an invitation?” she asked.
He nodded. “We could go riding. We haven’t done that lately.”
She averted her eyes. “I don’t know that I want to go near your stables again. You seem to have the idea that all I want out of life is to seduce your ranch hands one by one.”
“Stop that!” His hand caught her chin and jerked her face around to his blazing eyes. “I don’t want to see men pawing you,” he said curtly. “Especially not my men when they’re drunk!” His eyes ranged over every inch of her soft body, touching it in a way they never had before. His fingers closed on her chin and his eyes were dark and full of secrets. “I don’t want any man…touching you,” he breathed roughly.
She stared up into his eyes helplessly, tracing the craggy face, the straight nose, the bushy mustache over that hard, sensuous mouth. She could feel the sigh of his breath on her face, and she felt tingly all the way to her toes at the feel of his fingers on her soft cheek and chin.
Involuntarily, her own fingers reached out to touch the mustache over that chiseled mouth.
He seemed to flinch just before his hand went up to catch her wrist in a steely grasp, holding it away.
“Don’t do that,” he said harshly. “Can’t you get it into your head that I don’t want you to touch me?”
Her lower lip trembled, but she managed a nervous laugh. “I’ve got the message, Mr. Durango,” she assured him. “Now if you’ll give me back my arm, I’ll gladly go away and let you rush back to your conquest at Elise’s party.”
But he didn’t let go, and his eyes were watchful. “You’ve been flirting hard with me tonight,” he said quietly. “Trying to make my cousin jealous, Satin?”
She felt shocked, and showed it. “I don’t have that kind of relationship with Donald. It’s the same as it is with you—we’re just friends.”
“Is that what you and I are?” he asked in a strange, deep tone.
“Of course,” she managed. He was making her feel strange. Wary. Excited. Her wrist tingled where he gripped it.
“Then it won’t bother you if I take Melody into my bed, will it?” he asked, his eyes intent on her face.
She felt her breath catch in her throat. John and that mercenary little blonde in bed together, her blond tresses tangling in the dark hair over his bronzed, bare chest as he brushed his mouth over her smooth young body….
With a faint cry, she drew away from him, her face strangely pale, her eyes wide and shocked.
“You may be off sex, but I’m not,” he said deliberately, and he was watching her like a hawk. “Just because I’ve never touched you, that doesn’t mean I’m a eunuch.”
She couldn’t meet his eyes. “I never thought you were,” she said quietly.
He drew a sharp, impatient breath and she heard the click of his lighter as he lit another cigarette.
“You smoke too much,” she chided gently.
“I do a lot of things too much,” he growled, and his eyes seemed to hate her for an instant.
“Like seducing blondes?” she asked, and could have bitten her tongue for the slip.
“It would take a blowtorch to seduce
you.
”
She glared at him, her eyes flashing with green sparks. “He hurt me!” she threw at him. “You’re a man. What could you possibly know about a woman’s feelings…?”
“He hurt you because you were a virgin,” he growled. His voice, like his eyes, was bitter. “And because he wanted a body, not the emotions, personality and spirit that went with it. No man who cared about a woman would damage her that way. He left scars that haven’t healed in two years. He crippled you.” He drew on the cigarette roughly. “By God, I should have killed him!”
She blinked at him, at the unfamiliar violence in his deep, lazy drawl. “You didn’t even know his last
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