When she turned, she didn’t even look his way, just grabbed the attention of a few of the guys who weren’t far away. “Are you boys thirsty?” she asked, her voice dripping honey.
The responses weren’t anywhere close to coherent as the men raced toward her and all but salivated at her feet as she poured a cup for each of them. Within the next ten minutes, more than twenty of her employees showed up. Text messages must have been flying. And she was soon surrounded as she sat on the back of the truck, her legs swinging, and her rapt audience hanging on every word she said.
“I’ve had just about enough of this,” Colt said.
“Yeah, but I want to know the point of all this. Come on, humor an old man and give it just a few more minutes,” Tony told him.
Colt felt like punching something, but instead, as the two men spoke, he leaned against the side of a tractor, letting the big piece of equipment shade him. He kept his hat pulled low over his eyes as his gaze bored into Brielle.
“Do you know where the hose is? I want to wash my truck.” The sound of her sweet voice easily drifted over to him, and his eyes narrowed. He’d bet every dollar he had — and he had plenty — that Brielle had never in her life washed her own vehicle.
So why was she so keen on taking care of a truck that he hadn’t seen her drive once since she’d pulled up on her first day at the ranch? When one of the boys fetched her the hose, while another got her a bucket and soap, he waited, now just as curious as Tony.
When the water started and she sprayed the hose high in the air so it cascaded down on her and all the men surrounding her, the sound of her laugher floating happily through the air, he had his answer.
The boys were now looking at her as if she were their golden idol, and he had no doubt in his mind that this was preplanned. She’d figured out how to get the men on her side, and she’d done it with both guns blazing.
He almost wanted to clap his hands and congratulate her. She wasn’t as defeated as he’d thought she was. When she lifted the sudsy sponge from the bucket and began washing the side of the truck, her h*ps swaying, drawing every pair of eyes to her rich assets, he was finished. She could play all the games she wanted to play, but what she was about to learn was that if she wanted to play with fire, she was damn well going to get burned.
No longer aware of Tony’s presence, Colt pushed off from the side of the tractor and approached Brielle and her posse of men. He was only a few feet away when she turned and noticed him, the hose in her hand forgotten, the spout pointing directly at him.
The cool shot of water to his chest didn’t faze him. It was refreshing, actually, since he was hot as hell. Without a word, but with the water still spraying him and soaking his jeans, Colt began unbuttoning his shirt.
“Oh…sorry,” she said, as if just realizing what was happening.
He didn’t care. She set down the hose and acted as if she were going to turn away, but his eyes held hers, and he wasn’t giving her permission to break the connection.
He peeled his shirt from his wet shoulders, and felt immense pleasure when her eyes widened and she took her time looking at his rock-hard upper body. Yeah, she’d seen it before, but he couldn’t help but feel good that she was obviously mesmerized. That wouldn’t hurt for what was coming next.
“Leave.” Though his gaze never left hers, the young men around her had no doubt that he was speaking to them. They scattered faster than a group of horses with a pit of snakes thrown into their corral.
With a look of triumph, Colt began moving toward his prey. He didn’t know when or how, but somewhere, somehow, Brielle had become his, and it was now time he proved it to her.
Chapter Twelve
Though Brielle had never received a look like the one Colt was sending her way now, she had no problem figuring out exactly what it meant. He wanted her, and he was coming after what he wanted. She was frozen where she stood, unable to tear her eyes from his. She absolutely didn’t want this feeling buzzing all through her body to go away.
She had come out to win the men over, and she’d been more than successful — they were practically eating out of her hand right now. But she hadn’t expected the reaction she was getting from Colt. Sure, she knew he wanted her. Hadn’t that been obvious from the kisses they’d shared? But the hunger burning in his eyes was beyond what she’d ever seen before.
Was she afraid? She couldn’t answer that.
His look was sending her body into overdrive and she was more than willing to answer the animal lust in his expression. Her mind was doing its best to tell her this was wrong, was trying to stop her from making a mistake.
Its best wasn’t anywhere in the vicinity of good enough. When he stopped right in front of her, she didn’t care what her brain was saying. All she cared about was how her body felt, and as he placed his hand on the back of her neck, she knew she wasn’t going to tell him no.
The only thing she was going to do was faint if he didn’t lean down and kiss her right this second. As if he could read her mind, he lowered his head, and then fireworks exploded when his lips captured her.
This time, he wasn’t slow. This time, he didn’t ask silently by softly touching his tongue to her lips. No. This time, he was showing her that he was in charge. He was pressing his body against hers and it was already hard and ready and sending all the right signals to her core. His tongue demanded entrance into her mouth, and she was ready for him, too.
Melting against the slick hardness of Colt’s chest, and with his strong arms caging her in, Brielle surrendered happily. She wrapped her arms around his solid shoulders and held on tight while he kissed her more deeply than any other man had ever come close.
When his hand slipped down her nearly na**d back and clutched the wet material of her short shorts, she moaned into his mouth, forgetting there was anyone else on the ranch. She ached for his touch, ached for him to quench the flames blazing through her.
When he pulled back, she whimpered, not understanding why he would possibly stop when they were just beginning. “House, now!” was his answer to her unspoken question, and then the breath was pushed from her lungs when he lifted her up and hoisted her over his shoulder.
Brielle was horrified. He was carrying her caveman style into the house, and in front of who knew how many of her workers, but when he slammed the door shut behind them, and she opened her mouth to protest his Neanderthal ways, he simply pressed her against the door and began where he’d left off back at her truck.