The Rancher Returns. Brenda Jackson

manipulative enough to use her musician grandfather’s name to get in good with his grandmother. Although he had apologized, those accusations still bothered her. Yet in spite of them, she had allowed him to kiss her. And it was a kiss she couldn’t stop thinking about. A kiss so deeply entrenched in her mind that she’d thought about it even while she’d slept. She was thinking about it now while wide-awake.

      Layla realized that kissing, something she’d never enjoyed doing before, wasn’t so bad after all. At least with Gavin it wasn’t bad. Evidently other guys had lacked his expertise. Not only did he have a skillful tongue, but he knew how to use it. The feel of being in his strong arms had sent pleasure throughout her entire body.

      She drew in a sharp breath as memories flooded her, filling her with a longing for them to kiss again. Yet how could she even contemplate repeating that kiss when she wasn’t sure she even liked him? The one thing she did know was that she definitely desired him and he’d been arrogant enough to call her out on that.

      In frustration, she rubbed a hand down her face. She needed to rid her mind of thoughts of Gavin. She’d never mixed business with pleasure and she had no intention of doing so now. The most important thing in her life had always been her work, and she deliberately avoided relationships to keep her focus where it should be. She wouldn’t let her attraction to Gavin interfere with what she needed to do.

      And the first thing she needed to do was get out of bed and start her day. Gavin said they would talk today and she could only hope for the best.

      * * *

      It was early evening when Gavin finally opened his eyes and he immediately thought about the woman staying in the party house. The woman he’d kissed last night.

      Layla had mated her tongue to his with an intensity that made every muscle in his body throb. It was as if she had just as much passion bottled up inside as he did. And he’d unleashed it all with that kiss.

      He would love to pick up where they’d left off last night. Take the passion to a whole new level. That made him think of other things...like making love to Layla. How it would feel to run his hands through her hair, lock his mouth and his body to hers. Become immersed in all that sexual energy they seemed to generate. He got hard just thinking about the possibilities.

      Gavin glanced over at the clock. He had slept the day away, but he had needed the sleep. Images of Layla had sneaked into the deep recesses of his mind, whether he had wanted them to or not. She’d been in his dreams.

      He wanted her.

      There. He’d confirmed it in his mind without an ounce of regret. He was a man with needs and that kiss last night had totally obliterated any desire for the Mississippi vixen. He’d lost interest in heading south as planned. Nor did he want Layla to leave the ranch. But like she’d reminded him last night, unless he agreed to let her dig on the property, she had no reason to stay.

      That meant he had to come up with a plan.

      He rubbed sleep from his eyes, remembering that he had detected a few insecurities lurking within Layla last night. Something about her need to prove herself. What was that about? Did he really want to know? Did he even care?

      Yes, he cared. He would go so far as to say that he even admired her spunk. Layla was tough and he had a feeling he hadn’t even seen half the strength she possessed. She had to be resilient to have become a college professor at such a young age. He could see her holding her own when it mattered. He couldn’t help but smile when he recalled her saying that he needed to keep sex out of this situation. Little did she know he had no intention of doing that. Their attraction was too strong and he intended to use it to his advantage.