Free Saint James, Elle - Unbridled and Undone [The Double Men Rider's Club] (Siren Publishing Menage Everlasting) by Elle Saint James

so easily. She’s got an adventurous spirit, and I like her.”
    Dell ran his hand through his hair and tried to pry his eyes open. Was he still sleeping or had Zachary just voiced more than an average interest in a woman? He wasn’t usually so expressive. “I like her, too. We should pursue her.”
    “Excellent. See you tonight at six.”
    Dell hit this shower with a dawning exuberance that had nothing to do with the conference he was about to attend. His mind strayed to a certain sexy female and all the seductive pleasures they could accomplish this week. The idea of pursuing her for after the conference put a song in his heart. He couldn’t wait to be with her again.
     
    * * * *
     
    Zachary left Dell semi-alert in the shower, assured his friend had enough time to make it to the private early-morning meeting. The topic of discussion had to do with trading bull semen, not something Zachary ever wanted to talk about over breakfast, if ever.
    While Dell spent his time trying to meet as many fellow cattle ranchers as he could, so as to trade livestock, or bull semen, Zachary lent his attention to the business side of running their ranch. He was on his way to an early-morning conference session regarding business taxes as it pertained to the unique aspects of cattle ranching. And in his mind, a much easier theme to discuss in the early morning than farm animal secretions during breakfast coffee.
    Luckily, Dell had a strong stomach.
    Zachary thought they had a great partnership. Eight years after settling into this way of life together, they had accomplished quite a bit. The ranch had been solvent and out of the red for over five years. With their business growing more and more successful each year, it was understandable that Dell wanted to add a permanent woman to their comfortable life. Especially after spending last night with Tessa.
    Today included a torrent of meetings. He’d be cramming his head with the latest information this conference offered—if he could even keep his brain focused on business instead of the spectacular activities of the night before and most of all Tessa.
    Her laugh filtered through his memory like a piece of favorite music he’d forgotten and hadn’t heard in way too long. The tempo of her enthusiasm and the little sound she made right before she climaxed threatened to keep his mind in places reserved for non-business hours. He glanced into the surface of the mirrored elevator wall and checked his appearance.
    His tie carefully knotted and his suit carefully pressed for today’s meetings, Zachary was perhaps a little overdressed given the clientele here, but he’d always felt being the best-dressed man in a room afforded a certain extra respect.
    Folks looked at him differently and treated him with more reverence if he dressed better than they expected. They also listened to and agreed with his ideas more readily if he put on the mantle of success and played the role of powerful business broker. Pretending he didn’t need anyone also helped in business, not so much in his personal life.
    He’d taken to this ranch life better than even he’d anticipated. Business manager and lawyer for a thriving cattle ranch was certainly a far cry from the way he’d started his adult life in the military but was certainly a hell of a lot more satisfying. While ranching was lots of work and sacrifice, Zachary loved the cowboy life he found himself in.
    The landscape afforded a sense of wonder almost every time he turned around and looked at any piece of the property. At the end of the day, it was gratifying to sit on the porch, feet kicked up on the rail, and watch the sun make its way to settle over the majestic mountains from a place he knew was his, land that would stay in his family for generations to come.
    It gave him a sense of roots he’d lacked growing up.
    A childhood spent in foster care sent him into the military at the tender age of eighteen. While he’d made that life work as a young