Free Borrowed Cowboy (Shadow Maverick Ranch) by Parker Kincade Page A

what Gavin said as Reese circled the dance floor. Instinct warned against what he was about to do.
    He’d wanted to explore the undeniable connection he’d felt the moment he’d laid eyes on her again. It scared him shitless, because this was Reese . The first woman to own his heart. A heart now damaged by betrayal.
    It was a mistake. He should walk away before they got in any deeper. His boots had other ideas.
    As the song came to an end, he pushed away from the bar. He met Reese half way back to their table, grabbed her hand, and walked her back to the dance floor.
    “Guess we’re dancing, huh?”
    Pax swung her around and brought her in close. He put his mouth to her ear, swaying them to a slow country tune. “Any objections?”
    Her fingers toyed with the ends of his hair. “None I can think of, although your hand on my ass might tip off your family that we’re more than just friends.”
    She looked away as though she hadn’t intended the implication of more .
    “Let them think whatever they want. We’re consenting adults. And I’ve been thinking about you all week.”
    “You have? What have you been thinking?”
    He moved his hand to splay across her lower back and tightened his hold. He wanted her to feel what she did to him as he eased them around the dance floor. “About how much I’d like to get you naked again.”
    Disappointment blinked across her features before she smiled. “That was fun, wasn’t it?”
    He leaned back to catch her gaze and dove in, head first. “That’s not all I want.”
    “You offered me pleasure, and I said yes. What more is there?”
    He was such a dick. He’d made this beautiful woman think she wasn’t anything more than a sex object to him. Hell, he’d told her as much.
    Life fucking sucked sometimes. He wished like hell things had been different. That he hadn’t walked away from her all those years ago. That he hadn’t married the wrong woman and forgotten how to trust.
    “That’s what I want to figure out. I don’t know what I’m doing here, Reese. I haven’t felt the urge to have a woman in my life since my marriage fell apart.” Could he do it? Let go of the past and build something new? “Seeing you again, being with you … I want more. I won’t make promises I don’t know if I can keep and I don’t want to hurt you, but I want more.”
    She laughed softly. “Why, Paxton Mathis. Are you asking me to go steady?”
    A smile played at his lips. Pax shook his head, amazed at her ability to ease the tension. “Nothing quite so sweet, I’m afraid.” He bent and brushed his lips against hers. “Just a chance, Reese. To explore each other. To see what we could be together.”
    “Just so I understand, you want us to only see each other?”
    Pax shoved deep the emotions her words provoked. Jesus, was he sweating? Who knew this would be so hard? The visual of Reese, dancing in another man’s arms, propelled his vocal cords. “Yes.”
    She nodded. “I’d prefer it that way as well. Since we didn’t use condoms last time, I assume you won’t want to use them in the future. You haven’t slept with anyone else this week, have you?”
    “Are you kidding me?” When had this become a contract negotiation? And what the hell kind of man did she think he was?
    Oh. Right. Exactly the kind of man Gavin had accused him of being. Wasn’t that a kick in the nuts?
    “Not even a little. It’s important to be safe, for both of us.”
    So logical, his head spun. He hadn’t considered… “Did you have sex with someone else this week?” His feet stopped moving. The man Clay had seen her with last weekend?
    The thought made him want to hit something.
    “Of course not. But I need to hear you say it. Give me your word that if you find someone else you want to sleep with, you’ll tell me. Or at least use a condom.”
    Pax cursed. He laced their fingers and towed her from the dance floor, straight out the front door. He didn’t stop until they’d rounded the