Free Dane's Restraint by J.J. Ranger

orgasm. She matched him thrust for thrust, until finally, she came with a scream. Stars flashed before her eyes and she collapsed against the pillows. His own cry shortly followed.
    Dane shifted to the side so he wasn’t crushing her with his weight and rested his head on her breast. She toyed with his sweat-clicked hair and stared at the ceiling.
    It pained her a little to think that after tonight she wouldn’t see him again, at least not in this capacity. Sure, they’d most likely run into each other in town, maybe they’d even hang out at Shannon’s on the weekend—if her cousin got back with his brother. It just wouldn’t be the same.
    “Things don’t have to change,” he murmured against her bare skin.
    Her fingers stilled. “What?”
    “This. Us. It doesn’t have to change just because you are leaving the ranch tomorrow. We could date; get to know each other better.” He propped up on his elbow and peered into her eyes.
    Sara shivered from the intensity of his stare. What was he saying? What happened to agreeing on the weekend fling and nothing more?
    “No. No, we can’t.”
    “Why? There’s nothing stopping us from going a step further. You’re the one who set the limitations of the weekend.”
    She sat up and clutched the sheet over her breasts. They were not having this argument. “You agreed. It wasn’t like I set the rules by myself.”
    “And we aren’t allowed to change our minds?”
    “Sure, but…” Sara covered her face with her hands. “Dane, you’re a great guy, and I have enjoyed every minute with you. But it doesn’t change anything.”
    The bed shifted and she peeked through her fingers to see him pulling on his jeans.
    “I get it. I’m good enough to fuck, but not good enough to see socially.”
    “That’s not it at all,” she protested.
    He pinned her with an angry glare but then his shoulders drooped and the bluster seemed to melt out of him. “I’m sorry, you’re right. We both agreed as adults to enjoy each other’s company for just this weekend.” He yanked his T-shirt over his head and then put on his boots. “It was fun while it lasted.”
    With one last weak smile, he left the cabin.
    Her stomach twisted in knots. She’d thought they’d gone into the arrangement with eyes wide open, and she’d fought all weekend to not get emotionally involved. So why did she feel like she’d betrayed him and ripped her own heart out?
    Shit!

Chapter Seven
    A knock roused Sara from restless slumber. The clock read just after eight a.m. She dragged out of bed and wrapped herself in a terrycloth bathrobe. She flung open the door, blinking against the brilliant sunlight.
    She glared at Ben. Her ex had actually flown from Las Vegas to Texas to convince her to come home? To what? Him? Hardly. She was happy here, happy with Dane. “What the hell are you doing here?”
    Ben ran a hand over slicked-back blonde hair and gave her a grin. “I told you I would come for you.”
    She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. “You’ve wasted your time and money. Go away.”
    He shouldered past her and entered the cabin. He took in the sex toys and such scattered around. Damn, she should have cleaned up, but after Dane left, she hadn’t felt much like doing anything but crawling in her bed and pulling the covers over her head.
    Anger flared in his eyes. “What the hell is going on with you, Sara?”
    She drew her shoulders back and lifted her chin. “I don’t have to explain anything to you.” She sighed. “Look, can’t you just accept that we were not happy together? We have nothing in common, the sex sucked—”
    “Sex only sucked because you wouldn’t experiment.”
    “No,” she corrected, holding a finger in the air. “I didn’t want to share my man with a group of women. I want a monogamous relationship. I want to know that I am enough to make my man happy.”
    He tsked. “You really are a spoiled brat, aren’t you?” His eyes glinted with annoyance. “You