Free Cowboy Bargain (The Dalton Boys Book 2) by Em Petrova

being.
    She shook herself. “Where are we going?”
    “I’m showing you to your quarters.” His jaw was rough with several days’ worth of beard, and at some point he’d taken off his T-shirt and unbuttoned his plaid shirt—all the way. It hung open to his belt buckle that she now knew had the ranch’s name engraved above the steer. That line of tanned, muscular flesh made her burn, low in her belly.
    She jogged ahead of him and turned to face him. From beneath the brim of his brown hat, his eyes smoldered. His arms swung free, sleeves pulling tight against his biceps. “What quarters?”
    “You can’t sleep in the house.”
    What? Why not?
    He stopped in front of her, close enough to grab. And she wanted to hold on tight. His strong arms had grounded her several times in the short hours she’d been on American soil, and somehow she was confusing him with a feeling of comfort. She folded her arms and waited for him to tell her why she wasn’t welcomed into the house.
    “I can see what you’re thinking, Maya, and it’s not the case.”
    “What am I thinking?” She raised her jaw a notch.
    “That you don’t belong there. That your birth has somehow banned you from being under our roof. That ain’t how we Daltons operate.”
    “Oh. Then why?”
    He pushed a breath out through his nose. Even the slight flare of his nostrils was a turn-on.
    “I share a room with Witt, okay?”
    “Oh.” Saying the same word a second time made her feel stupider than not realizing so many brothers lived in a house that wasn’t very large.
    Cash reached out and caught a twist of her hair lying across her collarbone. His rough fingers raised a shiver. “It’s not about you, darlin’. But we can’t sleep together yet, as we’re not married. That is a big no-no in my parents’ eyes, even if I’d love to have your sultry ass snug against me again.”
    His words spiked the already hot temperatures. She had to keep her mind on task. With Cash around, she was too easily distracted. She’d taken care of herself for so long that she wasn’t about to give up control to him. And her father couldn’t intervene on her behalf. He’d dragged his weary bones to his bunk hours ago.
    Cash’s lips turned up in a tempting crooked smile. “C’mon.”
    Her traitorous body kept a quick pace at his side. They walked past a chicken coop, where fat hens dozed beyond the chicken wire. As they rounded one of the barns, a couple horses whickered.
    Cash snorted. “They hear footsteps and think they’re getting a bedtime snack.”
    “What do you give them?”
    “Hot mash or an apple. Sometimes a few vegetable scraps from the kitchen.”
    “You don’t have anything for them tonight?”
    “Not for them.” His slow drawl and sidelong look sent her body into a frenzy.
    By the time they reached the horse trailer, she was more smitten with him. Was there any point in resisting her desires? They’d only known each other a few hours, but already they’d shared several moments of intimacy. And she was wearing his ring.
    He waved a hand. “This is your personal space for the next few days.”
    “And then?”
    “I’ll be joinin’ you.”
    An invisible string tugged between her legs, making her throb.
    “We’ll…be married by then?”
    “Hopefully. Tomorrow we’ll head into Vixen and get a marriage license and talk to the preacher. Momma and Charlotte have already agreed to help with wedding preparations.”
    Of all the arrogant things he’d done, asking his family for help with her wedding sent her into the stratosphere. She quivered with anger.
    “It’s our wedding, Cash. Don’t I get to say who helps?”
    Confusion drew his long brows together, making him even handsomer, damn him. “Of course. I just thought you could use some help. You’ll want something pretty to remember, won’t you?”
    “Yes! I mean no! I don’t even want to get married. It isn’t necessary.”
    He lowered his jaw, gazing at her from the shadow of his