Free Cowboy Not Included: The Boot Knockers Ranch, Book 6 by Em Petrova

bursting.
    “You still have a temper, I see,” she said around a mouthful.
    “You know damn well what my temper’s like. I can control it.” With that, he stomped down his rising annoyance and gave her a happy smile.
    “That’s the thing with you, Booker. I never knew when you were pretending.”
    “I never pretended with you, Skye. Ever.”
    “Are you going to say you pretended to like those women you flirted with? The secretary where you worked and the waitress at the diner down the block?” She gave a coy little laugh.
    “Hell, yeah. But you’d never believe me, so there wasn’t any point in repeating myself.”
    “This crepe is excellent.”
    “I wouldn’t know.” At one time he’d enjoyed sharing crepes with her, but now he couldn’t touch them. The memories were too thick.
    “Oh yeah, you’re keeping fit.” She happily shoveled more into her mouth. “I should probably keep fit too, but…”
    “You don’t need it. You look amazing.”
    She stopped chewing, her face blank. “I’m not somebody you need to flirt with.”
    “I’m not flirting. You look fucking hot as hell and you know it.”
    Leaning across the table, she said, “Do you think your friends know it too? Because I’m ready to do some damage to this ranch.”
    He shoved back his chair so fast it nearly fell over. “Finish your breakfast and get into something you can swim in. I’ll come back for you in fifteen minutes.”
    “Not a lot of time to linger over my coffee.” Those big espresso eyes melted him even as they raised his temperature five degrees.
    He turned to the door. Once he was outside, he dragged a deep breath of hay-scented air into his lungs. She knew how to rile him, for sure. He couldn’t let her. If he were going to survive this week, he needed to get a firm grip on the reins. Of course, he could just tell her about his brother and things would be healed.
    But no, he’d made a vow. Nobody knew and Booker had to keep it that way.
    He dropped to the top step to wait for her. He didn’t trust her not to run to the nearest bungalow and find herself a Boot Knocker.
    Ten minutes later she emerged wearing a bikini so skimpy she might as well have been naked.
    A growl blistered his throat as he stood. Towering over her, he said, “I thought you didn’t have a swimsuit.”
    “I lied.”
    “Go back inside and change.”
    “The only thing I’ll change into is my birthday suit. Now lead the way, Booker dear.”
    Steam felt as if it projected from his nostrils all the way to the pool. The way she strutted across the ranch oozed confidence.
    “You’ve lost some inhibitions,” he commented, leading her around a low wall to the shimmering blue water.
    “I figured if I can’t channel my inner sexy on this ranch, where can I do it?” She approached the edge of the pool. Raising her arms, in one sleek move, she dived.
    His breath stuck in his throat. One of the first dates they’d shared had been on her uncle’s ranch. She’d cut across the pond with such swiftness it left him breathless. But he’d caught up and captured her. Squealing and slippery, she’d wrapped herself around him and he’d kissed her for the first time.
    As he watched her lap the pool, he stripped off his hat, boots and socks and hitched up his jeans. Seated at the edge, he dangled his feet in the water. It was already hot and a good, cool dip was tempting. But Skye was even more so. He couldn’t trust himself to get in with her.
    She surfaced, hair dark and as sleek as a seal’s. When she smiled, he forgot there was a sun.
    “Water’s great. Just cool enough from the night but warm enough I don’t even have goose bumps.” She lifted an arm and stared at it.
    His mouth watered to suck all the moisture off her skin. Hell.
    She pushed off and backstroked for several laps. It was impossible for him to tear his gaze from the tiny bikini bottoms or the triangles covering her breasts.
    Finally he forced his gaze up to the transparent