Free To Tempt a Wilde by Kimberly Kaye Terry Page A

the look of longing on her face surprising him. She quickly glanced away, but not before he saw the shimmer in her dark eyes.
    He turned away reluctantly.
    They’d worked side by side over the last few hours, and the more he was around her,the more he wanted to know about her.
    The more he wanted to dig into her history and discover what secrets her dark eyes held hidden and locked away.
    â€œNot for another couple of months. I got her ticket a bit early is all,” the vet replied. Nate felt the love and pride the old man had for his only daughter, who’drecently completed veterinary school and after a year doing a residency in Cheyenneand was returning to help her father in his clinic.
    Before they left, Dr. Crandall turned toward Althea. “You are welcome at any time, to help me in any way whenever I come by, miss. You are an amazing young woman.”
    She simply nodded her head, thanking him silently, but Nate saw the way the vet’s casual words affected her.
    â€œI’ll be back, and we can head out.”
    Â 
    Left alone with the ranch hand,Althea stood out of the man’s way as he took care of the duties of cleaning up, watching with a smile on her face as the mother, once the afterbirth had been expelled, had lain back down, her calf already rooting around, searching for milk.
    By the time Nate had returned, another ranch hand had come to help. His glance fell to Althea. Noting the tired look on her face, he motioned for her to comewith him.
    â€œYou look tired. I think it’s time we called it a night.”
    She smiled at him, replying, “I could say the same of you,” as she walked toward him. He waited until she was by his side and extended his hand.
    â€œI think it’s time we both called it a night.”
    He saw the flicker of indecision enter her eyes. He waited while she made the decision. The knowledge hovered between the two of them,that her taking his hand was her acceptance of what had been brewing between the two of them since their first meeting.
    It was an acknowledgment of what was to come.
    Taking the decision away from her, he grasped her by the hand. He briefly gave his men final instructions and turned with her to leave the stable.
    The time for waiting was over.

Chapter 10
    B oth Nate and Althea were wrapped up in their own thoughts, and the drive back was made in silence, the tension in the cab of his truck thick, heady.
    After he’d reached his hand out for her to take, his hot glance sliding over her, Althea’s body had reacted as though he’d touched her.
    When he’d taken the decision away from her and taken her hand in his big warm one, wrappingit around her suddenly cold fingers, a part of her had been relieved.
    She knew what it meant, taking his hand. As simple as it was, she knew.
    A glance into his eyes and she’d seen them darken, his hot gaze trailing over her face, down the line of her throat, back up to her mouth. Yes, she knew. He wanted her.
    And God help her, she wanted him just as bad.
    Piggybacking her self-admission, fearkicked inimmediately. Fear of what it meant if she agreed, through silent admission, to what his eyes promised he wanted from her.
    The need to flee came quickly, nearly overwhelming in its intensity.
    This fear wasn’t the same as those of the past, the ones that told her danger was coming her way, that Reggie had found her again.
    No. This feeling, this need to run had nothing to do with fearthat she would be harmed in a physical way.
    This fear was that she wanted… yearned, for him to do what his eyes promised he wanted to do to her.
    Every decadent carnal thing…and more.
    Her fear had everything to do with the fact that she would gladly turn her body over to him and allow him to do those things to her.
    In every way.
    She adjusted her body, turned slightly so that she could sneaka glance at him from beneath lowered lids.
    His hair, closely cropped in the back, was longer on