Free Rafe's Redemption by Jennifer Jakes

“We’ve been through worse. Haven’t we, boy?” His gaze darted to her. “Ready to go?”
    She nodded, and he led the horse from beneath the protective branches.
    “I want you to ride in front of me this time.”
    “Why?”
    Rafe groaned. “Can’t you, just once, do what I say without question?”
    Maggie considered his point while gripping her hat against the wind. A fter what Michael did, she wasn’t eager to trust any man. “I’ve found following blind leads to trouble.”
    Rafe stared at her for long minutes, then nodded.
    “Fair enough.” He swung into the saddle and offered his hand. “I want you in front to make sure you stay awake.”
    “A ll right.”
    Rough fingers burned through her gloves as he pulled her between his thighs and the pommel. He shifted behind her, molding their bodies together like hot wax. His spicy scent invaded her senses as he reached for the reins, wrapping her in his embrace.
    Good Lord! To handle the horse, Rafe’s arms would surround her as they rode. His thighs would cradle her hips. His penis would rub her bottom. Oh, God.
    “Lean back against me. We’ll stay warmer pressed together.”
    She should object, but the words crumbled on her lips. Nettie would call this a slippery slope to ruin, but Nettie wasn’t the one freezing to death. Maggie was making a choice based on survival. That was all. It had nothing to do with how good he felt.
    “Damn,” he mumbled, fumbling with the reins.
    “Here.” Maggie pulled the gloves from her hand and pressed them into his chilled palm.
    “No.”
    She craned her neck to face him. “I’ll sit here. I’ll share your warmth. I’ll even be quiet, but you wear the gloves. I have pockets.”
    He opened his mouth as if to argue again.
    “If you say no, I’ll ride behind you.”
    He frowned, but slid his hands inside the wool.
    “You’re bossy. I don’t like being told what to do.” She gave him a smile. “Then we finally agree on something. I don’t appreciate your high-handedness.” If she intended to make her own life, she had stand up for herself. Might as well start now.
    His brow dipped, and she braced for his anger. But the corners of his eyes crinkled, and a smile quirked his lips. “Point taken,” he conceded.

    Confusion whirled through her. She had stood her ground without the repercussion of cruel taunts?
    A thick moment passed while they stared at each other—until Moses danced impatiently. Maggie turned and settled herself. Rafe’s thighs squeezed against her hips as he signaled the horse into a canter. Shivers trickled down her spine, though heat exploded in her stomach. She had caught Michael once in this position.
    He had their stable boy bent over a straw bale, almost the same position she and Rafe had now—except Michael had been thrusting his penis into the man’s ass. Their groans of pleasure echoed through the stable, her gasp unnoticed.
    Until this moment, she’d never considered a man might take a woman in the same way, but now…The thought of Rafe’s sweaty body thrusting behind hers sent a hot jolt of desire straight to her cunny. A nd the fact that she liked it could only mean trouble.
    Damn slippery slope.
    The wind drove through them sideways, whipping flakes as big as flapjacks into their path. She snuggled to his chest, warm as a stovepipe against her back. The feel of his hard body made her ache, an ache much worse than her saddle-sore thighs. A nd in a much more private place.
    “Why don’t you tell me how you ended up in Cougar Creek.” His breath rippled over her ear, twisting the ache tighter.
    “I thought you didn’t like chatter.”

    “I’m…sorry,” he whispered.
    The air lodged in her throat. He apologized?
    “What?” She swiveled to catch his expression, but the action pressed his lips—and his next words—to her neck.
    “I don’t mind if you talk. It will keep you awake,” he continued. “So why don’t you tell me where you and your cousin were