Free Summer Fling: Compass Girls, Book 3 by Mari Carr & Jayne Rylon Page A

snail’s pace. He’d been miserable without her loud laughter, her boundless energy, her over-the-top enthusiasm for just about anything and everything that happened at Circle H Ranch.
    “Fine. Yeah. Take a couple days to consider it. But don’t wait too long.”
    She scowled at what must’ve sounded like an ultimatum on his part. He didn’t mean it that way, but his libido was seriously fucking with his brain.  
    “That’s not a threat, Jade.” He grasped her hand and pulled it to the front placket of his jeans. She didn’t resist when he pressed her palm against his covered erection. “It’s a plea.”
    He expected her to make a joke, to tease him. Liam was surprised when she added more pressure to her touch, stroking his dick through the denim with enough strength to make his eyes drift shut, cause his jaw to lock. Christ, he was horny. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted a woman this much.
    For several quiet moments, she merely stroked him. Then her hand disappeared.
    He opened his eyes to find her studying his face. He wasn’t sure what she saw there, but the anxiousness in her gaze lifted, a small smile covering her face.
    “You promise me that no matter what happens this summer, after Sienna’s wedding, things will go back to normal?”
    He nodded, the lie tasting bad on his lips. “Sure.”  
    “I’ll give you my answer soon.”
    This time when she pushed against his chest, he gave way, allowing her to return to the house. Rather than follow, he walked over to the screen door and stared out into the night. He needed a few minutes to sort out his thoughts…and to coax his cock back into down-boy mode. Returning to the house with Jade—and a hard-on—while her father and uncles were around was the equivalent of waving a red flag in front of a herd of raging bulls.
    He was pretty damn sure Sawyer wouldn’t approve of the proposition he’d just offered his only daughter. Hell, he didn’t feel all that great about it himself. When he’d come up with the idea this afternoon, it had seemed like the perfect solution to his dilemma. He’d offer Jade the security of a casual affair, while slowly showing her exactly why they should embark on a longer engagement.
    Now…there was too much that could go wrong.
    And God help him if it did.  
    Because losing her was not an option.

Chapter Four
    Jade wiped the counter as the last few stragglers settled their tabs with Bruce. She frowned when she noticed her boss rubbing his stomach. He’d been doing that a lot lately.
    “My gut aches tonight.”
    “Did you go to the doctor yet?” she asked when Bruce walked behind the bar.
    “I don’t need some hack poking and prodding at me. I’m fine.”
    Jade closed her eyes and prayed for patience. She didn’t find it. She leveled a glare at her boss. “Goddammit, Bruce. Are you fucking kidding me? You’ve probably got an ulcer in there eating away at your stomach. Get some medicine or you’ll drop dead of stubbornness.”
    Bruce started to argue, then winced. “Stop yelling at me, Jade.”
    “I will when you go see someone and get this fixed.” She closed her mouth, realizing she was fighting a losing battle. “Why don’t you go on home? I’ll finish cleaning and lock the doors on my way out.”
    Bruce nodded, a sure sign he felt bad. He never left her alone at the bar late at night. He glanced around and Jade followed his gaze. She caught sight of Liam standing outside the building, talking to Jameson. A couple of the Compass ranch hands had over-imbibed. Liam was probably making sure they had a sober driver.
    Bruce walked to the front door. “Hey, Liam. You mind hanging out while Jade closes up tonight? I’m cutting out early.”
    “Sure thing.” Liam said something to Jameson, then returned to the bar.
    “What the hell, Bruce? I’m perfectly capable of shutting the bar down by myself.” Jade had managed to avoid Liam since his racy proposition for a sexy summer fling three