Free The Cowboy's One Night Bride by Lolita London

seen a fox’s brush weaving through the long grass and gave a delighted cry, which she tried to disguise with a cough. Suppressing his amusement at her silly attempt, he gravely offered her his handkerchief, which she accepted with great reluctance. It was as though she had been handed a dead rat. He felt a sudden affection towards her, which he hurriedly tried to quell. His curious little minx was so disarming and he knew he couldn’t afford to relinquish the control he had over her. 
    Love makes you weak , he reminded himself sternly.
    “What is that sound?” Her curious voice cut into his train of thought and he turned towards her. The humming had gotten louder and her bright eyes were darting in every direction to locate the source. She looked like an excited chipmunk.
    “Those would be the bees.”
    “The bees?”
    “Yes. Honey has proven to be quite a lucrative trade, so I had the bees imported. We’re a distance from the farm where I keep them.”
    “Oh, oh! Can we go see?”
    Gianna clapped her hands in excitement and Anthony stared in surprise. He hadn’t seen her so alight before. Her eyes sparkled in the bright Nevada sunlight and her long, dark hair was windswept. She looked so effortlessly young and beautiful, as though she had just tumbled out of bed. His bed. He felt a sudden tightness in his breeches. Christ, not in the middle of his own bleeding property. He awkwardly cleared his throat.
    “I don’t want you getting too close to the bees. We’re not outfitted properly.” Her lips pouted prettily, making his groin twitch. Anthony groaned inwardly and shuffled his weight to hide the tent in his pants.
    “Look, the bees are active at this point in the day. I don’t know about you, but I want to be the only one who leaves marks on your body!” he snapped a little more harshly than he intended. He regretted it immediately as Gianna’s eyes widened in hurt. The excitement on her face was replaced with her usual surly expression.
    “Well, what does Sir propose that we do then? Should I clad myself in armor every time I leave the house? God forbid that my skin ever be tainted. Oh no, this canvas is exclusively reserved for your personal debasement – oh!”
    She yelped as she tripped on a loose rock. As she lost her balance, she grabbed wildly at his vest. Caught by surprise, Anthony was tugged down with her. They landed on the soft grass with a thump. He managed to prevent himself from falling on her by digging his palms into the ground.
    “Are you alright?” He looked over her form in concern. Her face was turned away from him and her body was shaking. Was she injured?
    “Gianna!”
    She turned towards him and he realized that she was shaking with mirth. She was breathless with laughter.
    Anthony felt untethered. He ought to have been incensed. First she had spoken so rudely to him and then her clumsiness had caused him to fall. And yet, for some reason, he didn’t feel angry at all. In fact, as he looked down upon her heaving bosom, he felt overwhelmed by a completely different emotion. One that was distinctively more carnal. 
    “Well, this is an interesting turn of his events.” He grinned.
     
    ++++++++
    Gianna’s heart sank as her laughter cut off. It had been surprisingly funny, especially when Anthony lost his irritating sense of composure and tumbled so clumsily. However, this position put her at a disadvantage. She was trapped within his arms, his face just inches away. Their lips were so close that he just had to lean forward to kiss her. By his smug tone, she knew he was aware of this and she cursed herself for landing herself in this position again.
    “Let me up,” Gianna demanded tersely, deciding to hedge her luck as she hoped to avoid yet another unwelcome sexual coupling.
    “But why should I, little wildcat? I’m finding this position … very convenient.” His voice was warm as molasses, and filled with such obvious intent that it made Gianna shiver despite the