Cowboy Redeemed (2 page)

She went up on her toes and nipped his chin. “Of course I do, but you don’t need to know it. One time, no strings.”

The contact fueled the fire in his blood as her words sparked his irritation.

“Oh, no. You want no strings, fine. I’ll play your little game.” Except he wouldn’t agree to the one-time deal. He didn’t have to get her naked to know once wouldn’t be enough to get his fill, but he’d concede to no strings if it was what she needed.

Hell, it was what he needed. Strings meant complications. Why would he want to invite that kind of thing into his life? Just because his older brothers were ridiculously happy in their relationships didn’t mean Clay had to follow suit. His life was fine. Damn near perfect, in fact.

Clay loved being a rancher. His family had owned Shadow Maverick Ranch for generations. He was proud to be a part of it. He rarely thought about what it would be like to have a spread of his own, to have his own legacy to pass down to the sons he hoped to have someday—when the right woman came along.

“Well?”

Did his right woman have expressive, blue-green eyes, and a body that fit perfectly against his?

Fuck. “I’ve got a condition of my own. Give me your name.”

Her eyelids lowered, and she toyed with a button on his shirt. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Do what?”

“Act like this is more than it is.”

“I asked for your name, sweetheart, not for your hand in marriage.” Although the idea of getting hitched wasn’t as abhorrent as it would’ve been a few hours ago.

Clay kept his expression passive as she considered him. Miss One-Night-Stand would run like a scared rabbit if she guessed where his thoughts had gone. Maybe he should be the one hightailing it.

“Ainsley,” she sighed. “My name is Ainsley Russell.”

Chapter Three

Three seconds.

That was how long it took the sexy cowboy to release her and step away.

Wow. Ainsley had been rejected before, but his speed at doing so had to be a personal record.

Men went for the pretty ones. Women who spent time on things like hair, makeup, pretty clothes, and shoes. Feminine women. Women with soft hands.

Ainsley’s hands weren’t soft. She didn’t own a single dress. And the highest heel she’d ever had on her feet were on the boots she wore around the ranch.

She’d understand if the cowboy had seemed disinterested. He hadn’t. So being shut down because of her name? That left her feeling all kinds of
what the hell?

She wasn’t anyone special. A girl from nowhere who’d inherited a failing ranch from an uncle she hadn’t known. An uncle by marriage. A man named Lawrence Nelson, or so she’d been told.

Mr. Sutherland had called her a gypsy. He hadn’t been far off. Ainsley hadn’t known anyone in her family. Not her parents. Not aunts or cousins, and certainly
not
an uncle-by-marriage. Oh no. Her life had been a series of bad foster homes and even worse luck. With her history, she shouldn’t be so surprised the mere sound of her name had been enough to cut the heat on Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.

Aside from the rejection, at least the night hadn’t been a total loss—her pool game hadn’t deserted her. She’d be able to eat for the next couple of weeks without digging into her operational funds.

Ainsley took the wins where she could get ’em.

She should’ve just taken her money and gone home. Not tested her fragile prosperity by giving in to her body’s need for the warmth of another human being. But goddamn it. The cowboy was seriously hot. And for one brief moment, Ainsley wanted to feel as if she weren’t alone.

Pretending wouldn’t change the facts. She
was
alone, fighting to make a life for herself and for the ranch she hadn’t known she wanted.

She sighed. Time to go.

Ainsley tilted her head to look him in the eye. “This was a mistake.” God, the man was tall. Intimidating. And staring at her mouth as though he either didn’t understand English, or he was thinking about kissing her.

In one swift motion, he jerked the hat from his head and ran fingers through a mess of thick black hair. “Aren’t you going to ask who I am?”

She stared at him, wondering what difference it would make. His image would haunt her as it was. His powerful build. The tattoo covering a good portion of his right forearm and disappearing under the rolled-up sleeves of his black button down. His cocky grin showing off a row of pearly whites. Tack on his dark eyes and unshaven jaw … god. Knowing his name would only add insult to injury.

It would make his rejection too … personal.

“Nope.” Ainsley turned to leave. His hand shot out to encircle her wrist.

“Clayton.” At his insistent tug, Ainsley turned back to face him.

“Okay,
Clayton
.” As though that should mean anything to her. “You want to explain to me what just happened?” And why his rejection hurt so much? Jesus, she’d been tossed aside all her life. Why this man had the power to hurt her where so many others had failed was beyond comprehension.

His hardened gaze nailed her in place. “
Mathis
,” he bit out. “I’m Clayton Mathis.”

Ainsley gawked up at him as the name registered. How had she missed it? His face was so similar to Gavin’s it was a wonder she hadn’t made the connection before now.

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Of all the…
Of course he was Clayton Mathis. True to history, Ainsley’s luck was right on target. Why else would the sexiest cowboy she’d ever seen turn out to be the
same fucking one
who’d been trying to steal her ranch?

Okay,
steal
might be a tad dramatic. Clayton’s brother had been relentless in pursuit of her property, but he hadn’t actually done anything illegal. Not that it mattered. The ranch was hers. She’d be damned before she’d let anyone take it from her. Problem was, if her loan didn’t come through, there wasn’t much she could do to stop it.

Ainsley closed her eyes and took a deep breath, hating how out of control she felt. “Let me go.”

“No.”

Her body reacted with alarming speed to the firm response. Her skin pebbled, her breasts grew heavy, and her pussy clenched tight. Ainsley jerked her arm. “I told you this was a mistake.” Another tug. Clayton’s hold was unrelenting.

“Stop, Ainsley. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

Her belly fluttered at hearing her name spoken in his husky drawl. So sexy. So dangerous to her resolve. “Then let. Me. Go.”

He sighed. “Are you going to take off on me?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Then, no.” Amusement flickered in his warm, chocolate gaze.

Ainsley held her temper in check. She’d had plenty of practice dealing with annoying men. She loosened her muscles and took a step toward him. She raised her unshackled hand and placed her palm against his chest. Warm, solid muscle flexed under her touch. She glanced up at him through her lashes. “I’ll promise not to walk away if you let me go.” She didn’t promise not to run, though.

He clasped her free wrist, effectively binding her against him. “Nice try, but it’s not gonna happen. We’re going to sit back down, all civil-like, and have a chat.”

Her nipples tightened to tender points. Her wrists burned under the heat of his hands. She imagined him holding her down, taking what he needed as he gave her the same. Hard. Fast. Complete. Her throat tightened. “I didn’t come here to chat,” she choked out.

His hungry, knowing smile stole her breath.

“Right. You came here to fuck.” He leaned in until his breath tickled her skin. Her eyes drifted closed as he traced the shell of her ear with his tongue and nibbled her lobe. “We’ll get to that part, Ainsley. Believe me.”

She wanted to believe him. Wanted to lose herself in his wicked promise. She’d been around long enough to hear of his reputation for being a player, for not getting attached, and that certainly suited her needs.

He trailed his lips down the side of her neck, placing an open-mouthed kiss where her pulse beat heavy in her throat. Ainsley’s knees weakened when he sucked then gently nipped the sensitive skin. With very little effort, he’d found her weak spot. As though he’d instinctively known where to go to get what he wanted.

Her land.

Her home.

Ainsley growled her frustration. He didn’t want her—he wanted her compliant in order to convince her to sell.

She shoved him. The big brute didn’t even budge. Breathless from his sensual assault, she cleared her throat and prayed her voice wouldn’t shake.

“I didn’t come here to fuck, you jerk. I came here to—” She clamped her lips shut. Oh no. Her cash flow problems weren’t his business. She wasn’t about to give him more ammunition.

“Came here to what? Swindle innocent cowboys out of their money?”

“I’m just having a good time like everyone else,” she hedged. “Is it my fault those boys suck at pool? And that bunch is hardly innocent, I assure you. If you’d heard the offers a couple of them made…” Ainsley shook her head, feigning regret. “Looks like I made the wrong choice.”

Clayton’s expression darkened—intoxicating hunger receding to angry male. “I’m going to assume you meant no offense.”

“Assume all you like. It won’t change the end result. Even if you weren’t the most annoyingly arrogant man I’ve ever met, your family wants my ranch.” The only home Ainsley ever had.

“Since when did it become a crime to want to buy property? People do it all the time.”

If only things were that simple. Ainsley was hanging on by the skin of her teeth. The vultures were circling, waiting to swoop in and take everything away from her.

Ainsley had a real chance to put down roots here. She was out of her league, but she was smart. She worked hard. And she never went down without a fight.

“If you think sleeping with me is going to get you closer to your goal, you’re dead wrong. You can’t have my land, and you won’t have me.”

His lips quirked. “You’re the one who started this, sweetheart. Or have you forgotten? I’ll bet you haven’t. I’ll bet your hot little body craves what I can give it, just as mine craves yours.”

The air turned stifling hot. No man had ever
craved
her before. Ainsley struggled to breathe through the sexual energy radiating from the rugged cowboy and shooting straight to her core.

Her body knew she hadn’t chosen wrong. The evidence of his arousal pressed against her belly, feverish and hard. She could almost feel the impressive length stretching her, filling her. The warmth of his mouth on her breasts. His calloused hands on her skin. It had been so long. Her body ached to be touched.

And Clayton Mathis was the
last
cowboy she should let touch her.

“Sit down, Ainsley.” He directed her back to her chair, releasing her only as her butt hit the seat.

Ainsley rubbed her wrists. He hadn’t hurt her. Quite the contrary. The heat from his grip lingered as if he’d branded her.

“Are all you Mathis boys bullies?” she snapped, willing her body to chill the hell out.

Clayton frowned. “I know my brother can come on strong. Has he said or done anything to hurt you?”

The genuine concerned that wrinkled his handsome brow threatened to melt her heart. No one had ever cared about her before. Only that she stayed quiet and out of the way. When she hadn’t, no one cared about the hurt that followed.

She didn’t know what to do with the emotions rioting inside her: anger, need, wonder. She stared at her lap. His boots. The legs of the chair he moved closer to her. The strong thighs suddenly bracketing her knees.

A warm knuckle lifted her chin. “Ainsley? Has Gavin done something I should know about?”

As if she were any of Clayton’s concern. She swallowed back the longing that had plagued her for as long as she could remember. She jerked her face away from his touch. “Not that it matters, but no. He’s a pain in my ass, nothing more.”

“What do you mean? Of course it matters.”

This was ridiculous. Clayton didn’t really care about her. The longer she sat there and pretended he could, the more trouble she’d cause herself later. She should leave. “You mean to tell me if I said your brother had hurt me in some way, you’d believe it?”

He took her hands in his, cradling them against her thighs. His thumbs brushed over her knuckles. “Do I believe Gavin would intentionally cause you any harm? No, I don’t. He’s a good man. I’m saying Gavin and I would have a conversation about it. I’m saying if there’s offense, I’d make it right.
Gavin
would make it right.”

The man continued to shock her. Which, Ainsley was certain, was the only reason she remained in the chair instead of heading out the door.

What would it be like to have that kind of belief in someone? To love so unconditionally?

“Why would you do that?”

He traced the sensitive skin between her fingers, one after the other, as he embarked on a gentle exploration of her hands.

A rush of pleasure followed each stroke, leaving behind tiny bumps along her skin.

He shrugged. “I just would.”

Damn him. Because he was trying to soften her toward his family. Because they wanted something from her.

She jerked her hands away. “Great. Thanks. I appreciate the sentiment, but I can handle my own affairs.”

His wicked grin was back. “Can you now?”

“Yes, I can. And that means we’ve got nothing left to say.”

“Come on, Ainsley. You’re blowing this out of proportion. I’m not the enemy here. The business between you and my brother has nothing to do with me.”

Clayton didn’t seem the kind of guy who’d have a hard time finding female company. Ainsley could count at least three pairs of eyes glued to the sexy cowboy, and those were just from the table next to them. No doubt he could walk out of here with any woman he wanted, and probably would once he realized his hard-sell approach wouldn’t work for him any more than it had worked for Gavin.

“Are you joking? Your name is Mathis, right?”

His stubborn chin rose. “And damn proud of it. That doesn’t mean I get involved in Gavin’s business.”

Right. “You have no interest whatsoever?”

“Interest. Involved. Two different things. The herd is my business. Whether it’s four hundred head, or forty thousand, makes me no never mind. I go where the cattle are, darlin’. Gavin takes care of the rest.”

Ainsley didn’t believe for a second things were that cut and dried over at Shadow Maverick Ranch. She hadn’t been in town fifteen minutes before rumors about the tight-knit Mathis family filled her ears. After six months, Ainsley had a good idea how things worked. Thick as thieves, they were. As, she admitted, a family should be.

Damn it! They could be naked and sweaty in the cab of his truck right now. Why couldn’t he have kept his tempting mouth shut? Ainsley knew why and it pissed her off even more. She didn’t want to feel anything for this man. Not the lust searing her veins, and not the gratitude that warmed her chest. The son of a bitch had given her a choice when he could’ve taken advantage. She would’ve fucked him without his name, and he hadn’t let her. His conscience really put a damper on her night.

“That’s good to know. Gavin’s in charge. You’re the ranch hand.” Conscience or not, no man enjoyed a poke at his ego.

Clayton eased back in his chair, the tight set of his jaw making her wonder if she’d pushed too hard. “You know, I’m beginning to think you’re deliberately trying to aggravate me. While I can think of a much better use for that aggression, I’m intrigued. What are you so afraid of? What’s going on over at your place that has my brother convinced you need to sell? There must be some reason he hasn’t taken no for an answer.”

A vulture following a scent.

According to Mr. Sutherland, Ainsley was broke. She was nothing if not determined, and she’d do whatever she had to do to keep the ranch, including beating not-so-innocent cowboys out of their beer money if she needed cash for groceries.