“You’re suggesting we use each other.” My gaze dips to her mouth.
“Not in the way you’re implying.” She narrows her eyes. “We need to talk. You know, adult conversation. Ever had one of those with a woman? Without getting an erection?”
I smirk. “My words tend to be more offensive than my erections.”
“That’s good. It’s great, actually. If you’re verbally offensive, it means you’re actually thinking and conveying those thoughts. It’s a symptom of real communication.” She anchors her hands on her hips and stares out at the dark landscape. “We want different things, and we’re going into this on opposite sides. I’m willing to argue with you, make disrespectful claims, and offend you in the pursuit of truth.”
Her pursuit of truth is what scares me. But that’s not the only thing.
Everything she said is self-evident, but I never thought about it in such a succinct and intelligent way. She’s smarter than me, and that scares me the most.
“I came here prepared for the backlash of your anger.” She shifts her eyes back to mine. “I’m not an emotional bleeder or safe-space person.” At the lift of my brow, she clarifies. “I’m not easily offended. I already know you give as good as you get. You won’t hurt my feelings.”
“Did you prepare that speech?”
“I’m kind of winging it as I go.”
I like her even more. She’s authentic and expressive and stimulating, and it has nothing to do with her physical beauty. I could pick her brilliant mind for hours and feel more fulfilled than a night of no-strings sex.
When was the last time a woman engaged me without trying to lock me into marriage?
Conor doesn’t count.
“What do you say?” She juts her chin. “We’ll talk. Exchange information. Then I’ll leave. You’ll never see me again. Do we have a deal?”
I’m focused enough to ensure she doesn’t walk away with anything that could threaten my family. But she’s sharp. Sharp enough to outsmart me.
What she can’t do is physically overpower me.
“You think you have it all figured out.” I drift closer, invading her space.
“I didn’t say that.” A head shorter, she has to tilt her neck back to meet my eyes.
“Did you factor in the possibility that I’m a coldblooded psychopath? Or that I’m bigger than you? Stronger and more aggressive?” I grab her jaw. “You should’ve run when you had the chance.”
“I’m not running.” Her swallow confesses her uncertainty. “But I will scream.”
I lunge for her, catch her around her thighs, and haul her over my shoulder.
“Put me down!” She digs her nails into my back and kicks uselessly in the constriction of my arms. “Help! Help me!”
I live on ten-thousand acres. The only two people within hearing range probably went to bed. Even if Jake and Conor catch the sound of her screams, they won’t interfere.
She struggles against me, wearing out the muscles in her tight little body.
“Give it a rest.” I slam a palm against her ass. Hard.
She chokes on a shriek and elbows the back of my head. “What are you doing?”
“Demonstrating how I communicate.”
“Keep your hands off my—”
I spank her again, and she really starts thrashing.
“This is illegal.” She bounces her fists on my back and bucks up and down like a wild bronco. “I’ll have you arrested for this.”
“In Oklahoma, I have the right to use defensible force against trespassers on my property.” I carry her along the dirt trail that leads to the stable. “You should learn the laws if you’re going to write about a criminal case.”
While I won’t give her anything tangible to use against my family, I intend to offer her a deal she can’t refuse.
If she wants juicy gossip, she’ll have to work for it.
Except I’ll be doing most of the work. The kind of single-minded, well-planned work that peels her open, layer by layer, until I penetrate every inch of her naked core.
It’s a dangerous game, but I have to explore this. Not just the secrets she may or may not hold against me. I need to unravel whatever it is about her that makes me feel like I’m floating on goddamn sunshine.
She pushes her hands against my back, probably watching her car fade into the darkness behind us. “Where are you taking me?”
“To my office.”
“I can walk there on my own. Put me down.”
“No can do, sweetheart.”
“This is bullshit.”
“What you’re smelling is horse shit. The bulls are in the west pasture.”
She makes a frustrated sound in her throat. “How the fuck are you the sperm that won?”
“I can explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you.”
“I really wish I had more middle fingers right now.” Her arms flap angrily against my back, no doubt flipping me off. “What happens when we arrive at your office?”
“I’ll lay out the terms of our deal.”
I don’t negotiate. I’ll take what I want and give her what she needs, not what she thinks she needs.