“He’s not going to hurt me.”
“No, but that’s because he knows you’re mine.”
I studied him for a moment. “Are you afraid he might hurt Rhys?”
“I’d wondered if you saw that too.”
“Everyone within a mile radius sees that. TJ’s not exactly subtle. Neither of them is.”
Grant rolled his eyes. “True.”
“I maybe not be as perceptive as you, and I may not have your training, but I watch people, and I—”
“You’re smart and perceptive, and I’m sorry if you think I don’t see that.”
Before I could respond, he kissed me roughly. All I could do was surrender to it. He slid his hands down my back and gripped my ass, lifting me until I wrapped my legs around him, then he turned and set me on his desk.
When he finally broke the kiss, I was gasping for air. “God, I want you so much. What have you done to me?”
“Cast a spell on you obviously. Didn’t I tell you I was a witch?”
He laughed and kissed me again. When he pulled away a second time, he looked as dazed as I felt.
I had to bite my lip to hold in the words that wanted to spill free. I loved him, but he didn’t need that burden. He had so much weighing on him, and I was sure he cared for me, but love… That was… heavy. I needed to keep it to myself.
“I never got to take you on a trail ride.”
“No, but do you really want to do that now? I was kind of thinking we would…” I leaned back onto my elbows, brushing aside papers and other debris on his desk.
He caught a beer can just as it turned over. “I would love to fuck you on this desk, but I’m going to take you out on the trails first.”
“Okay?”
“Sweetheart, I would love to be inside you right now, but I don’t need my brothers walking in on us, and… I like seeing you on a horse. It’s…”
“What?”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. “Hot. It’s also something we share. Our love of horses.”
“I want to stay here at the ranch after this is all over.” Shit. Why had I blurted that out?
“I want you to stay.”
“You do?
“Yes. I thought that was obvious.”
Before I could say anything else, he tugged me toward the door. “Come on. Let’s go for a ride.”
“What did X say?” I asked as we walked toward the barn.
“He’s going to find the info I need and talk to his contact at the FBI. He liked the idea of us putting any pressure we can on Evan to get his side of the story.”
“X has an FBI contact?”
“Of course he does.”
“Wow. There’s a whole world I was too naive to believe in, isn’t there?”