Cowgirl Fever (Novak Springs Book 1) (5 page)

Dallas still couldn’t believe he let Emma talk him not only into leading one of the groups on that blasted scavenger hunt but also to take the winners out on an overnight camping trip. Why did he let her talk her into doing these things to entertain her guests? Oh yeah, he wanted to make her happy. He remembered now. It still irked him a bit. The only good thing was Wes’s reaction to it had been priceless. It should be entertaining at least to spend the evening with his brother on that campout.

He had a lot of things to do and most of them involved running the ranch. He sometimes wished he didn’t love his family quite as much as he did. They were the only ones he allowed inside his heart. After what he went through with Melody, he didn’t trust anyone he hadn’t known his whole life, and if he was being honest, sometimes he didn’t trust them. He learned that women were fickle and that he really only needed one thing from them. As long as they understood he wasn’t the staying kind, he would form a relationship of sorts with them. The relationship consisted of one night of no-holds-barred sex and he left them. Once the night was over, he didn’t give any of them a second thought. Why bother? All he needed was to occasionally have his needs met, and he had no problem finding a willing female to give him what he desired most. Of course in light of his discussion with Emma, he believed it was time to make a change. He had no clue how he’d go about making that happen. It was hard to let go of already ingrained attitudes.

As he sauntered out of the barn to walk to the main house, he saw a navy blue Honda Civic pull up in the long driveway. The driver pulled it up to the front of the house and parked it by the white wraparound porch attached to the sunny-yellow house. She got out of the car, closing the door with a small thud. She began to pull her long butterscotch locks up into a messy ponytail that left random strands to fall all over her head and face. The woman adjusted her oversized sunglasses that covered her high cheekbones while her heart-shaped mouth lifted into a smile as she looked at the house. Dallas was awestruck at how beautiful she was; her breasts were full and high, and her waist narrowed into a plump ass. He had never seen hair quite that shade, and he wanted to touch it to feel if it was as soft as it looked. As she leaned forward to smooth away the wrinkles on her shirt, he got a better look at her ass. His mouth watered at the sight, and he ached to reach over and give it a hard squeeze while he took the time to sink his mouth into her lush bosom. It gave him ideas of what he could do with her once he got her naked and in that exact position.

She turned toward him, and as she looked at him, her tongue slowly ran over her lips. In that moment he knew that she was going to be the one woman he couldn’t resist. She was going to be his, if only for a little while. Miss Butterscotch Locks would be the exception to his one night rule. Oh yes, she will be in my bed for as many nights as I can charm her into it, he thought as he hoped she was one of the program’s two-week guests. That might be enough time to get her out of his system. Heavy emphasis on the might. He suspected it wouldn’t nearly be enough time to satisfy his lust for her. He brushed his sweaty hands on the side of his dusty jeans and walked toward her. As he neared her, she looked him over as if trying to figure him out. He must be quite a sight. The chores in the barn had gotten quite dirty, and he was covered in dust from head to toe. A shower was calling his name, and he had been aiming to get inside of one when he stepped outside of the barn.

“Can I help you, ma’am?” he asked.

“Ma’am? Seriously, do I look like a ma’am?” the woman said sarcastically and shook her head. “I’m sorry, it’s been one hell of a long trip to get here. I’m looking for Emmaline Novak.”

“I might be able to help you with that.” The corner of his lip curved up into a half smile. “I happen to know her very well. Are you one of her guests?”

“Ginnifer Zeiss,” she said as she held her hand out to him. “I need to tell her that Tori won’t be here until tomorrow and to, well, get settled in. I need to rest, I’ve been traveling since eight o’clock this morning. The trip from New York was hell, and I could seriously use some down time. God, I am rambling, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect jet lag to hit me quite this hard.”

I sure would like to hit you hard.
He shook the idea out of his head. One thing at a time; she needs to get settled in. Ginnifer. It was too long. He needed to think of a fitting nickname for the gorgeous woman standing in front of him. He had never been swayed by someone’s appearance, but he believed by the time she left, he was going to know this female quite well. It would be a vacation she wouldn’t soon forget, and the bonus was that she was leaving in two weeks and he wouldn’t have to see her again. Sounded like a win-win situation in his mind. The key was to try to charm her from the start and maybe they could get a lot closer and soon. Who was he kidding? He wasn’t capable of real charm. She would be his, though, make no mistake about it.

Dallas reached out and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Gin. If you follow me inside, I’ll see if I can find Emma.”

Ginnifer raised her eyebrows, mocking him. “Gin? I’m not some kind of alcohol you can swill at your convenience. Please call me Ginnifer if you’re going to be less formal.”

Dallas’s lips lifted into a smile that could only be described as cocky. The corners of his mouth lifted partially up and his eyes narrowed. His gaze traveled her body upward from her feet, slowing over her torso and chest, and then up to stare boldly in her sea-green eyes. “Trust me, I’d take the time to savor every inch of you. Swill isn’t in my vocabulary. Come along, Gin, and I’ll get my sister for you.”

Dallas started to walk to the front door as Ginnifer followed. They walked in, and he led her into a bright sunny kitchen. The whole room was squeaky clean. There were several fresh rolls cooling on the counters and a huge pot of vegetable beef soup simmering on the stove. The aroma was mouthwatering. It had been ages since he had eaten anything and couldn’t wait to taste what Mrs. Henly had created.

Ginnifer rubbed her hands over the legs of her pants, once again wiping the moisture that was gathering on them. “Emma’s your sister? She didn’t mention she had a brother.”

Dallas raised one of his eyes at her question. “I didn’t realize you two had gotten real cozy and shared personal info. There are the three of us—Emma, Wes, and, well, me.”

“Mr. Novak, I really don’t like being called Gin.”

His mouth twitched into another cocky smile. “Dallas.”

A puzzled look was on her face. “What?”

“Call me Dallas, not Mr. Novak.”

“Right, if you had bothered to tell me your name sooner, I may have addressed you as such. Has anyone ever told you how rude you are?” she asked.

“On occasion.”

Gin raised her eyebrow up and asked, “And you never bothered to question if they were right or not?”

Dallas’s laughter rumbled out of him, and it reverberated through the room. “Oh no, I know I’m rude. It’s an art form, really. Why be nice? It’s a waste of time.”

She rolled her eyes. “Right, I wouldn’t want to waste your time.”

Dallas was quick to reassure her. “Oh this isn’t a waste of my time. I was coming in here anyway.”

“Oh soooo glad I’m not keeping you from something much more important. Please don’t let me keep you any longer. Do go run off and well, do whatever it is you do here. I’m sure that Emma will be around here at some point. I don’t need you to stay here and babysit me. Actually I would prefer that you didn’t.”

“I think that it would be best if I stayed here and kept you company.” He ran his tongue over his teeth. “I am finding your company—very stimulating.”

Ginnifer’s lips pursed in displeasure. “In case you were wondering, I don’t like you. In fact, I’m starting to think that most people don’t.”

Oh his Gin had some spunk. Oh yes, he was going to enjoy her very much. The battle of wits was almost as orgasmic as it was going to be once he found a way to be inside her. He needed to fuck her, and well, it was only a matter of time before he got what he wanted. Dallas was used to getting what he wanted, and Gin was the newest acquisition he would add to his portfolio. The foreplay before they got to the real stuff was only going to make it that much sweeter. Once he had her naked, he could taste every last inch of her. When he finally got her ass in his hands and as he licked her nipples to pull them inside of his mouth, it would be one of his greatest moments. That idea would have to be tabled for now. Gin wasn’t nearly ready to go down that road with him, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t start preparing her for the idea. “I don’t care if other people like me. As long as I get what I want.” He ran his fingers gently down the side of her face as he leaned in closer and whispered in her ear, “And rest assured, I always get what I want.”

Ginnifer jerked away from him and moved across the room to gain some distance between them. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what you think it means.”

With an appalled look on her face, Ginnifer said, “Well I don’t plan on getting any closer to you than I have to. Find your sister so I can go rest in my cabin in relative peace.”

A slow, lazy smile formed on his face. “Oh, I don’t think so darlin’. We’ll have plenty of time to get to know all the intimate details about each other.”

Ginnifer’s faced turned a bright red at his suggestive comments. He couldn’t wait to see if her whole body blushed as brightly when they got around to getting naked together. This was one time that Dallas wanted to whoop with joy at his sister’s lame-brained idea of Cowgirl Yoga. At this point in time, it was the best idea she had ever had. In fact, maybe he should start encouraging her to make this project a little more long-term.

Ginnifer stared at him, shocked at his innuendos. “Uh-huh, that’s a bit presumptuous of you. I think I’ll pass.”

“Not at all.” Dallas sauntered over to her, leaned in close, and spoke softly in her ear. “I look forward to seeing if you blush all over.”

With that comment, Dallas strolled out of the door. That would give her something to think about. Anticipation was part of the game. The more time she had to think about it, the more eager she would be. He knew over time she would want him as much as he wanted her. He would be only too happy to accommodate her when she walked willingly over to the dark side.

*

Ginnifer could not believe he said those things to her. When she first saw him, he was the sexy cowboy of her dreams. Well he was filthy, but she still wanted to rub her hands all over his body. She had a deep desire to feel if he was as rock-hard all over as he looked. The cowboy was truly a beautiful man. He had some light stubble on his face, adding to his appeal. His blue eyes were steel traps that sucked you in and begged you to touch him. Ginnifer wanted to give in, at least until he opened his mouth and started speaking. That was when he ruined the fantasy. What an ass. She was torn between wanting to slap him and kiss him. Her emotions were so conflicting, she couldn’t make heads or tails out of the jumbled mess going across her body.

Could I possibly give in to that desire? He had such kissable lips. It had been a very long time since she came across a man that made her want to get naked. It was more than that. The desire she felt in his presence was something she had never truly felt before. It was both overwhelming and exciting at the same time. It didn’t matter that he was a rude asshole. His attitude told her he would be able to carry out everything his demeanor said he was capable of. That man would be able to make her scream, and Ginnifer had never come across a man so sure of himself. It was so damn attractive, and she had to wonder if she was willing to put up with his rudeness in order to find out how good he actually was.
Mmm, Dallas might indeed be the man I’ve been waiting for my whole life.
Ginnifer was still lost in thought and staring out of the kitchen window when a woman with reddish-brown hair walked in.

“Hi you must be Ginnifer. I’m Emma. Dallas told me you were waiting in here for me. I apologize if he was rude. He doesn’t like strangers,” she explained.

Ginnifer brushed the comment away with her hands. “It’s no big deal. I’ve dealt with worse. It’s nice to finally meet you, but I’m desperate to lie down and rest. It’s been a long day.”

Emma nodded her head. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting. If you’ll follow me, I can show you to your cabin.”

They walked out of the kitchen and made their way out the front door and onto the white wraparound porch. When they were down the steps and near Ginnifer’s rental car, Emma stopped and looked at her saying, “Do you need help with your bags?”

Ginnifer had completely forgotten about her bags. When Dallas had walked up, all reasonable thoughts had left her sleep-deprived brain and focused solely on him. It’s a good thing Emma had reminded her, or she very well may have left them in the trunk of her rental car. She turned to Emma and said, “Oh yeah, I should stop and get those out of the trunk. I wasn’t sure where you wanted me to park. Don’t worry, I can handle them myself. I only have the two bags, and one of them is on wheels.” Ginnifer stopped and popped the trunk and removed her two bags. She lifted the handle on the one and got ready to roll it over to her cabin. Swinging the remaining bag on her shoulder, she turned toward Emma and blew a stray piece of hair out of her face. Ginnifer nodded to Emma indicating she was prepared for the trek to her home away from home. They began to make their way over toward the cabin and talked on the way.