Page 74 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

Her gaze swept over his thick black hair, straight nose, penetrating eyes, firm jaw and wide mouth. Her heart skipped a beat as she recalled their kisses last night. He was so handsome, so appealing, yet so very wrong in seeking revenge.

She knew that no matter what was happening between them, after this job, she would tell him goodbye, go back to her routine and never see him again. They had no common ground, no part of their lives they could share. Sexy appeal and hot kisses were not the foundation of solid relationships.

Though her body might try to convince her differently, this was a man she did not want in her life. As she studied him, he leaned closer, moving his chair until their arms touched. Blake brushed her cheek lightly with his warm fingers. She shivered, momentarily forgetting their differences, responding to the feathery contact.

“See what I can do,” he said softly. He placed his fingers lightly on her throat and raised his eyebrows. “This between us goes beyond our differences. When we touch, the world and our differences don’t even matter.”

“Yes, they do. Maybe for a short time we can forget them, but they’re real and stronger than thrills from kissing.” She took a deep breath, trying to recall why she needed to pull back from him. “I thought you said you’re close to your half brothers. You’ll hurt them if you hurt your father.”

Blake smiled at her. “No, I won’t. They know what I’m doing and they know I will never do any real damage to my father. It’s a point of pride. And, frankly, my hotels are making money for me. Our father has ignored all his sons to some degree. They all know what I’m doing, and they don’t care. He’s hurt them, maybe more than he’s hurt me, because he gave them more hope that he would be in their lives.”

“Is he close with their mother?”

“They’re friendly. They speak. My mom and dad are definitely not friendly. He cut her out of his life abruptly when he cut me out. She hasn’t spoken to him since I was three or four years old,” he said, taking a pin out of Sierra’s hair.

“He has remained in Cade’s life, and in the lives of his other sons and sees them once or twice a year, but he was never much of a father. Financially, he provided for them, but they all went to boarding schools and got little of his attention or time.”

“That’s entirely different from my family or how I grew up,” she said, catching his hand where it was wrapped in her hair. “You probably shouldn’t do that,” she whispered, aware of his fingers and the slight tugs on her scalp, of his dark gaze on her.

“Be thankful you didn’t grow up the way we did,” Blake said in a cynical tone. “All his sons—all of us—are wealthy in our own right, and my half brothers will inherit more wealth from him. I’m not taking any of that away from them. What I’m doing is like a flea bite on a dog—annoying, yet meaningless to my father. It only means something to me.”

“Perhaps, but you’re aiming all your energy at revenge,” she said, horrified by the current goal in his life, and how readily he admitted it. “We’re total opposites,” she said, thinking about what he was telling her while at the same time aware of his fingers moving in her hair, taking it down, letting her locks tumble over her shoulders.

“I suppose we are, and I guess that’s why it’s so difficult for me to understand why you gave up your interior design career. You have a master’s degree. How can you toss that aside? That took you years, and a lot of work, to achieve. You could make a fortune, make a name for yourself—why throw that away?”

“Because what I’m doing now is more important to me. There are people in the world who just need a little help. There are animals that are abandoned and hurt. That’s what’s important to me.”

“I think you’ll have regrets.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’m just amazed at the choices you’ve made. Maybe someday you’ll rethink what you’re doing.”

He leaned close. “Maybe I will, or perhaps you can convince me to do so,” he said in a sexy, coaxing voice that made her think about hot kisses and forget all about careers and revenge. “Want to take a shot at reforming me?” he whispered, brushing his lips over her ear, fanning her desire.

“I can’t convince you to do anything,” she whispered.

“You’d be surprised how easily you can convince me to do some things,” he whispered back, leaning a fraction closer while his gaze dropped to her mouth. She could barely get her breath.

“Blake, stick to business.” Could he tell her heart was pounding? She should move away from him, but she was immobile, held by light kisses and feathery caresses. “Blake...”

His mouth covered hers, and his fingers combed into her hair, pulling her closer as he kissed her—a hot, passionate kiss that drove everything from her thoughts except desire. She wound her arms around his neck, forgot her resolutions to keep her distance, no longer cared if he sought revenge on the father who abandoned him. For the moment, heat poured into her and she wanted his arms holding her tightly against him.

Blake picked her up, placing her in his lap. He leaned over her, shifting to cradle her against his shoulder while he continued to kiss her senseless.

Her fingers played over him, running across his broad shoulders, down his thick biceps, across his broad chest. How could he turn her world topsy-turvy, making her forget reason and toss aside caution, causing her to risk her heart when he could so easily break it to pieces? She knew she should stop him. But it was long past the time to say no.

Instead, she held him tightly, kissing him wildly, pouring herself into kisses and caresses while she trembled with the need that he built as he caressed her in turn.

As he tugged at her buttons, she wriggled away and stood, gasping for breath. He came to his feet. His shirt was undone, open to reveal his sculpted chest.

“We should say good-night, Blake.”

“I’ll go with you to your room,” he said.

“No. I have some reading to do, and I want to get my notes in order.”

He leaned close to whisper in her ear. “You’re scared to stay down here with me for another hour tonight. You won’t work on your notes.”

She laughed softly. “You might be right. You’re a physically appealing man, Blake Callahan—something I didn’t consider when I took this job.”