Animal Magnetism Read online

  “You’re going to be taking that back.”

  She smiled, like that had been her goal all along, and images of taking her right here and now in the Jeep flooded his mind.

  “Take the next exit,” Lilah said. “Echo Canyon.”

  He shook his head. “Granite Flat is faster.”

  She didn’t protest, but she did give him a long look.

  “Problem?” he asked.

  “No. I don’t have a problem with your control issues at all.”

  He rolled his eyes.

  “In fact,” she said, “in certain areas, your control issues are kind of hot.”

  Again his gaze swiveled her way. “Certain areas?”

  “In bed, for instance.” She sucked some melted cheese off her finger.

  Slowly.

  “Lilah,” he said, voice a little lower now.

  “Yes?” She sucked on another finger.

  “Stop.”

  She kept sucking. “Stop what?”

  Without warning, and gaze still on the road, Brady reached out with quick, accurate precision and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. “What did I tell you about payback?”

  “That I love it?”

  He laughed softly, and sucked her last cheesy finger into his hot, wet mouth.

  When her eyes drifted shut with a soft moan, he nipped her finger with his teeth, making her gasp. “And when I say later, I mean it.” Smiling, he let go of her and turned his concentration back to the road.

  They drove in silence for a while as Twinkles napped—and snored. Brady enjoyed the relative quiet. Lilah was wearing softly faded jeans that whenever she leaned forward to adjust the radio, sank low in the back, giving him peek-a-boo glimpses of smooth skin and the very hint of incredibly sweet twin dimples.

  He wanted to dip his tongue in those dimples.

  As for that ass, he wanted to cup it in his hands and—

  “You’re on the shoulder of the road, Brady.”

  Fuck. He swerved back. “Well, if you’d stop distracting me . . . ”

  “Distracting you?” She pulled one of her legs up and beneath her, twisting to smile at him. Her shirt gaped a little, revealing a curve of breast and another hint of baby blue silk. The lingerie from the Pharmacy. “How can I be distracting you? I’m just sitting here,” she asked, the picture of innocence.

  “I’ll pull over,” he warned her.

  Damned if she didn’t look intrigued, making him both groan and laugh at the same time.

  “No,” she finally said. “I don’t think you will.” She ran a hand up his thigh, found him through his jeans and outlined him with a finger.

  He nearly jerked them off the road again. Luckily the narrow two-lane highway was utterly deserted. He pulled over so fast they both were rudely yanked back by their seat belts.

  Twinkles scrambled for purchase on the backseat.

  “Wha—” was all she got out before he’d unhooked her seat belt and hauled her over the console and into his lap.

  He had his mouth on hers and his hands in her pants in one heartbeat, and in the next he had her whimpering for more. He kept that up for long minutes until she was rocking her hips and panting.

  “Oh God.” She arched to him. “Please . . .” She was breathless, head back, eyes closed. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. “Come for me,” he whispered in her ear, stroking her in the way he knew made her crazy, making her gasp and cry out his name.

  And she did. She burst and shuddered in his arms and while she made her way back to planet Earth, he held her close against his chest, face buried in her hair. She would probably call it cuddling.

  He called it regaining his sanity.

  Holding her was his sanity.

  Before she’d stirred a muscle, her cell phone rang from somewhere in her purse on the floor. She lifted her head and stared at Brady, hair all wild, face flushed, mouth open. “My ears are ringing.”

  “It’s your cell.”

  She looked so adorably, gorgeously befuddled. “Oh. I knew that.” Feeling around for it, she finally got it open. “Hello? Yes, ma’am, we’ll get there before dark.” Craning her neck, she looked out the window.

  It was already dusk. Her eyes caught on his obvious erection straining the denim, then met his, and in them was an apology but also amusement.

  He pushed her back to her side of the Jeep and put it into gear before pulling back onto the road.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I owe you.”

  He liked the sound of that, but it didn’t help his condition any. He shouldn’t have touched her, but he couldn’t help it—she was the hottest, sexiest thing he’d ever seen, and watching her come was his new favorite drug of choice.

  “Don’t you think we should fix this before we get there?” She reached out to touch, stroking him through the denim, making him groan. “Later,” he said.

  “You’ve got a lot of laters.”

  “Don’t worry, I always collect my debts.”

  They got to the ranch fifteen minutes later, right at sunset. Years before, the owners had given up the actual ranching to their kids, and then their kids’ kids. Mr. Leo Johnson was a big guy, but it was clear that his wife, Ellen, was completely in charge. She took one look at Brady and raised a penciled-in brow. “Dr. Death! Honey,” she said to her husband, “look, it’s Dr. Death! Nice article.”

  “Thank you,” Brady said, sliding a glance at Lilah, who was grinning. He wanted to be annoyed, but the sight of her genuine amusement always derailed him.

  Ellen introduced them to the three homeless dogs she’d found, each a Collie mix and probably litter mates as well. They were clearly neglected but dying for affection and made immediate friends with Twinkles.

  Lilah said she’d have little trouble finding them homes, but before Brady could help her load them up, Ellen had dinner on the table and refused to let them go without eating.

  Leo said grace and thanked God for the food, the house, the ranch, and every single animal on the ranch, and then his children, and his children’s children, and then for the past fifty years with a great woman, and just before Brady fell asleep at the table, his ears pricked up as Leo added, “and for bringing a new couple by for company tonight.”

  Brady turned his head to meet Lilah’s wide eyes. Couple? she mouthed, looking so horrified he nearly laughed.

  Leo smiled. “Sorry, it’s just very obvious that you two are recently together.”

  “Yes,” Ellen said. “You keep staring at each other or touching in some way.”

  Brady looked down and noticed that indeed he was thigh to thigh with Lilah, and even more telling, he had an arm draped over the back of her chair, his fingers tracing absent circles on her shoulder. His fingers froze midtrace.

  “So, how long has it been?” Ellen asked, passing around the thick pot roast and heart-attack-in-the-making mashed potatoes that were the best mashed potatoes Brady had ever tasted. “I mean, I assume this is brand-new,” she said with a secret smile at her husband. “Since there was no mention of a relationship in the Dr. Death article, and we all know how thoroughly invasive that gossip rag can be.”

  “Um,” Lilah said, looking uncomfortable. “Well, to be honest, we’re not—”

  Brady reached under the table and squeezed her knee. He didn’t know what came over him, probably retribution for how she’d mercilessly teased him in the Jeep, but he heard himself say, “Don’t be shy, honey.”

  She stared at him, clearly concerned he’d lost his marbles.

  And he had. The day he’d met her.

  “Oh, tell us the whole story,” Ellen said, clapping her hands with glee. “I love a real-life romance.”

  Brady smiled at Lilah. “Go ahead, darlin’. You tell it.”

  Lilah’s eyes narrowed on Brady. Her fork was still in midair, full of potatoes that he suspected she might want to fling into his face as she contemplated him. “Well, sweetheart,” she said, “it’s just that I don’t know where to star