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Her shoulders were tre uilty, contrite that he'd upset her, but the eh his veins and landed in a pool of heat in his gut was anger

Anger that she er that she considered herself laer that she was pissed at him when he was the one that couldn't have her

His hands landed on her waist and he pushed into her froainst the stall wall and her cheek pressed flat against the roughened wood as she turned her head to breathe

He put his mouth to her ear "You're not stupid and you're not lauttural "And I better not ever hear you call yourself that again What you are is stubborn The s around andI shouldn't have"

Emma was still and silent as she listened to him

His hands slid to her hips and then around to her sto her fe He slid one hand to her breast and held it firmly, while he slid his other hand down to the vee between her thighs and cupped her intiasped and he jerked her tighter as his strong arrip "The fact is I want you bad, E forabout it There's no damn reason we shouldn't You're not innocent; you know the ways of men Nobody but us will ever have to know It'd be different if you were a virgin, but you're not"

Luke rubbed his palm over her feminine heat and felt it the moment she melted in his arms and her body released the silken fire he so badly wanted Sheand for a split second he considered dragging her down to the hay and having her right then But he didn't want their first tilowing in the laht, in a bed where he could hold her afterwards "I want sex from you E where it's going to lead I' to have to let you go Don't for one second think that I wouldn't like to keep your sweet little body chained to odforsaken life, because I would if I damn well could"

His words shocked Emma out of the sexual stupor she had fallen into as pleasure exploded within She tried to turn in his arms to face him "But--"

She was interrupted by a loud voice co from the front of the barn "Boss? You in there?"

She heard Luke swear under his breath, and his hands dropped from her "Yeah, back here"

Cody walked to the opening of the stall and tried to see while his eyes were still trying to adjust to the diot trouble, Luke"

E close and she felt a different kind of tension enter his body as he steeled hi?"

"Jesse's down That bull froot him"

"Shit How bad?"

"Don't know He got it in the thigh, and it's bleeding pretty bad, but it don't look like it hit an artery"

"Where's he at?"

"Bunkhouse was closest Miss Maria's with hiood hand on it"

"I'll be there in five minutes" Luke dismissed the other o out another day"

"Yes, of course" Eoing riding She was too worried about Maria and Jesse "Can I help?"

"You know anything about stitching wounds?" He asked her as he began leading her from the barn

"No, I don't I don't want to get in the way, but you ht of blood"

"Maria won't want to leave his side You'll be a help to her if I can tell her you have everything handled at the house Feedingthe house clean for the next few days, that stuff"

"Yes, of course I'll see you later, then" She began to walk in the direction of the house but he continued to follow her when she expected his

"I'll get you home first"

"Don't be silly I can get there by myself"

"I'm not ever silly, E if I don't know you're safe"

"But I--"

"Shut up and walk" Easped and stumbled as Luke reached out and slapped her on the bottom as he made that statement

"Da ar her up in his grasp and began walking with quick strides toward the house

"Put me down I can walk You don't have to carry me"

"Maybe I want to carry you" His voice was deep and held a degree of what could have been surprise

"Maybe I don't want you to carryShe couldn't deny she loved the feel of his arms around her

"You know darlin', any other time you want to squabble with e you, but Jesse needs ot so on"

Emma did as she was told and wrapped her arms around his neck