heard them returning before she saw them. The thunderous pounding of the stallion’s hooves in the distance made her turn just as they plunged through a copse of towering pines. The horse raced ahead, wild and reckless, and the man on its back looked every bit as dangerous. But it wasn’t fear that made Erin’s heart pound in her chest—it was excitement. Anticipation. Lust.
She wanted him. It was ridiculous to continue to deny it. It was also ridiculous to imagine that she could ever have him for anything more than a very hot, very short-term fling.
And what would be so wrong about that? her clamoring hormones demanded to know.
As he drew nearer, her heart pounded even harder.
What would be wrong, she reminded herself sternly, was that she didn’t even know the man. Aside from the fact that he was Dillon’s brother, she knew almost nothing about him. And she wasn’t in the habit of falling into bed with men she didn’t know.
Corey reined in the horse, reducing his pace to a canter, then a trot and finally slowing him to a walk as they approached Erin and Jax. She turned her mount around and began to head back, but she was less successful in redirecting her thoughts.
“You both look as if you enjoyed that,” Erin said.
“I don’t think there’s anything I love more than exploring the great outdoors on horseback.”
“This is beautiful country,” she agreed.
“The prettiest in the whole world, apart from Texas, of course.”
“Of course,” she agreed drily.
He grinned. “Although I hear the West Coast has some good stuff, too. Like California girls.”
“Are you going to break into song now?”
“I only ever sing in the shower,” he told her, “so if you want to be serenaded—”
“Not necessary,” she assured him.
Corey chuckled.
“So what did you think?” he asked a few minutes later. “Not just of the ranch, but the ride.”
“I think I could learn to like this,” she admitted.
“I knew you would,” he said confidently.
There was that arrogance again—but it definitely suited him.
“You’ve probably been riding since you were little,” she guessed.
“Since I was knee high to a grasshopper, to hear my mama tell the story.”
She made a point of tilting her head way back to look up at him. “I can’t imagine you were ever knee high to a grasshopper.”
“I was,” he surprised her by admitting. “In fact, I was short and scrawny almost all the way through high school. I couldn’t even get a date to my junior prom.”
“And your senior prom?”
He grinned. “Well, that was a different story.”
“I’ll bet.”
“How about you? Did you go to your senior prom?”
She thought back, smiled. “Yes, I did. I went with Thomas Anderson. He was president of the chess club, editor of the yearbook, valedictorian of our graduating class.”
“The first boy you ever slept with?” he prompted.
She shook her head. “No. But he was the first boy to break my heart.”
“Where is he now? Want me to go beat him up?”
She laughed. “That’s not necessary. I got over him a long time ago.”
“Glad to hear that,” he said. “How about more recently?”
“More recently what?”
“Have you been dating anyone in Thunder Canyon?”
“No. And I’m not looking to start, either.”
“Why not?”
She shrugged. “I’ve been working a lot.”
“You know what they say about all work and no play,” he warned her.
“I don’t play games.”
“Some games are fun, darlin’.”
She smiled at that, but her smile quickly faded. “I was dating someone in San Diego for a while.”
“Did he break your heart, too?”
She shook her head. “But I think I might have bruised his.”
“And you’re still feeling guilty about it,” he guessed.
“Maybe. I don’t know. I didn’t think our relationship was that serious. We hadn’t been dating very long, but he was looking to make a commitment and I wasn’t.”
“Because you’re not ready to settle down? Or because you didn’t want to settle down with him?”
“I just didn’t want to settle,” she said and winced when she realized how the words sounded.
But Corey nodded, understanding. “There was something missing.”
“A lot of somethings, actually,” she admitted.
“How is that your fault?”
“Well, according to my mother, I didn’t give him a chance, my expectations are too high, I need to understand that chemistry takes time—” she broke off, her cheeks burning. “Well, that’s getting a lot more personal than I meant to.”
“So, there was no chemistry with this guy, huh?”
She ignored his question because she knew the answer would lead her down a treacherous path.
They were at the barn now, and Corey dismounted before turning to help Erin down. She was grateful for his assistance, because as relaxed as she’d begun to feel in the saddle she wasn’t at all confident in her ability to get out of it. She put her hands on his shoulders and slid down, the front of her body brushing against the front of his.
Like flint rubbing against rock, sparks flashed, heat flared. Her breath caught, her pulse pounded. His hands stayed on her hips, holding her close.
And suddenly she was smack in the middle of that treacherous path she’d been so determined to avoid.
“Did you guys have a good time?” Russ asked.
Erin jumped back, her cheeks burning.
“Oh, yes,” she said. “It was wonderful.
