Tough and Tamed (Moon Ranch Book 1) Read online

  Natalie tilted her head toward Roberta, who sat working at her desk along the far wall.

  “Roberta? I didn’t think she was retirement age yet.” Esme kept her voice pitched low.

  “There’s a rumor that she has an illness and needs surgery,” Natalie said.

  “I hope it isn’t cancer.”

  “Nobody knows. I heard from Allison yesterday, who was accidentally cc’d into an email going out to other branches of People’s Credit Union, opening the position to new transfers.”

  While Esme felt a weight on her chest at the thought of the dear older woman leaving. At the same time, she couldn’t stop the leap of excitement she felt at a new opportunity.

  “What are the job requirements to apply?” she asked Natalie.

  Her friend’s eyes sprang wider. “Are you considering the job?”

  “I’d love to have a chance. But I didn’t finish college, and these days every employer wants a four-year degree no matter what it’s in.”

  “You’re right, but I would still ask Jason if you’re interested.”

  “I will.” She sent a look at his closed door. Since Zayden had confided in her that day about why he was looking to get a loan, she couldn’t help but wonder about the status of it. When would he be in to follow up on the loan application? Her reasons were somewhat selfish—she wanted to see him again. But she truly hoped he succeeded with his ranch too.

  After hearing some rumors about his childhood, she felt he deserved to find happiness.

  Natalie moved off to her station again, and Esme closed her drawer and shut down her system. Another glance at Jason’s door showed him moving around behind the glass. Before he left for the evening, she wanted to catch him.

  After bustling through the lobby, she knocked on his door. He looked up from stacking paperwork into neater piles than they already were.

  “Come in,” he said, and she opened the door.

  When he dropped his gaze directly to her breasts, she felt that familiar burn of irritation. The man was definitely a titty-talker. When she’d dubbed him that to Natalie, the woman burst out laughing, and the moniker stuck, since Jason couldn’t seem to remember a woman had eyes and not just two lumps on her chest to speak to.

  “Esme. What’s up?” He finally met her gaze.

  “I wondered if you have a moment to talk about the position that’s coming open.”

  He stared at her for a second, long enough that she feared she’d overstepped. It wasn’t public knowledge in this branch of the credit union, after all.

  “Rumors fly fast, don’t they? Did Roberta tell you she put in her resignation?”

  She shook her head. “I know little about it, other than a position is coming open. I’d like to apply.”

  He glanced over her dress, blazer and heels. “Sit down.” He circled his desk to his chair and scooted forward to rest his elbows on the desk. He wasn’t bad looking in a buttoned-up way, but he was too chauvinistic for her taste.

  Besides, she liked her men big. And fantastic in bed. Sure, her type had totally changed since meeting Zayden, but she believed she’d made a huge upgrade from Owen.

  “You’re interested in becoming the loan officer?” Jason asked, interrupting her thoughts that returned to Zayden far too often lately.

  She nodded and folded her hands in her lap. “I don’t want to be a teller forever. I’m grateful for the job, but I’d like to be open to opportunities.”

  “Yes, that’s admirable. Let me read the job requirements to you.”

  She waited while he pulled up a screen on his computer. When he began to list the job duties and functions of the loan officer, she simply nodded. She knew all this from Roberta and Jason himself, who often did loans as well, which was the case with Zayden.

  When he stated the skills necessary for the position, she ticked them off one by one in her mind. Some she was familiar with and some not so much, but she could learn.

  He looked up at her. “One of the job requirements is a four-year college degree.”

  Her hopes plummeted. “It’s a requirement?”

  “It is preferred. We like a solid background in business and finance.”

  “I see.”

  “I believe you joined our team with an incomplete college degree?”

  She hated that her face burned. Not only did she regret not finishing, giving up her studies to follow that idiot here to Stokes, she saw judgment on Jason’s face.

  “That’s right,” she said quietly.

  He sat back in his chair, eyes roaming over her body and lingering too long on her crossed legs. She was about to thank him and walk out, when he spoke.

  “I think you definitely have a chance at becoming the next loan officer here, Esme.”

  She blinked at him in surprise.

  “You would require some… tutelage, of course.”

  “I would expect job training.”

  “I was thinking more along the lines of bringing you up to speed myself with some personal training.”

  Her stomach hollowed out. What was he saying?

  “After lunch breaks, the other tellers are more than able to handle the slower times, and you could spend those hours with me.” He dipped his gaze to her breasts again. “Learning the ropes.”

  A dread fluttered in the base of her stomach. By ropes did he mean the job? Because that gleam in Jason’s eye said otherwise.

  Still, he was her boss, a professional, and he wouldn’t risk his career by hitting on her, would he? No, he was far too intelligent for that. She must be reading more into things due to her perception of the man.

  “That is very generous of you, Jason. I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me about this, and your offer is one I will consider.”

  He nodded. “We have some time. If you want to talk about it after hours, here’s my personal number.” He wrote it on the back of his business card and pushed it across the desk to her.

  Her mouth dried out, but she took the card, unknowing what else to do right this minute.

  “Take the night to think on it.”

  Was it her imagination, or had he stressed the word night?

  “I will. Thank you.” She stood, aware of his stare on her breasts once more. Twisting for the door, she gave him a small smile, all she could muster. Suddenly, the idea that she had a fighting chance at the promotion didn’t seem so exciting.

  When she walked back through the lobby to go to the breakroom and gathered her belongings to leave for the day, Natalie hurried over.

  “How’d it go?”

  She didn’t know how to respond. On the surface, Jason was providing her an opportunity despite her shortcomings in the requirements. But she didn’t feel good about the knot left in her stomach from the meeting.

  “I’m going to think about it overnight.”

  “He offered you the job?”

  “No. He offered me some training to bring me up to speed.”

  “That’s great!” Natalie’s smile grew wide, but she didn’t feel much like smiling back.

  “Thanks. We’ll see. Like I said, I’m going to think on things.” She slipped on her winter coat and changed out of her high heels into sensible boots to walk across the icy parking lot to her car.

  “See you tomorrow.” Natalie threw her a wave as she left.

  “Have a good night,” she responded.

  The trip home didn’t take long enough to offer time to think. In her house, she bumped up the thermostat a notch and changed into comfortable clothes. When she wandered into the kitchen to see what she could prepare for dinner, she started to evaluate her life. Picking it apart bit by bit, she started to wonder if a life change might be in order.

  None of her family lived in Stokes. She could move back home to Tennessee and find another job.

  But she’d grown to love the small, quaint town. She even enjoyed her job at the credit union and the people she worked with—besides, Jason.

  In addition to the wording of his of
fer—and her questions about what he really was asking of her—she’d be working more directly with him if she got this new position. Could she handle that, for a couple more bucks per hour and a desk of her own?

  With a sigh, she pulled out a pot and filled it with water. After setting it to boil on the stove, she located some pasta, canned clams and sauce. It wasn’t the most gourmet dinner, but she was a mediocre cook and this would satisfy her hunger.

  Maybe she could use some company. If she called Zayden, would he come over?

  Days ago, she’d told him it was just sex, but now she realized it was more than sleeping with a hot guy that she needed. She needed friendship…and someone to be there for her.

  What the heck—she’d give him a call. It was a day of steps forward. Nothing to lose but pride, but she’d survived that before, right?

  Her heart did a hard belly-flop as she dialed his number. When he answered, he sounded a bit out of breath.

  “It’s me.”

  “Hey, sweetheart.”

  His drawled endearment set her heart bucking like a bull. She imagined it thrashing around her chest for eight full seconds before she could think what to say to him.

  “You sound like you’re working. Am I interrupting?”

  “Yup.” A smile seeped into his tone. “But I wouldn’t answer if I didn’t want to.”

  The man was as straightforward as they came, which helped when she was known for falling for false promises. With Zayden, what she saw was what she got. She wanted sex? She got the hottest night of her life and four orgasms. She needed someone to rescue her off the side of a mountain? Zayden showed up on his white horse.

  “Hey, have you figured out your horse’s name yet?”

  “My horse… yeah, I call it Zeus.”

  “A majestic name for a beautiful beast.” She wasn’t thinking of the horse, but of the rider. Her stomach quivered with longing.

  “I thought so too. So what’s up, Esme? You stranded somewhere after another bad date?”

  She chuckled. “No. I just got off work and I’m making dinner.”

  “What’s on the menu?”

  You, if you’ll come over.

  “Linguini with clam sauce.”

  “Clams?”

  “Yeah. Nothing fancy—they’re out of a can.”

  “Everything’s fancier with you, Esme.”

  Her mouth fell open. It took her a heartbeat to find a snappy reply to override the mushy feelings coursing through her. “Kissing up doesn’t get you a better meal.”

  He laughed, a hearty sound that heated her from the toes up. “Too bad. I could go for a steak.”

  Some might find his bad manners irritating, but she thought he was funny. “Better head to the steakhouse then.”

  “I want to come over. Is this an invitation or not?”

  “For dinner, yes.”

  “All right. And Esme…we’ll negotiate dessert when I get there.” The grit in his voice was pure insinuation.

  Breath nonexistent in her lungs, she floundered for a response to his teasing. She couldn’t lie and say she wasn’t loving it. The cowboy was definitely mixing it up for her.

  “How soon can you be here?” she asked.

  “Give me a few to finish up here and change clothes, then I’ll be over. Will the linguini hold?”

  “Yes. I’m switching off the boiling pasta water now. I’ll prepare it in a bit. Talk to you soon.” She ended the call and leaned against the counter, grinning and replaying their talk in her mind.

  Conversation with the man always entertained, that was certain. There were no trivial discussions—he got straight to the point, even if it stung to hear like her past boyfriend issues.

  But she was keyed up and couldn’t deny the excitement bouncing around her insides at the thought of seeing him again.

  She glanced down at her attire of leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. Not exactly sexy, but she’d vowed not to try too hard after that lacy teddy incident in the mountain cabin. She was finished putting on façades, and Zayden never bothered to.

  She did, however, go into the bathroom to try to tame her curls and spritz herself with body spray.

  Waiting was the hard part. Briefly again, she considered meeting him at the door wearing nothing but her bra and panties.

  No, she was determined to be herself and not some parody of sexiness she believed guys wanted. She’d come to realize they didn’t respect that. They got their jollies off and then walked away anyhow.

  She and Zayden started as friends, then become friends who screwed. That seemed like as good a place to start as any. And friends didn’t answer the door in thong underwear.

  After giving him what she hoped was a good amount of time to finish his chores and get on the road, she started the water boiling again for pasta. As she cooked, she hummed to music she turned on her phone and tried to steer her thoughts into a calm direction.

  Just because she was seeing Zayden didn’t mean anything would happen between them. He might just kiss her between the eyes like he had after dancing together that night.

  Which Zayden would she be getting? The man who held back from her or the one who swept her off her feet and carried her to bed with dark promises in his eyes?

  While she liked both, a lot, tonight she hoped blowing off steam meant rolling naked in her sheets.

  * * * * *

  He’d seen Esme in the worst moments of her life and in the throes of ecstasy. She’d been dolled up for dates and even in work clothes. But he’d never seen her dressed down and comfortable, and the effect blew him away.

  As she moved from stove to cupboard for a big bowl to dump the pasta dish into, he latched his gaze onto her every move. That loose sweatshirt hid all her assets, but the fact that he knew everything hiding under that thick cotton made him throb with desire.

  Over the weekend, he’d found himself reliving their night together more than once. Hell, he’d been hard half a dozen times just from those memories, and now he was aching again.

  His cock stretched the fly of his jeans. He made no move to cover his arousal. He wanted her, pure and simple.

  When she moved to the sink, the fabric of her sweatshirt molded to her front, outlining her body. His balls clenched, and he nearly growled.

  Turning to him, she served up a smile with a side of pasta. “Want to grab those plates and silverware for me while I carry this to the table?” She held his gaze for a thudding heartbeat.

  Yeah, there was more going on between the two of them than he wanted to admit. Attraction wasn’t new to him, but intrigue was. He didn’t normally want to see a woman more than one time, and after he got what he wanted, he hit the road. But last time, some emotion had tugged at him to stay in bed with her, to tuck her against him and feel her curls tickling his chest.

  Leaving her that night had twisted him up good. But in the end, he’d forced himself to go. It was best for both of them.

  For it being best, I sure jumped at seeing her tonight.

  She set the bowl on the table and shot him a glance. He picked up the plates and silverware and carried them to the table for two.

  As she sat down, he seated himself across from her, and their gazes met. “I hope you’re hungry,” she said softly.

  He was starving—for her.

  “I’ve never had clam sauce, so I’m curious.”

  She used a serving spoon and placed a pile of pasta on his plate. It smelled good, and his empty stomach growled. Suddenly, he remembered his hat and removed it, setting it to the side.

  She eyed him as she dumped a smaller portion on her own dish. “I hope you like it. If you don’t, we can order a pizza or something.”

  “It’s fine. You don’t have to accommodate me, you know. Or is that your way with guys?”

  She sucked in a sharp breath, pausing with her fork dug into the noodles. “I shouldn’t be shocked that you say what you’re thinking.”

  “Well, do you? Kiss up to men?” He took a bite and c
hewed. Flavors mingled on his tongue, something unusual but delicious.

  After a long minute, she took a bite too. When she swallowed, she said, “I think that’s part of my trouble with guys. But I’m changing my ways.”

  “Good.”

  She leveled that steady green stare on him. What he saw there… Hell, she burned for him.

  A long second passed, then another.

  What was he waiting for? She gave him fuck-me eyes and he couldn’t be harder.

  He dropped his fork with a clatter. He shoved to his feet, and she did too. Across the small table and an uneaten supper, they faced each other.

  He clenched his hands at his sides. “I should hold back.”

  “Hold back from what?” Her voice came out whispery.

  “From picking you up and carrying you to bed. From stripping off that sweatshirt that’s driving me wild to see your curves underneath. And then from licking every inch of you from your neck to your little pinky toe.”

  Her chest rose and fell with quick breaths. “Why is doing that a bad thing?”

  “Because—” he swallowed hard, “—having you in my arms again is the worst idea I’ve had in a while.”

  She stepped around the table and stopped inches away from him. With her head tipped back, her curls fell in a cloud. “Let me take the decision off your shoulders then.”

  She moved in. Circling his neck with her arms, she pulled him down for a kiss. The second their lips brushed, she issued a moan that yanked a deep growl from him. No choice left, he pulled her flush against him.

  Her body molded to his in all the right ways. Too right.

  Goddammit, he didn’t know how to do relationships. Closest he’d come to interacting with a person normally was with Mimi.

  Skating a hand down Esme’s waist to land on her hip, he angled his head and teased her lips apart. She opened to him, and he didn’t immediately plunge inside or take charge. Teasing her parted lips with his tongue, he brought her onto tiptoe.

  Soft puffs of air escaped her. Lord, her sounds had been tormenting him for days.

  That sharp intake of breath when he entered her.

  The low moans that told him she hovered close to blinding release.

  And then the throaty cries that came after. Hell, even her soft sigh as she made a pillow out of his chest had haunted his every waking—and sleeping—minute.