She didn’t say anything for a minute and then asked, “In other words, you want the status and not a real marriage?”

  A smile touched his lips. “No, I wouldn’t say that. I want all the things that come with being married, including sharing my wife’s bed.”

  Before she could respond, he said, “I think there is something you should know about me, Brianna. Because of the kind of relationship I had with Ellen, there is no way I would want to have that same kind of relationship with a child I created. There is no way on this earth I could get you pregnant and then pretend you and the child didn’t exist.”

  “What about other women?” she asked.

  He lifted a brow. “Other women?”

  “Yes. Although it wouldn’t be a traditional marriage, would you still stick to your marriage vows or would you feel you have the right to sleep with other women?”

  He held her gaze, needing to make sure she understood him. “You will be the only woman I make love to, Brianna. And I expect the same on your end.”

  When she didn’t say anything, he pressed on, hoping what he was about to offer would be the icing on the cake.

  “Also, as my wife, you will share the Blazing Frontier with me. All of it, and not just what Ellen left to you. If anything were to happen to me while we are married, it will belong to you and our child.”

  She stared at him. “Since you are demanding marriage, how long will this marriage have to last?”

  Demand? Was he demanding marriage? Yes, in a way he was. “Forever.”

  “Forever!”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes, forever.”

  “Impossible. I told you I never intend to marry.”

  “And I refuse to get a woman pregnant without marriage. Then, after that, it is important that I remain married to the woman for my child’s sake. I refuse to divorce my child’s mother the way my father did his wives.”

  She didn’t say anything for a moment, then asked, “Just what will this marriage entail?”

  He dropped his hands to his sides. “I’ve told you one aspect of it, regarding our sleeping arrangements. I also mentioned you didn’t have to move to Alaska unless at some point you wanted to. Most of my time will be in Alaska, but I will visit here from time to time to see my child.”

  “And the ranch?”

  “As part owner, you can run the dude ranch like before. The horse training and breeding part of it will require help and you will get it.”

  “You’re entrusting me with all the Blazing Frontier’s business?” she asked in amazement.

  “As my wife and business partner, I see no reason I shouldn’t. However, there is the matter of the times you might need off during your pregnancies.”

  “Pregnancies?”

  He smiled. “Yes, pregnancies. Like you, I also want a lot of children and agree that four sounds good.” That wasn’t true since he honestly hadn’t ever thought of having children until she’d made her request. But if she wanted four babies, he could certainly give them to her.

  “Who knows? Multiple births run in my family, so we might hit the jackpot and have triplets or twins, which will decrease the number of times you’d be pregnant.” He only added that part because he’d overheard her tell his cousin Bane that she would love to have twins or triplets.

  “What do you think of my counteroffer, Brianna?”

  She was nibbling on her lips and wringing her hands together. “I need time to think about it.”

  “Okay. I want your answer on Monday morning.”

  She drew in a deep breath. “If I decide to go along with your counteroffer, Cash, how soon would you want this marriage to take place?”

  “Within forty-eight hours of when you say yes.”

  Her eyes widened. “Why the rush?”

  He raised a brow. “Maybe I misunderstood you earlier today, but didn’t you say something about wanting a child before your thirtieth birthday? I figured you would want to get started on one right away. I plan to leave for Alaska next weekend. After that, you will have to let me know your body’s best time for fertilization, and then I’ll make arrangements to return.”

  Cash knew he was giving her the impression that the only reason he would make love to her was for a baby. His goal was that making love would be so enjoyable that she would want to continue for more than just making a baby.

  “Why not artificial insemination?”

  He placed the empty beer bottle on the table, deciding not to answer. He glanced at his watch. “I need to leave to get something to eat. Will I have your decision Monday morning, Brianna?”

  She released a deep breath and then said, “Yes, you’ll have it.”

  He leaned down and brushed a kiss across her lips. “This way, we both get what we want, Brianna.”

  And then he turned and left.

  * * *

  “What are you going to do, Brie?”

  Sitting on her back patio, Brianna looked over the land she was proud to call hers while sipping her coffee. It was her second cup that morning after getting up early, before sunrise, after a sleepless night thinking about Cash’s counteroffer.

  “I don’t know, Miesha. None of what he is offering is what I asked for.”

  “Yes, but you’re getting a whole lot more. Just think. He is offering marriage.”

  Brianna rolled her eyes. “He is demanding marriage, Miesha. Why can’t he just do things my way?”

  “I think he’s told you why. Cash Outlaw wants a wife, not a woman to impregnate. He wants more than one child, just like you do, and he prefers the same woman birthing his children. I can appreciate that. What I appreciate even more is that he is willing to share what’s his with you.”

  Hoping she had Brianna thinking, Miesha pressed on. “Just think. He is giving you control of the ranch. Not as an employee but as co-owner. That sounds pretty darn generous to me. Some men would stick you with a prenup so fast your head would spin. Don’t let your hang-up about never getting married keep you from what I see as a pretty darn good deal.”

  Brianna took another sip of coffee. “It seems like he’s trying to get the upper hand.”

  “Why? Because he’s found a way to get you into his bed?”

  “In a way, yes.”

  Miesha giggled. “Excuse me. But haven’t you said his kisses left you so hot you were tempted to jump his bones?”

  “I was all talk and you know it.”

  “Well, now you can put your ‘all talk’ into action. What are you afraid of?”

  Brianna knew the answer to that question easily. Her heart.

  “I got a crush on him from just looking at his picture, Miesha. What if I fall for him again? Harder this time. Do you know what that could do to me?”

  “You were vulnerable back then because of Alan, and Cash Outlaw was your escape from reality. There was nothing wrong with that. If you recall, all the time I was pregnant, I fantasized Shemar Moore was my baby’s daddy.”

  “I know, but—”

  “But this is now, Brianna,” Miesha interrupted to say. “If he’s good to you and treats you right, would it be wrong to fall in love with him? He’s not setting a time limit on your marriage. It sounds to me that he expects it to last. A lot of things can happen. A lot of emotions can develop on both sides.”

  “What about being the town’s scandal again?” Brianna said.

  “Honestly, girl? You were planning on having a baby without the benefit of a husband. How is marrying a man and having his baby more of a scandal than that? Think about it.”

  An hour later, Brianna had saddled Baby to go riding, and to think. Out on the open range, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud as they raced across the plains and valleys. Because Baby was used to the land, Brianna allowed him the freedom to roam wherever he pleased. She was so caught up in her thoughts about Cash’s counteroffer that it took a while for Brianna to notice she was now on Blazing Frontier land.

  She tightened her hold on Baby’s reins to turn him back when she saw a lone rider galloping toward her.

  Cash.

  She quickly assessed her options. She could pretend she hadn’t seen him and race Baby back home, or she could stay and acknowledge his presence. She chose the latter, but the closer he got, the more she wished she’d chosen the former.

  It seemed every time she saw Cash, he was even more handsome than the last. He was sex-in-jeans, sex-drinking-a-beer and now sex-riding-a-horse. She’d thought the same thing the first time she saw him slide into a saddle, and watched how his thick, masculine thighs flanked the animal in a way that made Brianna want to fan herself.

  He definitely knew how to handle a horse and sat erect in the saddle the way a rider was supposed to. He finally brought his horse to a stop a few feet from hers.

  “Good morning, Cash.”

  “Good morning, Brianna.” He tilted his Stetson in greeting. “Looks like we had the same idea. Nice morning for a ride,” he said.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “You’re heading back?” he asked, looking at her intently.

  “That was my plan,” she said, holding tight to Baby’s reins.

  “Would you ride with me for a while?”

  Brianna didn’t think that was a good idea and should have declined his invitation. However, when those penetrating dark eyes stared at her, the next thing she knew, she was nodding her head.

  They took off galloping across the plains, going deeper and deeper onto Blazing Frontier land. When they slowed the horses, she glanced over at him. He rode his horse well. Why on earth was she suddenly imagining him straddling her and then riding her the same way? The thought made a shiver rush through her, and when he watched her with such smoldering intensity, she suddenly felt extremely hot.

  “I thought about you last night, Brianna.”

  She had news for him. She had thought about him, too. “Did you?”

  “Yes. You might not know this, but lately you’ve taken my dreams hostage.”

  Probably no more than he had taken hers, but she was surprised he would admit such a thing. “Why?”

  He chuckled, and the sound made even more intense heat pass through her. “That’s easy enough to answer. I see you and I want you. I don’t see you and I still want you. Point blank. I want you, Brianna.”

  FIFTEEN

  “You shouldn’t say such things, Cash.”

  He leaned back on his horse. “Why not? It’s the truth. But you already know that, right? I’m sure my desire for you comes through loud and clear every time we kiss, and we’ve kissed quite a bit.”

  “Not this week.”

  She quickly looked away, as if she’d been embarrassed to make such an observation. Too late, she had made it. Did that mean she had missed their kisses as much as he had? That could easily be remedied, but first he felt the need to tell her why he had toned them down.

  He brought his horse to a stop and so did she. “The reason I haven’t kissed you much this week, Brianna, is that whenever I kiss you, I don’t want to stop. I want to take it to the next level.” He was certain she clearly understood what that next level was.

  She looked back at him with a glare in her eyes, and he knew she’d taken offense. “Like I wouldn’t have had anything to say about it?”

  He smiled. “I’m sure you would have, but mostly what I would have heard from you would have been moans of pleasure.”

  While she angrily spluttered her denials, he dismounted. He then moved to her horse and reached up for her.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked in a voice filled with annoyance as she batted his hands away.

  “I am helping you down. The horses need to rest a spell. I won’t bite you.” But he sure as hell wouldn’t mind kissing her.

  She hesitated, but then, as if deciding he was right and the horses needed to rest, she took his hand. Then it happened. The moment their hands touched, total, complete and unharnessed awareness shot through his entire body. Cash glanced up at Brianna and knew without a doubt that she had felt it, too. There was no way she had not.

  “Maybe I should go,” she said in a soft voice.

  “The horses need to rest, Brianna. You’re safe here with me.”

  She gave him a doubtful look, but she didn’t pull her hand away. When her feet touched the ground, she said, “Thanks, Cash.” When he continued to hold her around her waist, she added, “You can let go of me now.”

  “Brianna...”

  He was about to say something, but for the life of him, he wasn’t sure what it was. So he tried again. “Brianna...”

  She held his gaze and nervously licked her lips. “Yes?”

  Instead of answering, he moved his hands to her waist and nudged her closer. Then, as if his mouth had a mind of its own, it lowered to hers.

  * * *

  The moment their mouths touched, Brianna felt her insides tingle as if she’d come in contact with a live wire. A series of responses, none she felt capable of controlling, ripped through her body. Cash’s kisses were her weakness because she enjoyed them so much.

  She knew she should push back, stop him from deepening the kiss more than he already had. But all her common sense left her, vibrated off into the wind. All she had the ability to do at that moment was get wrapped up in his incredible taste.

  And it was incredible.

  Brianna was convinced there was nothing else quite like it. Not that she had kissed a lot of guys, but Cash Outlaw’s taste created a yearning within her that made her entire body ache.

  He suddenly released her mouth, and she pulled in air and the scent of man through her nostrils. Then he was kissing her again, his mouth more demanding and greedier than before. She heard herself moan under the onslaught of the deep glides of his tongue.

  Then she felt his hand leave her waist to fondle the buttons on her blouse. Brianna knew she should stop him, but that thought vanished when he deepened the kiss even further. She heard herself purr again as toe-curling sensations rippled through her.

  She knew he had unbuttoned her shirt when she felt a breeze across her chest. He broke away from her mouth to trail tongue-licking kisses against her jaw and neck and along the edge of her collarbone.

  “Cash...”

  She closed her eyes, absorbing all the sensations he was making her feel. She hadn’t realized he had used his fingers to undo the front clasp of her bra until his mouth was right there, sucking her nipple into his mouth.

  Brianna threw her head back, and the movement seemed to thrust her nipple farther into him. He took advantage by exerting more pressure and sucking her nipple in earnest, like he’d been greedy for it forever.

  Those actions made a series of moans flow from her lips at the same time she grasped the back of his head to hold his mouth right there. Never had she felt such intense desire.

  She and Alan had made love only twice. The time right before he was supposed to leave for the military, and when he’d come home right before getting deployed to Germany. He had taken care of his own needs without hers, but at the time she hadn’t minded.

  Now she saw how selfish that was. He had never taken her breasts into his mouth and lapped on them the way Cash was doing. Suddenly, her entire body felt as if it was on fire.

  Her body jerked. It seemed as if a bolt of lightning had lanced through her and she convulsed in unthinkable pleasure. Brianna gasped aloud at the unexpected, unadulterated carnality that tore through her, then screamed Cash’s name.

  Then he was back at her mouth, kissing her while a barrage of sensations bombarded her, followed by spasms that ran through her body. He released her mouth and pulled her into his arms while gently stroking her back as the spasms continued.

  “You’re okay, sweetheart. I got you.”

  Brianna knew what had just happened. She had experienced her very first orgasm and it had been unbelievable. It had happened not in a bed but out on the plains. On Blazing Frontier land. If she had to do it again, she wouldn’t change a thing. It had been natural and perfect.

  “Brianna?”

  She leaned forward and buried her face in Cash’s chest, not ready for him to look at her yet. When he said her name again and asked if she was okay, she finally lifted her face and met his intense gaze. “Yes, I’m okay. And thank you.”

  He snapped her bra back in place and began rebuttoning her blouse. “What did you just thank me for?”

  Brianna figured he had to know. A man with his experience could tell. He probably just wanted her to admit it. “I was thanking you for giving me pleasure. No man has ever done that before.”

  His hand on her buttons went still, and he glanced down at her. “Are you saying Alan never...”

  “No. He never. We only made love twice and both times he was in a hurry.”

  Brianna saw the tight frown that settled over Cash’s face. “A real man is never in too much of a hurry to satisfy his woman.”

  She didn’t know what to say to that. The only thing she knew was she needed to get away from him and fast before she was begging for an encore. When she took a step back, she nearly lost her balance from feeling weak in the knees. Totally drained.

  “Hold still. I’m taking you home.”

  She lifted a brow. “How are you taking me home?”

  “We’re riding double on my horse. I’ll tie Baby to the back.”

  “That’s not necessary. Just put me on Baby. He knows the way home. I’m fine.”

  He just looked at her and said, “I’m taking you home, Brianna.”

  And as if that settled it, he lifted her up and placed her on his horse like she weighed nothing, before straddling his horse and holding her in front of him.

  “You can lean back against me if you want,” he invited.