The Private Stable [Iron Spur Ranch 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Stacey Espino Page A

adventure. She was too green. A rarity. Wyatt wanted to keep her, not willing to share her with the other cowboys who’d come sniffing around tomorrow. But these new territorial urges weren’t helpful, only destructive. He had to keep his wits and remained detached.
    When he’d come home from the fields, exhausted and weary, Rachel was like an oasis for his sight. Her big green eyes looked up at him with uncertainty, her waves of rich brown hair framing her sweet face. She had a flawless, pale complexion, reminding him of a porcelain doll, and he wondered if she ever smiled. He’d reacted to his base desires, moving in for the kill after Ethan’s initial advance. The scent of her readiness was like fresh blood to a wolf, and his common sense was shut out entirely.
    “I’m tired,” she said. “Please untie me.”
    They’d already got her past the first stage, so he didn’t think she needed to be bound any longer. He sliced through the pig string, freeing her. She immediately coiled her body, covering as much of her exposed flesh as possible. It was odd how she could be so receptive one moment and completely standoffish the next. He blamed the haze of lust. Once it settled, reality was often harder to digest—even for him.
    She rubbed her wrists, her shyness reminding him of a girl much younger than her age. Good girls usually made him run the other way, so the protective instincts surfacing in him were unexpected. They demanded he shelter Rachel from the world. But she wasn’t his concern.
    “She’s backpedaling, Wyatt.”
    “I know.” He wasn’t sure what to do next, having never dealt with a woman giving such mixed signals. She’d come hard and fast. It should have been enough to keep her uninhibited for the rest of the night. Rachel was different, as if playing a role she wasn’t meant to play. “I think she needs training and a lot of it.” Why had she come to the Iron Spur Ranch? Was it for a taste of the BDSM lifestyle as Ethan believed, or was she genuinely looking for work? He was beginning to think the latter. She’d come to the wrong place. Or maybe she could benefit from a few private lessons. The girl certainly needed to come out of her shell. Wyatt didn’t like her unfounded insecurities. Women with bodies like Rachel’s usually flaunted their goods, knowing their every move made men drool. Not her. She needed a real man to show her just how desirable she was. He imagined it would take some hard convincing, but that was half the fun.
    “I–I shouldn’t have come here,” she stammered.
    “Didn’t you enjoy yourself, little lamb?” Wyatt could feel the war playing within her. She wanted what they offered but was programmed to refuse anything unconventional. The classic good girl. Or was there more to her than met the eye? Did she have secrets? Most of the staff at the ranch were running away from one thing or the other, finding a sense of family amongst the crew.
    “I shouldn’t—”
    “Hush,” he said, shifting to his hands and knees. His urge to spread her legs and fuck her flared inside him, testing his restraint. Should he take what he wanted or hold back? He battled a war of his own, one he usually never bothered to fight. “You think too much. Just close your eyes and enjoy the journey. I promise it’ll be the best trip of your life.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Rachel stared at the hulking, dark-haired male hovering over her. She could practically feel the heat radiating off him. If he lowered those impressive biceps a few more inches, they’d be pressed together, chest to chest. She yearned to reach out and touch him, to feel the muscles bunched up around his shoulders or run her hands through his hair. There were so many things she wanted to do, but as always, those desires stayed locked up in her head.
    At least she knew she wasn’t abnormal. She’d just reached a peak so high she thought she may never float back down to reality. But knowing what her body was capable of was