The Rancher's Rules by Dina Chapel

and harshly too. And she sounded genuinely contrite.
    “Shh... hush now.” Rafe did his best to comfort her. “It’s over and you learned your lesson. You need to settle down.” He pulled her closer and rubbed his right arm slowly up and down her back while his left hand continued to stroke her hair. It was as soft and silky as he had imagined. By now, Annie had moved closer and was pressed up against the front of him. Rafe felt his trousers get very tight.
    Annie felt it too, obviously, because she backed away from him rather suddenly and looked up at him with teary and questioning eyes. It was Rafe’s undoing.
    Both his large strong hands wrapped themselves around her face, tilted her head back and Rafe leaned down to press his mouth firmly on her soft lips.  Annie’s initial shock at Rafe’s kiss quickly gave way to a much better feeling. She moved back against Rafe again and felt herself relaxing. Almost too much as, a moment later, Rafe had to wrap his left arm fully around her waist to hold her up. He then used his right hand to seek out her soft breast and began to massage it. When Annie parted her lips to let out a soft moan, Rafe gained entrance to her mouth with his tongue.
    Damn, she was the sweetest thing he had ever tasted. Rafe couldn’t remember the last time he had really kissed a woman. It had been a while, that was for sure. He sure as hell didn’t kiss the whores at Miss Sally’s – he paid his money, saw to his basest needs and was out the door. Kissing was for lovers and Rafe hadn’t loved a woman in a very long time. What was it about this young woman that was getting under his skin so quickly and easily? Rafe pushed the thoughts out of his head as he plunged his tongue into her mouth without restraint. Annie hung limp and softly moaning in his arms. Rafe realized he had to stop soon or he wouldn’t be able to stop at all.
    Finally, he pulled back, releasing her mouth and breast reluctantly. Annie looked completely dazed. And she had stopped crying. Rafe ran the back of his fingers softly down the side of her face and marveled at the change in front of him. Right now, she certainly seemed a far cry from the woman he had first met. She had seemed a tough hoyden that day, without a tender or feminine bone in her body. And now? She was soft and warm and sweet and...
    “You’d best get some sleep now,” Rafe said gruffly. “You’ll take the bed and I’ll sleep out here.” Annie just looked at him, blinking and still dazed from the kiss, not really comprehending anything he was saying. Rafe took her by the shoulders, turned her and gave a little push toward the bedroom. The door was just to the right of the large stone fireplace, designed that way so that the warmth from the hearth kept the bedroom warm also.
    “Go on, now. Do as I say.” Rafe was stern. He recalled that Annie seemed to respond to that and he needed to get as much distance as possible between them before he did something he regretted.
    Annie looked back at him over her shoulder. Her eyes were still red and puffy from crying. “Goodnight, Rafe.”
    Rafe just nodded his head in acknowledgment and watched her as she headed through the bedroom door.
    Later that night, Rafe lay wide awake on a bedroll he had set for himself by the fireplace. It was certainly comfortable enough and the warmth from the fire was comfortable too, but he still couldn’t sleep. He could only lie awake and listen to Annie breathing deeply and peacefully in the next room. He thought about how close he had come earlier that evening to simply picking her up and taking her to his bed and having her – all of her. He wasn’t so sure now that he could do without that ever happening. He wanted her. He had been intrigued by her when he first met her; she sure was feisty and he liked that. As nice as Tom’s Jenny was, she was docile and agreeable; that wasn’t the type of woman that interested Rafe. Fortunately, Annie wasn’t anything like her