A Cowboy for Christmas by Em Petrova Read Free Book Online Page B

heels, determined not to fall into his arms because that would lead to kissing then skip to third base and pretty soon she’d have her ankles around his ears while screaming his name. She shivered at his warm touch and the whirlwind of images in her mind.
    “I don’t like being ignored.” His tone was unshakable—an oak tree in strong winds. And his stare doubled the message. “As soon as this shoot is over, you’re mine, Avalee.”
    Oh God, yes. She started melting into a puddle and would have been a boneless heap on the floor if Ross hadn’t returned with two steaming paper cups of hot chocolate complete with whipped cream, chocolate drizzle and candy canes sticking out at festive angles.
    Dusty groaned as she accepted her hot chocolate. Ryan arrived with his camera at the ready, and she set aside her cup.
    “Where do you want me first?” Dusty never removed his gaze from her.
    “Umm, we need you in one of these.” She picked up a black T-shirt with the Rawhide logo. “The nearest restroom is…”
    “No need.” He untucked his shirt from his waistband and whipped it overhead, exposing tanned, chiseled lines of his torso. A dark knot of need tightened, pulling her nipples taut even as it tugged on her pussy.
    He perched his hat at an angle, low over his eyes. “That’s perfect,” she blurted. There it was—the twitch of his lips just at one corner. “Come sit. Ryan, is the lighting right?”
    He peered through his lens. “Perfect.”
    “Good. Why don’t we take a few just like this and then we’ll have you eating the product, Dusty?”
    He lifted a brow at her like a little boy being forced to eat his broccoli. She almost laughed out loud but swallowed it on a hiccup.
    Dusty shot the camera a toe-curling, bad-boy smile. She could almost see the catch-phrase on the glossy magazine page. Rawhide keeps me going.
    She twined her hands in excitement. Ross was busy scribbling on his notepad. Dusty changed angles and hitched one ankle over his knee. The pose was so masculine, so damn sexy that she couldn’t hold back a soft moan.
    His gaze latched on her. Had he heard? She had to hurry him through this shoot so she could stop thinking about him so much. After today, they’d have little contact until the next marketing phase.
    Five more poses and she was a quivering mess of desire. She wanted to be the bench he draped himself over. She wanted to be the power bar between his white teeth. She wanted him to be smiling at her instead of the lens.
    To distract herself she stood back, dunking her candy cane in her hot chocolate to let it melt. She took a sip and whipped cream coated her upper lip. Dusty glanced up at that instant, and Ryan shot his photo. A photo of that burning look she’d seen every time Dusty had looked at her that forbidden night—and every night since in her dreams.
    She swiped the whipped cream away with her tongue and he tracked her movement. Liquid heat pooled low in her belly.
    “Dusty, why don’t we break for a few? Ross, your turn.”
    Dusty twisted his mouth, working the corner as if he was gnawing it from the inside. Ross started firing questions. Avalee looked at the images Ryan had so far while keeping her ear on the interview. Dusty talked about his brother’s and father’s wins and the pressure of earning his own title. She heard the strain in his voice and when she studied him, she noted lines around his firm lips.
    Another reason not to get involved—he had a lot riding on this win. She’d made the right decision in not going to the arena the previous night. The last thing he needed was to be as distracted as she’d been feeling since the night he’d rocked her world.
    She finished half her hot chocolate by the time Ryan was ready again. She unwrapped another bar and handed it to Dusty. A total professional, he bit it off cleanly as Ryan snapped a photo. Another bite. Another. God did he always chew with such sensual slowness?
    She made a shifting movement, and Dusty