Owned for Christmas by Willa Edwards Read Free Book Online Page B

concentrated on her.
    A shiver raced across her skin. Okay, maybe there was a reason.
    “I’ll keep Kate company.”
    She bit her tongue. He’d keep her company all right. He’d stay right by her side, long enough for her to believe he’d be there, then he’d vanish like the wind.
    “Great.” He kissed her cheek. “I’ll be right back, sweetheart.” He released her hand then headed off toward the house.
    Suddenly, she stood all alone in the barn, with Grant.
    The air sizzled between them, uncomfortable. She fumbled her fingers at her sides, not sure what to do. He kept his gaze on her, the same unwavering stare that had always gotten her into trouble before.
    Grant stood before her, legs spread wide. His well-worn jeans hugged his thick thighs. The thin cotton of his T-shirt accentuated his big, broad chest and defined biceps. He’d pulled his hair back into a tight ponytail and looked every inch a Master.
    Kate’s heart sped up. Her temperature rose too many degrees to make her jacket necessary. Her breathing became rough.
    Damn stupid body. She didn’t want to be attracted to him. It didn’t matter how he could make her blood sing and her mind go blank. She was here with his brother.
    But the appetite still crawled under her skin, one he could fulfill and Daniel never would.
    “It seems my brother is showing you a good time.” Grant walked toward her, his long legs eating up the barn floor between them. His strong, dominating presence pressed against her, caging her in, even if he wasn’t physically close to her.
    She returned her attention to the animal in front of her, refusing to respond to him. She didn’t have anything to say to Grant. That time had passed. Instead, she stroked Tulip’s nose. The horse snorted.
    “Tulip’s a good horse.” He moved closer to Kate, standing at the stall door with her. He rubbed the horse with the authority and confidence of a man who had spent his life around the beasts. He glided his hand up and down the mare’s side and a shiver ripped down the animal’s spine. The mare snorted again, happy to have his attention too, moving into his touch.
    Kate understood how the horse felt.
    “But she’s too mellow a horse for me. Too easy-going. I like a little more spirit in my horses. It makes it all the sweeter when you break them to your will.”
    “I’m not a horse, Grant. You didn’t break me.” The sudden desire to justify herself swelled up inside her, though she had no clue why she bothered. It’s not like Grant would listen.
    He smirked at her, the expression sending a short blast of pleasure straight down to her cunt.
    “I never said you were.”
    Kate silently wished the rest wasn’t true either. But if any word described how she’d felt after reading that note from him, it was broken . Just a pile of broken bits that used to be a person. The note that had said he was leaving and not coming back. That they’d had a fun few months and he wished her well.
    “I never wanted to break you.”
    Against her better judgment, Kate turned to look at him. He stared at her, his expression filled with hurt and regret. Two emotions she’d never thought Grant was capable of.
    “I didn’t plan to leave you when I did. But I had commitments I had to honor.”
    He reached for her, almost caressing her arm, but she jumped back. She couldn’t let him make contact with her. She wouldn’t be able to endure it. The pain was already too much, but if he touched her, it would incapacitate her.
    “I can’t,” she whispered over and over as she stepped away from him, placing as much space between them as she could.
    Her back bumped up against the next stall door. A large, angry snort issued behind her shoulder, and she jumped a foot at the sound. A glance revealed a large mare that didn’t seem at all happy to have Kate leaning against her door.
    “Kate.” Grant spoke calmly, though panic washed through his eyes. “Move away from the door.”
    The horse let out a