The Love Ranch (BWWM Romance) by Violet Jackson Read Free Book Online Page A

places when she had walked in and found her son missing. She had feared that he had taken Jamal; she wouldn’t put it past him which was why she had left New York in the first place!!!
    She didn’t realize she had spoken aloud until Christian asked with a confused frown, “Who’s this he that has got you so terrified?”
    “I uh... I don’t know what you mean. I’ll just take Jamal home now,” she said, slowly stepping backwards.
    “You will do no such thing. We’ll all walk home together. Are you in trouble? Who’s this he you were referring to?”
    Tiana backed up a few more steps. His eyes had taken on a hard, almost frightening quality that told her Christian was someone she would not want to meet in a dark alley. He had always exuded a tough quality but right now, she sensed that he could be a very dangerous man if the situation called for it.
    “It doesn’t matter.”
    “So you don’t deny it? There’s someone you’re running from? You’re not in trouble with the law are you?”
    “Look it’s nothing like that. Jamal! Come on honey, we’re leaving,” she called desperately.
    Christian shook his head, walking closer to her until he was so close that the soft fabric of his shirt brushed against her chest.
    “Let me help you, Tiana. You know you can trust me. I would never let anyone hurt you or Jamal.”
    “Why?” she asked.
    He tried to kiss her but she placed a firm hand on his chest, stopping him as she said icily, “And that’s another thing, you can’t run around kissing me. It’s not right!”
    “What?!”
    “Yeah! Think of Lydia!”
    “Who the hell is Lydia?”
    “Uh, the beautiful brunette you couldn’t keep your hands off of at Tiny Tim’s the other day?”
    He stared, “That Lydia?” He burst into laughter, bending over double as he laughed up at her. Since she was feeling an annoying spurt of jealousy, Tiana was not amused at his laughter. She glared balefully at him, which just seemed to set him off the more, the dratted man! “Lydia Barrett is my kid sister’s newly-widowed best friend!”
    “So?”
    “So she is still very much in love with her dead husband who also happened to be one of my best friends. Trust me, she’s off limit forever. I was only consoling her that day so you don’t have to be jealous.”
    “I wasn’t,” she lied.
    “Yeah right,” he agreed, walking closer to her once more.
    “I was not jealous!” Tiana insisted.
    “Whatever you say,” he agreed huskily, placing his hands on her shoulders.
    He leaned down slowly and gently pressed his lips to hers in the barest hint of a kiss. Tiana sighed and relaxed against him, all her senses unfurling in his arms as she gave herself up to the kiss.
    As the now-familiar knot of tension began to build in the pit of her stomach almost immediately, she admitted the truth to herself for the first time; she was clearly teetering on the edge of falling in love with Christian.
    Well what woman wouldn’t? After being treated repeatedly to his hot, drugging kisses, she was fast becoming addicted.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Christian wound his arms around her, reveling in the feel of her incredibly soft, pliant body pressed up against his. He groaned as his tongue tangled with hers; his body was stiff, hard, and ready. He knew he was dangerously close to trying to take her right there and with a sigh of regret, he slowly began releasing her lips.
    Christian released her reluctantly, his hand sliding slowly from her face. She was beautiful, he thought, gazing into her heart-shaped face. She made him think of things he had no business thinking about, like how well she was fitting into his life, how he would love to have her around for as long as he could, and so on. He liked little Jamal too. The boy was a gem. His endless questions drove Rose wild but he loved them.
    If she was in trouble, he thought, clenching his jaw determinedly, he would want to know about it and he would want to help her.
    “Jamal, we gotta go,” he