Read Something Wild for Free Online Page A

troubling you?”
    For the past ten or fifteen minutes she’d been staring at the moonlit prairie, but now she twisted about and looked at the man whose legs she sat between.
    Mike Flynn not only controlled his temper, but he seemed to have extraordinary control over his anatomy as well. She’d danced with men who had no interest in her at all, but let her breast brush over them or her fingers accidentally sweep between their thighs, and they’d pop to attention, hard and ready. Most of the time the reaction didn’t last—but it happened.
    Not to Mike, of course. The good pastor was too self-restrained for that. Thank goodness. She’d long ago tired of men who put the make on her, thinking she was a tease, that she was easy, when she was anything but. Mike, of course, was above all that, which pleased her to no end. She had enough other sins to contend with without being indirectly responsible for a minister’s downfall.
    “Are you going to stare at me or answer my question?”
    She frowned as she struggled to remember what he’d asked, and slowly it came back to her. “Of course I’m not troubled.” It was only a small white lie. Her thoughts about him troubled her, but she didn’t think she’d get struck by lightning for fibbing about that, not now, especially when she was riding with a man of God. “I was just wondering how long it would be before we get back to the ranch.”
    “It’s less than a mile from here. Shouldn’t take long.” He watched her for a moment, a question still in his eyes as if he didn’t believe her response, and then his gaze went back to the snowy prairie, all show of concern gone as quickly as it had come.
    Somewhere in the distance she could hear a coyote howl and not too far ahead of them she saw a small herd of antelope racing across the prairie, the patches of white on their bodies illuminated in the moonlight. It was peaceful out here. Quiet. And far more comfortable than she ever would have imagined, even though the saddle horn was rubbing her intimately and the icy cold had made her fingers and toes begin to burn.
    A brisk breeze blew across them, carrying with it bits of sage, sand, and ice that stung her face. She shivered, and Mike’s arms tightened around her, drawing her against the warmth of his chest, his hands and the reins resting just under her breasts. Their bodies melded together and an unfamiliar heat spread through her veins.
    If this kept up, it was quite possible the good pastor might contribute to
her
downfall.
    “How’s the ankle?” he asked, his breath hot against the chilled skin of her ear.
    Buck’s gait had been so smooth and easy and Mike’s hold on her had been so gentle but strong, that she’d forgotten the pain. It hadn’t left her completely, but Mike had made sure her feet— not his—were in the stirrups to support her twisted ankle.
    She tilted her head to answer him—to thank him—and her lips brushed against his bristled cheek. This time it wasn’t warmth that spread through her but a jolt so electrifying that her whole body tingled. “I think it’s going to be okay,” she said, but she wasn’t certain about the rest of her.
    “I’ll take a look at it when we get back, just to make sure.”
    That’s all she needed. It was one thing for Mike to hold her when she was wearing layer upon layer of clothing, but she had no idea how she could survive the touch of his bare hands on her naked flesh. This man could, quite possibly, batter down her resolve to remain a virgin.
    Good heavens! She shouldn’t be having such thoughts about a minister, especially a minister who was staring straight ahead at the prairie, who spoke with little emotion, who couldn’t possibly be feeling any of the things that she was feeling.
    Her entire body was brimming with nervous energy. She’d been quiet too long. She’d sat in his lap too long. Their conversation was too staid. She had to lighten things up or she’d explode.
    She took a deep