I never planned to marry Edward Holbrook, but the ranch needs his claim on the water or I lose everything. Now his broad chest presses close on the hayloft ladder, one hand steady at my waist while the other reaches for the map, and my bodice slips lower with each step. The scar above my nipple throbs as if it already knows what he will do.

Milk has begun to bead whenever he works the pump in the well house, sun catching on his forearms like a promise I cannot keep. I want to pull away from the safety he offers because I have seen what happens when a man discovers how soft I turn under command. Yet every time he looks at me that way, the fear of being cast aside battles the hunger to be milked until I belong to him completely.

If he notices tonight, I will not be able to stop what comes next.