Michelle Celmer - The Millionaire's Club - Connor, Tom & Gavin

A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Six, huh?”

“Don’t tell me you never played that game.”

“Not to my recollection.”

“Well, Bo was bragging that he could pee on a tree, and made fun of me because I couldn’t. Of course I had to prove him wrong, and you can imagine the mess that created.”

Connor broke into a grin. “I can imagine.”

“My daddy caught us and I got the whole birds-and-bees speech.”

If Connor had been caught doing that, it would have cost him a lashing from his father’s belt and a long lecture on respect and responsibility. As far as Connor could tell, his father had two expressions when it came to his sons—disinterest, and disappointment.

And maybe in Jake’s case, exasperation.

“Sounds like you had an exciting childhood,” Connor said.

“Yeah, that’s one way to look at it. I’m not sure my daddy would agree with you, though.” She polished off the last of her burger and took a long pull on her soda straw. “You about ready to go? We’ve got work to do.”

Connor nodded. He pulled out his wallet and tossed a tip down on the table. “Let’s get to it.”

“I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into,” Nita said as they stood to leave.

“Don’t worry about me. I can take whatever you can dish out.”

“That’s good,” she said with a grin that could only be described as devious. “Because by the time I’m finished with you, you’re going to be a full-fledged cowboy.”

Connor limped up the stairs to his bedroom. He’d always considered himself in supreme physical condition—until Nita got her hands on him, that is. He never imagined learning the proper way to ride a horse could do so much damage to a man’s… pride. He ached something fierce in places he’d never ached before, in muscles he hadn’t known existed until today. Rangers training had been a breeze compared to what she’d put him through.

After she felt confident he knew how to ride, and despite Jimmy’s assurance that the boys had done a thorough job, she and Connor had gone out to make sure all the holes had been adequately filled and it was safe to let the horses back out to pasture. It was nearly dark before they rode back.

Since Jane wasn’t there to cook, Jimmy had made a roaring bonfire and they roasted hot dogs on sticks. Afterward, they sat around the fire under a sky blanketed with stars drinking beer and swapping stories. Socially, the hands treated Nita like one of the men. An equal. But when it came to her running the farm, it was obvious they respected her authority and had no trouble taking orders from her. She was tough, but fair.

It had been a long day and now all Connor wanted to do was collapse in bed and sleep off the pain. Instead of going home and sleeping last night after receiving his assignment, he’d spent half the night doing his laundry and preparing for another who-knows-how-many days away from home. He’d had a total of about six hours sleep in the past three days. Hopefully, after a solid eight hours, he’d feel half-human by morning.

“You’re walking a little stiff, there, Connor.”

He reached the top landing and turned to see Nita climbing the stairs behind him, a self-satisfied grin on her face. She knew damn well what she’d done to him and looked awfully proud of herself for it.

“I’ve felt worse,” he said. As a Ranger he’d been shot three times, nearly blown up and just about flattened like a pancake when his parachute opened late. Although the pain he was feeling tonight definitely ran a close second.

“The boys giving you trouble?” she asked.

“Boys?”

Her eyes traveled down to the vicinity of his crotch. “The family jewels.”

He just about laughed out loud. He couldn’t recall a woman ever coming right and asking him about his boys. “The boys are fine,” he assured her. “It’s the rest of me that aches.”

She followed him to his room. “There’s a bottle of pain reliever in the bathroom cabinet.”

“I think I just need sleep,” he said unbuttoning his shirt. He grabbed his bag from the bed and tossed it on the floor. Unpacking would have to wait until morning.

“Tough guy, huh?” She leaned in the doorway watching him. “I think I know what might make you feel better.”

“Oh yeah?” he asked. “What?”

She stepped in his room, lacing her fingers and cracking her knuckles. “Take off your shirt.”

He looked at her, eyebrow raised.

She noticed the expression on his face and laughed. “Don’t get your boxers in a twist. I’m only going to give you a back rub.”

“A back rub?” Connor wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Not that he couldn’t use a backrub right about now, but they hardly knew each other. It might be…awkward.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, walking toward him and rolling her sleeves. “Are you shy?”

He couldn’t help wondering, by her taunting tone, if that was some sort of challenge. There was something about her, something wild and sexy and a little out of control. At the same time he’d never met a woman who seemed so confidant, so sure of what she wanted. It both intrigued and disturbed him. Intrigued him because, well, hell, who wouldn’t be with a woman like Nita? She was a walking contradiction. A puzzle he was itching to solve. And that was exactly the thing that disturbed him. She had a way of making him feel.

Things he never let himself feel. Things he shouldn’t feel.

“It’s that curious nature of yours that I’m worried about,” he told her.

“If I was making a pass at you, believe me, you would know it. I don’t mince words.”

“So I’ve noticed.”

She propped her hands on her hips. “Well, do you want a back rub or not? I guarantee you’ll enjoy it.”

Oh, he didn’t doubt that for a second. He just didn’t feel it was proper considering they’d only met that morning. But the thought of not letting her made him feel like a prude.

“Yeah, what the heck,” he agreed.

“Then take the shirt off and lay down on your stomach.”

He shrugged out of his shirt and tossed it over the footboard, sat down and pried off his boots, then stretched out on the bed, laying his head on the pillow.

He felt the bed shift as Nita climbed on. She straddled his legs, plopped down and made herself comfy on the back of his thighs. Then her hands were on his shoulders, her skin warm and a little rough, her thumbs working themselves deep into the muscle. If he hadn’t been so achy and exhausted, he might have been turned on by her touch, but the truth was, there was nothing sexual about her actions. All he felt now was relaxed.

Nita gave a low whistle, as her hands slid lower. “You military men sure do know how to grow the muscles.”

If he wasn’t half-asleep already, he would have laughed. “Out of curiosity, do you ever have a thought that you don’t say out loud?”

“Cowboy, if you knew what I was really thinking, you wouldn’t have let me anywhere near your bed.”

He glanced over his shoulder and gave her a wary look.

She grinned. “I’m just pullin’ your leg.”

He settled his head down on the pillow and closed his eyes.

“And the answer to your question is no. I pretty much say whatever’s on my mind. A lot of people don’t appreciate that. They say it’s not ladylike.”

“Does that bother you?”

“Not really. I was born this way. If people don’t like it, tough. I’m not out to impress anyone.” She smoothed her hands over his skin. “What are all these marks on your back from?”

“Burn scars. I was a little too close to a building when it exploded.”