Spurred To Submission

You

Spurred to Submission

by

Desiree Holt

Book Six of the Rawhide Series

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Spurred to Submission

COPYRIGHT © 2014 by Desiree Holt

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: info@thewildrosepress.com

Cover Art by Diana Carlile

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewilderroses.com

Publishing History

First Scarlet Rose Edition, 2014

Digital ISBN 978-1-62830-426-8

Published in the United States of America

Dedication

To Master Mike and Slave Patti

for sharing their personal story with me.

You will always hold a part of my heart.

To The Lair, Master Nathan and Master Shack

for their patience in answering endless

questions and leading me through

the intricate philosophy of BDSM.

To my wonderful editor, Diana Carlile, who

is the very best guide on our journey together.

To everyone at The Wild Rose Press

for believing in me all these years.

To my beta reader, Margie Hager,

for her infinite patience and wisdom.

And to all my readers who love Rawhide.

I hope we are together for a long time.

PRAISE FOR AUTHOR

Desiree Holt

AND HER BOOKS

Winner of the Love Romances Readers choice Awards, Holt Medallion, TRS Best BDSM Book of the Year, EPIC eBook Award.

As usual I find Desiree Holt’s book sinful and captivating.

~laidyaide1

My favorite author.

~Mary D

Are you a fan of hot, Alpha cowboys who rule in the bedroom and know how to use a whip? If you answered yes, then you won't want to miss Desiree Holt’s latest book in the Cowboy Kink series, CRACK THE WHIP.

~Long and Short Reviews

Be sure to check out other books

in the Rawhide series:

CRACK THE WHIP

SLAPPING LEATHER

BITE THE BULLET

BUCKSKIN, BOOTS AND BONDAGE

HARD TO HANDLE

Chapter One

Why did I even think he’d listen to me? Why am I such an idiot?

From the moment she walked into the main ranch house, carrying a plate of brownies as a peace offering, Zoe Hampton was pretty sure she was on a fool’s errand. Only the intervention of Max Cameron’s attorney, John Morrison, had convinced Wade Cameron to even have a gathering at the ranch after the double funeral two days ago.

Zoe swallowed and dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands. Dealing with the barn fire that killed Jonas Hampton and Max Cameron was hard enough without all of Wade’s bitter hostility.

He faced her in the kitchen of the big ranch house, the glare in his eyes enough to burn every hair on her head. She wished he’d sit down. At six four, he towered over her, and she was getting a crick in her neck looking up at him.

But Wade wasn’t about to give an inch.

We have to talk about the ranch, she insisted.

Why? He bit off the word. I told John Morrison I’m out of here as soon as the will is settled.

And everything our fathers worked for will be down the drain.

What a foolish dream it was to think he’d come back here and they could run Bug Spur together. Maybe show him she was finally grown up and someone who could tempt him.

Ha! Grow up, Zoe. He wants nothing to do with Big Spur or you.

She hadn’t seen him in a very long time, not in person. But she haunted the Internet for news of him, printing out the picture on his law firm’s site, searching for other shots of him. Her personal secret Wade Cameron collection. She could hide it away, chalk it up to a foolish young girl’s romantic dreams, except the moment he showed up the other day, she realized the pictures were nothing compared to the reality. He was a pure sexual animal, and every erogenous zone in her body stood up and begged her to let him touch her.

Not to mention the flip her heart did. Was it possible to be in love with someone all this time? She had truly hoped he’d be so despicable she’d be completely turned off, but fate wasn’t that kind.

She wet her lips and tried to marshal her scattered thoughts into a cogent argument. Our fathers left a legacy here. Big Spur is your heritage.

A legacy of hate. He turned away and refilled his coffee mug from the pot on the stove. Save your breath, Zoe. There’s nothing here for me.

Eight years younger than Wade, she’d tagged after him from the moment she could walk. From the time he was a gangly boy through his years as the high school hero, she trailed after him, and he left her in the dust. Then, as now, she might as well have been a piece of furniture or one of the cattle. How could she have hoped he’d changed? All he was interested in were activities that took him away from Big Spur and letting Max know how much he hated him.

When Wade left for college, he swore never to set foot on the Big Spur again. The one summer he was forced to spend on the ranch between college and law school was one of the most intense periods Zoe could remember. He certainly never responded to any of her efforts to get his attention. Then there was the unexpected one-week visit after his law school graduation. Somehow, Max had convinced him to come home before he took off for New York and a job with a big firm. The raging arguments were punctuated by equally destructive silences. And then he was gone.

That was the last time she’d seen him. Until now. The hard, unforgiving man was still incredibly sexy. And the stirrings of her youth had morphed into a full-blown hormonal explosion. As he turned around and they stood glaring at each other, electricity snapped and sizzled in the air between them, buzzing along her skin.

Every hormone in her body went on full alert, screaming for whatever he could give her. Just being near him made her breasts ache and her pussy throb. With a deliberate effort, she clamped down on her reaction.

From the shocked look on his face, he was aware of the unexpected chemistry, too, but had no intention of acknowledging it. No, apparently he only wanted to cling to his rage.

Do you hear what I’m saying, Zoe? he demanded. I want nothing to do with anything left by the man who hated me.

He never hated you, she cried. You’re wrong. He was just…

Just what?

She searched for the right words, but they wouldn’t come.

A fucking lot you know, he muttered and turned away from her again, leaning his hands on the counter.

Okay, so she’d never seen any sign of affection between Max Hampton and the son he’d been left to raise when his wife died giving birth to their stillborn daughter. That didn’t mean it wasn’t there. Sometimes she thought the man protected himself from further pain by closing himself off from any emotion whatsoever. It made her appreciate all the more her own father, also widowed when his wife died giving birth to Zoe. But Jonas had lovingly assumed the role of two parents.

Decisions have to be made about the ranch, she pointed out, trying to be reasonable. Can we at least talk about that?

He spun around, his gaze burning into her. Are you implying I should give up my law practice and move back to this crappy little town to run a place I’ve hated all my life?

His anger was a living thing, so forceful Zoe took a step back. I don’t know, she admitted. I mean…

Yes. Yes, come back here so I can show you I’m a grown woman, and maybe we can run this place together.

Right, he spat. "You know nothing. You planning to give up your job to run the Spur, Zoe? Is that what you want from me?"

I want you to look at me as a woman. I want you to appreciate the heritage you discard so quickly.

Big Spur has an excellent foreman in place, she pointed out. A good crew and a top notch reputation. She bit her bottom lip. Maybe we can figure out a way to do this together.

A muscle twitched in his cheek. Together. That’s a really dumb idea. I don’t know why you’re so hung up on the ranch anyway. It isn’t yours.

Pain stabbed her heart. No, it wasn’t. But Jonas had made her love it as if it were. Just as, after all these years, she was still in love with the bitter man in front of her.

How can you love a man you haven’t seen for years?

Because I’m an idiot.

You could learn to love this place if you gave yourself half a chance. She hated the pleading tone in her voice.

He turned back to her, rage stamped on his face. Just because you chose to learn everything about Big Spur doesn’t mean I did or even want to. Get that out of your stupid head, will you?

Stupid? Zoe felt the blood drain from her head. He thought she was stupid?

She swallowed, hard. Suit yourself, I’ll make my own arrangements for the funeral, but we’re discussing this ranch before you hightail it back to your fancy law firm and your fancier women.

With as much dignity as she could muster, she slammed open the back door and headed for her own place, the foreman’s home she’d shared with her father all her life. She probably wouldn’t be so upset if the sight of Wade Hampton hadn’t sent all her hormones into overdrive and made her realize her youthful crush and teenage longing had morphed into a full-blown case of adult desire.

Yeah, fat chance of that going anywhere now.

She wanted to scream and cry at the same time.

****

This was a big mistake.

Wade balled his hands into fists as he stared through the glass in the back door at the figure storming across the yard. Coming back to Big Spur was a