Page 20 of The Bad Boy Prince in Love

Hallie bit her lip with sudden envy at how easily Luke made friends.She wished she had that quality, but somehow human relations didn’t come easily to her.Although she could fake confidence in some situations, she was much more comfortable around horses and other animals.

She figured it was her turn to rest after doing their work for them yesterday, and she went to sit on the porch while the guys worked in the yard and the stables.

Meanwhile, she could get caught up on texting Jessica.There was so much to tell, and she had only given her friend a very short summary of what had been happening with her new “beau.”

Jessica’s latest text read:

*I need more juicy details!!!*

Where should I start, Hallie thought.She tried to focus but was distracted by Luke’s voice as he traded jokes with Johnny.

Admittedly, she liked the sound of Luke’s voice.It had a compelling energy.

Right now it rang across the yard, boisterous and loud, but she suddenly recalled last night, when he softly beguiled her with velvet tones.

She shivered, thinking about that moment when she stood outside his bedroom.She could picture saying yes to his invitation, kissing him, letting him lead her inside and falling onto his bed as they clung to each other.

She felt short of breath, her imagination racing through images of Luke’s body on top of hers...

Hallie looked up, trying to make sure no one was watching her as she felt her cheeks grow hot.

Luckily, the boys were busy working.How did her mind get so out of control?

As she tried to calm her breath, Hallie saw a familiar brown truck cruising through the gates.

It was Eloise Onnerly—Hallie spotted her tidy brown hair clipped back and tied into a low pony tail, and her summer dress dotted with pink flowers.She was probably wanting to talk to Vivian about the church fundraiser, but as the young woman stepped out of the truck, her head swiveled towards Luke.

Eloise seemed to think of herself as very busy and important, being the head of several church committees.Normally, she would head right for the house, not stopping to talk to Johnny or any other ranch hand.But this time, she went straight towards Luke, as if she was being pulled by a magnet.

And it was no wonder because for some reason Luke chose this very moment to take off his plaid shirt and hang it on the nearest post.The sight of his upper body made Hallie’s mouth hang open.

This was possibly the most graceful and sexy male body she had ever seen.His chest, his abs, and his arms were nothing but pure lean muscle that flexed and swelled with every dip of the shovel, moving with effortless power.

The new arrival came forward in her floral summer dress and offered her hand.“Hi, I’m Eloise.Are you new to the ranch?I haven’t seen you before.”

“Nice to meet you, Eloise,” Luke replied, taking off his work glove and shaking her hand with a gentle motion.“I’m only here as a guest, but I do enjoy working outdoors.”

“And they have you shoveling manure?”Eloise asked in a scandalized voice.

Luke shrugged.“It’s worth it, if I get to meet a lovely young lady like you.”

Hallie’s mouth opened even more, this time in outrage.Luke was definitely going off-script, or maybe he had a script of his own.

She needed to put a stop to this, fast.Putting on a polite smile, Hallie strode over to where Luke leaned on his shovel.

“Hi Eloise,” she said, “I see you’ve met my new boyfriend.”

“He’s very charming,” Eloise said without missing a beat.“I’m sure he’ll be a hit at the fall dance.Y’all are coming to that, right?”

“I don’t think so, thank you all the same,” Hallie said.It was bad enough trying to control the damage caused by Luke at home.

“You didn’t tell me there was a dance, darling,” Luke said, putting a taut, muscular arm around Hallie’s shoulders, “of course we’d love to come.”

“But you’re going to be quite busy that day, darling,” Hallie objected, “You know you have that thing at work.”

“Oh, work can wait.I want to experience the real Texas.”

“Great!”Eloise squeaked.“I’m so excited you’re going to be there.You’ll see the real Texas all right, for better or for worse.”