Did he have the strength to give her up now, which was the sensible thing to do? He’d have to be the one. He couldn’t picture her seeing the light and walking away.
She made the turn onto the ranch road, pulled up to the keypad and rolled down her window so she could punch in the code. The big gate swung open perfectly. “Nice job on the gate.”
“Thanks.”
She rolled up the window and drove through. “Are we back to you thinking we have no future?”
“I should have anticipated this would be a problem the minute you climbed the stairs with that little Christmas tree.”
“I’ll take it back to my house.”
“That won’t solve anything. Bottom line, you deserve someone who’s excited about babies and Christmas. That’s not me and we both know it. If we admit that now, we’ll cut our losses.”
“Then you want me to drop you and your groceries by the stairs and leave you there?”
“It’s the smart way to play it.”
“What about the Santa hats? Oh, wait, you probably hate that idea, anyway.”
“No, I don’t. I did at first, but then I saw them on the raccoons and they look cute as hell.”
“See? You like something about Christmas. It’s a start.”
He groaned. “You’re relentless.”
“I believe in you.”
“That’s a mistake.” His smartass comeback was automatic but those four words burrowed into his soul. I believe in you. Jordie was the only other person who’d told him that.
She paused by the second gate and repeated the keypad routine.
“If it’s a mistake, you’re gonna have to prove it to me, cowboy.”
“I’m sure I will.”
She drove up next to the steps. “That sounds suspiciously like you’re caving.”
“I should have my head examined.”
“I’m more interested in examining other parts of you.” She turned off the engine and glanced at him. “Shall we haul the groceries upstairs and see what happens?”
He met her gaze and anticipation sizzled in his veins. “Leave the fudging groceries.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Mila hopped out of the truck and ran toward the tall metal stairway. The sun had melted the ice so she didn’t have to worry about slipping this time as she pounded up the steps. Cole was right on her heels.
He was convinced they had no future, but every time they made love, their bond grew stronger. Couldn’t he feel that, too? She had to believe he did. Nothing else explained the urgency of his touch, the hunger in his eyes, the passion in his voice.
Wrenching open the door, she toed off her boots and kept going, tossing her coat on the kitchen island, whipping her sweater over her head and throwing it in the direction of the couch. As she dashed through the open barn doors into the bedroom, she put her hands behind her back and unhooked her bra.
Then she spun around and dropped it to the floor just as he barreled into the bedroom, his shirt hanging open, his chest heaving as he unfastened his jeans.
He closed the gap between them. “I need to touch you.” Cupping her breasts, he leaned down to kiss her, his breath warm against her lips. “I fudging need you.” He captured her mouth with a groan, as if they’d been separated for weeks. He grasped the yielding fullness of her breasts as if he’d never let go.
She clutched his head and gave as good as she got, holding nothing back, until he gasped and lifted his mouth from hers. His words came fast as he struggled for breath. “I’m gonna explode any second.”
“Then we’d better?—”
