Before I can respond, he’s walking away, leaving me standing there with my hands clenched into fists and the truth sitting heavy in my chest.
I do want her. God help me, I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. And tonight, sitting in a crowded bar, watching other men look at her the way I’ve been trying not to…it’s going to be the longest night of my life.
NINE
AUBREE
“Look at you.”I grin as I approach Jesse’s truck.
He’s standing there, waiting for me. His back rests against the passenger door of his truck, and those green eyes are tracking me as my boots crunch on the gravel driveway. “Look at me, what?”
“Out here waiting for me. You gonna be all gentlemanly and open my door?” I tease, my tongue coming out to swipe at my dry bottom lip.
“Yeah,” he reaches forward, rubbing the moisture off. “Now get your ass up in this truck before I show you what I’d like to do to those ruby red lips.”
The heat in his gaze is enough to ignite a fire between the two of us. I know I’m playing with this flame, and I might get burned, but I can’t think of a better way to go. Grabbing hold of the door handle, I yank it open and go to hitch my foot on the running board, but a warm hand around my hip stops my forward motion.
I’m tugged back to Jesse. “Don’t make me fight some asshole guys at this bar who watchedYellowstoneand decided they wanted to ride a horse.”
I close my eyes when I feel the palm of his hand caressing my ass. “Don’t give me ideas, Jesse Nelson. I’m just going to have fun with my friends. My brother asked you to be my bodyguard.” Without another word, I take the passenger seat and then reach out to close the door.
He moves back with a smirk on his face. “We’re gonna end up acting on this, Bree.”
“What’s that?”
“The unfinished business we have between us. You kissed me once, and I didn’t respond the way I should’ve. You do it again? I’m not letting the moment stop me. Truett and our relationship be damned.” He doesn’t say anything else. He just closes the door and walks around the front of the truck before getting in on his side.
The air in the cab feels thick and charged as Jesse starts the engine. The rumble of the diesel fills the silence between us, but it doesn’t mask the tension that’s been building all evening. I can feel it crackling like electricity, dangerous and irresistible.
I steal a glance at his profile as he backs out of the driveway. The dashboard lights cast shadows across his strong jaw, highlighting the dark scruff that covers it. His hands on the steering wheel are large and calloused from years of ranch work, and I find myself remembering how one of them felt against my hip just moments ago.
“You’re staring,” he says without taking his eyes off the road, but there’s amusement in his voice.
“Maybe.” I don’t deny it. There’s no point. “You were pretty quiet at dinner.”
His jaw tics. “Had nothing to say.”
That’s a lie, and we both know it. I saw the way he was watching me, the way his grip on his knife kept tightening every time one of his brothers made me laugh. Jesse Nelson has plenty to say. He’s just not saying it.
“Right.” I turn in my seat to face him better. “Nothing at all to say about Denver calling me prettier than most women he knows? Or Austin complimenting my shirt? Or Carson bringing up skinny dipping?”
His knuckles go white on the steering wheel. “They’re flirting with you.”
“And that bothers you because…?”
He shoots me a look that’s all heat and frustration. “You know why.”
I do know why. But I want to hear him say it. I want him to admit what’s been simmering between us for years, what nearly boiled over that night I kissed him and he pulled away like I’d burned him.
Instead of pushing, I settle back in my seat and watch the familiar landscape roll by. We pass the old Miller farm, the abandoned gas station that’s been closed for as long as I can remember, and the creek where we used to swim as kids. Everything looks different in the darkness, but the memories are just as vivid.
“Remember when we used to sneak out here on Friday nights?” I ask, my voice softer now.
His expression gentles slightly. “You mean when you used to sneak out and drag us along with you?”
“I never had to drag you anywhere, Jesse Nelson. You were always right there, ready for whatever trouble I was cooking up.”
“Someone had to keep you from getting yourself killed.”
