“You’re gonna have to work a lot harder than that to get me to spill all my secrets, Jesse Nelson.”
The challenge in her voice makes something primal stir in my chest. I’ve always loved her fire, the way she never makes anything easy. Even when we were kids, she’d make me work for every smile, every laugh, every moment of her attention.
“Is that so?” I drawl, letting my hands drift lower to rest at the small of her back.
“Mm-hmm.” She leans into me again, but this time there’s a different energy between us. Less desperate, more playful. “I’m not the same girl who left here, you know.”
“I can see that.” And I can. There’s a hardness to her now that wasn’t there before, a wariness in her eyes that speaks of experiences I can only imagine. But underneath it all, she’s still the Aubree who used to steal my breath with just a look.
We dance through two more songs, lost in our own little world. The bar could burn down around us, and I wouldn’t notice. All that exists is the feel of her in my arms, the soft sound of her breathing, the way she melts against me like she belongs there.
But eventually, the music stops and the harsh overhead lights flicker on. Last call echoes through the room, shattering the spellwe’ve been under. Reality comes crashing back—the ranch, the secrets, all the reasons why this is complicated.
“Guess that’s our cue,” Aubree says softly, but she doesn’t immediately pull away.
“Guess so.” I reluctantly loosen my hold on her, already missing the contact. “Come on. I’ll drive you home.”
The ride back to the ranch is quiet, filled with a tension that has nothing to do with awkwardness and everything to do with the electricity still crackling between us. Every time I glance over at her, she’s looking out the window, but I can feel her awareness of me like a living thing.
When I pull up in front of the main house, neither of us moves to get out. The silence stretches between us, heavy with all the things we’re not saying.
“Thank you,” she finally says, turning to face me. “For tonight. For giving me those moments.”
“Anytime.” The words come out rougher than I intended, weighted with promises I’m not sure I should be making.
She reaches for the door handle, but I catch her wrist, stopping her. “Bree.”
She turns back to me, and before I can second-guess myself, I’m leaning across the space between us. My hand cups her cheek, thumb tracing across her soft skin, and then my lips are on hers.
The kiss starts gentle, tentative, like I’m afraid she might bolt. But then she sighs into my mouth and her hand fists in my shirt, pulling me closer. The taste of her explodes across my tongue, whiskey and something uniquely Aubree that I’ve never been able to forget.
When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing hard. Her lips are swollen, her eyes dark with desire, and it takes every ounce of self-control I possess not to drag her back to me.
“That’s not all I’m gonna steal,” I tell her, my voice hoarse with want. “Before this is over, I’m gonna have your heart too.”
The boldness of the statement surprises even me, but I don’t take it back. I can’t. After tonight, after feeling her in my arms again, I know I’m not walking away a second time.
A slow grin spreads across her face, transforming her from beautiful to devastating. “I can’t wait to see you try, cowboy.”
She slides out of the truck before I can respond, but not before I see the challenge burning bright in her eyes. As I watch her walk up to the porch, hips swaying with each step, I know I’m in trouble.
Big trouble.
But for the first time in years, it’s the kind of trouble I’m looking forward to.
ELEVEN
AUBREE
I’m draggin’ass after we went to the bar last night, but it was much needed. To feel like myself again, to not be hiding from everyone and everything because of what my ex-boyfriend did to me. Last night I was more like the Aubree who left here, and less like the Aubree who tucked her tail between her legs and came back.
There are dark circles under my eyes and a tiredness lining my face, but both of them are good. I’m working hard and having fun.
Putting on my boots and grabbing a flannel to ward off the chilly morning air, I stomp down the stairs.
“Who’s going to go today?” I can hear Truett and Jesse talking in not exactly hushed tones. “Everyone is working. We desperately need to hire some more hands.”
“To do that, we need more money,” Jesse argues quietly. “To get more money?—”
