She grinned softly and nodded, making that big ass hair bounce. “You do, and I think we should get out of here so I can makeyouhappy.”
Her hand moved up my thigh and I caught her wrist. “You’ve been drinkinga lot.”
“Yeah I have but I’m also very aware of what I’m saying and doing.”
She lifted from the chair, balanced herself by placing a hand on my leg, and brought her mouth incredibly close to mine. “I want to leave…and I tipped my hat to you, which means I get to leave withyou, cowboy.”
I lifted a hand and eased my fingers into the softness of her hair at the nape of her neck, fisting it gently before my mouth was on hers. I slid my tongue into her mouth and the connection was like a live wire shooting through my veins. When she leaned closer, kissing me deeper, I growled in frustration because I wanted so much more from this woman than I had the right to take.
Her fingers dug into my thigh and I curled my fingers into her hair more, making the kiss deeper until she separated and grinned. “Maybe we should go.”
“Yeah, maybe we should.”
While Reece said goodbye to her girl, I closed out our tab then tucked her at my side while we walked to my truck. As soon as we were inside, I turned the heat up as high as it could go to combat the icy temperatures. The drive to the house was less than twenty minutes but I had to laugh to fight my disappointment when we pulled up and Reece was out cold.
I guessed that was the universe’s way of stopping me from doing something stupid. I got out and yanked her door open, pressing a kiss to her forehead before I tried to wake her. “Reece, we’re here. I need to get you in the house.”
She mumbled something about me knowing the code and I sighed, giving up on her providing any type of help to get into her place. I lifted her from the seat, kicked the door closed, and walked us to my temporary residence. Once inside, I carriedReece to the bedroom I had been in earlier, laid her on the bed, and removed her boots and jacket before I tucked her in.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her, so I remained peacefully at ease watching her sleep. My mind couldn’t let go of the idea of Reece having her legs wrapped around me and I did a mental inventory of the last time that had happened. It had been months since I had a woman in my bed, and even then, I wasn’t fully there. I tortured myself by stopping to watch qualifying rounds for bronco and bull riding between locations and ended up fucking my frustrations out that night. She’d thoroughly enjoyed herself based on the offer for me to spend a week with her but I barely remembered the experience because I was in my head the entire time.
Every part of me wanted every part of her, but it wasn’t happening tonight. I was well aware that sex with Reece wouldn’t be selfish or about me and that posed a problem. I could already imagine her voice being the motivation for me to make sure she never forgot having me in her bed. With thoughts of her mouth and soft hands on me, the experience was already ingrained in my memory and I hadn’t even touched her. That was a gotdamn problem, so I headed to the room next door, stripped down to my briefs, and climbed in bed with a hard dick and a smile that felt too damn good considering how I’d ended up here.
Chapter 6
Reece.
Igroaned and rolled over in bed, pulling the cover closer. With my fist balled under my chin, I squeezed my eyes tighter to ease the throbbing of my head.
Mixing alcohol had definitely been a bad idea.
Shots with Wren, beer and bourbon with,shit…
My eyes popped open and I did a mental inventory of last night leading up to the last thing I remembered. Leaving withhim…
I lifted my head, confirming where I was—in the foreman’s cabin and not home in my bed—but I was also alone. That explained the spiced wood and citrus scent I smelled in the pillow and sheets. I frowned, flipping onto my back, rubbing my hands over my face before I did a body survey. I threw the covers back and realized I was still in my clothes from last night but my feet were covered in my holiday wool socks, void of my boots.
“Well, shit,” I mumbled, pushing out a sigh of disappointment. No man in history that I was aware of had amazing sex with a woman then dressed her in the clothes he’d gotten her out of. The thought of what hadn’t happened frustrated me but then my eyes rolled because did I truly want to have sex with a man and not remember how great it was?
There was no doubt in my mind sex with Ro would be great. Better than great. That kiss was a preview of what he could do with his mouth and I had not missed the impression in his jeans. He was definitely working with something impressive. I groaned in frustration, balled my hands into fists, and threw them down beside my body, with my arms locked tightly. Prime opportunity and I’d missed out. Surely he would assume last night was about the alcohol and brush it off as not a big deal.
Yep, totally missed opportunity.
I sighed and eased to the side of the bed, careful with my movements because my head was still pounding and I felt a bit nauseous from all the liquor I’d consumed last night. With quiet, careful steps I left the room and eased into the bathroom, emptying my bladder before washing my hands andface. I turned the faucet on and uncapped a miniature tube of toothpaste.
While I utilized one of the toothbrushes I kept stocked under the sink, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I looked just like the night I had. Fun, but a disappointing finish. I spat toothpaste into the sink and rinsed it down the drain, frowning at the mass of hair on my head. My hair was a chaotic mess but I still grinned as I raked my fingers through one side because Ro seemed fascinated with my chaotic mess. Feeling his fingers gripping it while he kissed me had definitely been a good time.
I rinsed once more, tucked the toothbrush in the holder on the counter, then did my best to fluff my hair. I didn’t have a comb or hair ties, so my fingers would have to do.
Once I was done, I peeked into the hallway and stifled a laugh, throwing my hand over my mouth, because why the hell was I creeping? I listened for a minute and relaxed. The coast was clear so I left the bathroom, heading back to the bedroom where I glanced around the open space. My eyes landed on the duffle with clothes half folded but rifled through. I walked over, shook a thermal free, and pulled it over my head.
My hands barely reached the cuffs because of the size difference so I dragged the sleeves up enough to push my hands through then clasped the edge of one and brought it to my face. I inhaled and smiled. It was clean but still carried the faint smell of spiced wood and citrus that was in the sheets, likely from mingling with the other items in his bag. After fluffing my hair once more, I left the room, peeking into the second bedroom, assuming that was where my cowboy was located. If he wasn’t in bed with me, the only thing left was the second room or the sofa.
Ro was stretched out on his stomach, beneath the covers twisted around his body, exposing most of his back. He was nice on the eyes fully clothed, but a shirtless, sleeping Ro wasexquisite. I scanned his back and shoulder, admiring the ink that moved from his collarbone down his left shoulder and arm.
Then my eyes landed on the raised scarring mid spine. The scars looked bad and, although healed, they still appeared fairly new. This discoloration and different shades of brown—some with a slightly tannish hue that contrasted his brown skin—had me frowning with the memories of his confession about being trampled by a bronco.
I wanted to climb into the bed and wrap my arms around him before I kissed every single imperfection. He’d lost something, the one thing that defined him as a man, and that couldn’t have been easy. My next thought was anger for the woman who’d walked away from him. She had to be stupid or selfish, shit probably both.
