Prologue
Hayden
“You shouldn’t be in here,” I say as soon as I hear the door click shut. I knew who it was before I even turned around.
Miranda Wells hesitates in the doorway. Her long, dirty-blonde hair is pulled up in a ponytail, and she’s wearing an old flannel shirt and worn jeans. She’s still the prettiest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on.
“Can we talk?” she asks in a voice so soft, I barely hear her.
I’ve been avoiding this place since last month’s rodeo. I’ve been avoidingher.When I offered to keep her company while she waited for a tow truck, I didn’t think it would end the way it did.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
I flinch at my own words. She needs to know that I don’t want her that way. That Ican’twant her that way. Leaning against the counter for support, I cross my arms as I finallymeet her gaze. As soon as I do, I’m brought back to that night outside her truck.
“Why have you been avoiding me?” she asks, her watery hazel eyes never leaving mine. “It was just a kiss. We’re adults. It happened. I understand you don’t want anything like that with me, but we’ve known each other for too long to let something like that end our friendship.”
I uncross my arms and grip the countertop to keep from touching her. Friendship? That’s what she considers this thing that’s been going on for longer than either of us is willing to admit? I feel like shit for breaking her trust, but goddamn was that kiss everything. It probably makes me a horrible person, but that wasn’t the first time I wanted to kiss her. It’s just the first time I acted on it.
“I shouldn’t have kissed you,” is all I manage to croak out.
The look on her face nearly ends me. It isn’t her fault I want her when I shouldn’t. It isn’t her fault that I want to kick my own ass for giving in and touching her, period. Releasing my hold on the counter, I take a few steps forward, closing some of the distance between us.
“I have been avoiding you; you’re right. But it’s not because I don’t want you. It’s because Ishouldn’t. And I know the only way I’ll be able to resist is if I stay away.”
I feel a sense of relief, finally speaking the words aloud. But the weight of what I’ve just said isn’t lost on me. I’ve justadmitted to wanting my best friend’s daughter. The words should have felt bitter on my tongue…but they didn’t.
She takes a sharp breath, obviously surprised that I’ve finally admitted to what we’ve both been pretending doesn’t exist. She’s close enough that I can feel the heat from her body, but neither of us moves. My eyes track the movement of her tongue as she moistens her lips, and blood immediately flows south. This is exactly why I’ve been avoiding her.
“I don’t want you to stay away,” she admits. “And I’m not sorry you kissed me.”
“I’m not sorry, either. But I shouldn’t have done it,” I repeat, trying to convince myself along with her.
“Maybe we just need to get it out of our system,” she suggests.
Her eyes never waver from mine as I continue to hold her gaze. Maybe she’s right. The more I try to deny my attraction, the stronger it becomes. It isn’t new. I’d have to be dead not to notice Miranda. I wouldn’t consider her short, but she’s shorter than I am. Ample curves. Long waves pulled into a high ponytail. Lips that were made to be kissed, and bright hazel eyes that cut right through me.
“We shouldn’t.” My words come out as a low rumble as I close the remaining distance between us.
My mouth finds hers, and all thoughts ofwe shouldn’tvanish from my mind. Her lips are so soft, I lose myself as I slidemy tongue into her mouth and groan at the contact. When I pull her close, she grinds herself against my hardening cock.Goddamn.She tastes even better than I remember. And I bet she feels even better than she tastes. My hands find her waist as I deepen the kiss and, forgetting all about my injured shoulder, I lift her to the counter, knocking things to the ground as I hastily set her down.
“Fuck,” I hiss.
Pain lances through my shoulder, and I close my eyes as I wait for it to pass. The whole reason I’m back here and not outside in the arena waiting to line up is because I’m out with an injured shoulder. It was the last thing on my mind with Miranda in front of me.
“Shit, are you okay?”
The pain subsides a bit, and I’m left with the realization of what we were about to do. “I’m sorry. We can’t do this.”
Her face falls, and I feel like the biggest piece of shit on the planet. But the guilt of hurting her feelings is nothing like what I’d be feeling if I let more happen between us. It’s bad enough that I’ll never forget the way her lips felt against mine. The way her willing tongue tangled with mine. Fuck. I just know the rest of her body tastes as sweet as her lips.
“Hey. Don’t,” I say gently as I stroke her cheek with the back of my fingers. “Don’t feel bad about this. I want you so fuckingbad. But we can’t. Okay? And I won’t avoid you. Come next rodeo season, I’m sure you’ll have forgotten all about me.”
Miranda gives me a weak smile and slides down off the counter. “Okay. You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t you dare apologize to me. And don’t. Feel. Bad.” I press a kiss to her cheek.
She turns to leave, but I hear sounds coming from the tack room on the other side of the wall, so I hold my hand up, signaling for her to stop. Knowing what we were doing, I can only imagine what’s going on in the other room. All I know is, I can’t be caught in here alone with Miranda.
