“From?”
“Does it matter?”
“Hell, yeah it does.”
“Fine. I may have called Emma and asked for her suggestions. It’s just…” Damn, why’d I feel like such a chump admitting this? “When I saw you at work earlier you looked so defeated. I thought you could do with some fun.”
A look crossed Claire’s face and I couldn’t read it. I didn’t know her well enough. Not yet anyway. Her eyes fell closed, and a soft sigh slipped between her still kiss-swollen lips. I couldn’t sit there a second longer. Not like this. Shoving the pizza to the ground, I bounced on the bed and dragged her back into my arms, loving the way she fit there.
“Well, I had the best time. No one’s ever done anything like that for me before. Thank you. It was incredible.”
I let out the breath I was holding, relief flooding me. I’d thought I’d fucked up. Again. I mean, at the time she looked like she was enjoying it. After introducing her to Mary, we’d gone along to the stables and saddled up our horses for the afternoon before letting Mary lead us down one of the trails that wound through the national park before popping out onto a deserted beach. The moment Claire had seen the terrifyingly large brown horse, a smile had settled on her face so big I worried her cheeks would crack. She wasn’t afraid at all. She walked straight up to him, hand outstretched and patted him. It was an effort to keep my jealously in tack, I had to keep reminding myself that he was just a horse.
For two hours we’d ridden, well I’d walked along uncomfortably while Claire cantered through shallows her horse, Winter, kicking up water everywhere while she bounced in perfect rhythm with him. It was effortless for her. Like riding a bike. She’d done it before, and while I might not be a cowboy, I could tell it was something she’d never forget.
“We did. It was fun.”
“Thank you, Seth.”
“Anytime,” I confirmed, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. “You looked good out there. You know how to ride.”
“Oh, you have no idea…”
Twenty minutes later I had a much, much better idea.
While I lay there trying to calm my racing heart, Claire reappeared from the bathroom half-dressed. “Where are you going?”
“It’s getting late so I thought…”
Glancing at the clock on the other side of the room I realised how late it was, but that didn’t mean I was ready to say goodnight. “Do you want to leave?” As much as I wanted her to stay, I wasn’t going to be that guy. I wouldn’t force her to do anything she didn’t want to.
“Well, no. But…”
“But nothing. Get those jeans off and get your sexy butt back in this bed.”
“You’re bossy, you know,” she taunted with a wink as she shimmied her jeans down her legs in a way that only chicks could make look sexy.
Instead of answering, I threw back the covers and waited for her to slide in before covering her up and hauling her into my arms. “What time do you work tomorrow?”
“I start at twelve.”
“Great. Plenty of time.”
“Time for what?” Claire asked, pretending to look innocent. It was a good thing I knew better. There was nothing innocent about her. Something she’d proven once or twice tonight already.
“Get your head out of the gutter. Sleep. Plenty of time for sleep.”
Leaning over her, I clicked off the lamp and snuggled down. For a minute Claire lay there stiff and unmoving. I could tell she was uncomfortable, but I couldn’t force her. I didn’t want to. With a heavy sigh and after muttering something I didn’t quite catch, she lifted my arm, dropped her head on my shoulder, and tangled her legs with mine before her breath evened out quickly.
I woke up to clattering, swearing, and the sound of something shattering. Sitting up, my head pounded and I was forced to sit there for a few seconds until the room around me stopped swirling before pulling myself out of bed and heading in the direction of the chaos.
Bounding down the stairs, I came around the corner and spotted something I could very easily get used to. Claire hadn’t heard me over her singing and dancing along to Cher’s greatest hits while she cooked something on the stove. Sitting on the counter was what appeared to be what was left of a coffee and the table was already set.
Leaning on the door frame, I watched silently as her arse shook back and forth wearing only my t-shirt and a pair of silky turquoise panties I had very fond memories of peeling from her hot body last night. When she spun around with a plate piled high with bacon in her hand, she almost dropped the lot.
“Shit, Seth! How long have you been standing there?”
Pushing off the door, I moved towards her, taking the plate from her hands and setting it on the table before grabbing hold of her hips. “Long enough to enjoy the show,” I admitted, bending down and kissing her like I meant it. Morning breath be damned.
