When I left the pub last night after dinner, I was pissed because I let the whole damn town know I’m interested in Nora. What they don’t know is that it’s more than just an interest; I think about her every day no matter how hard I try to distract myself with other things.
I’m not sure what’s worse, the whole damn town knowing, or my sisters. Kinley’s going to give me shit no matter what, that’s just who she is. It’s playful, and she would never try to make me angry, but she knows to the nth degree just how far she can push me.
Marley, on the other hand, doesn’t have the backbone Kinley does. After she was attacked and raped at her senior prom years ago, she doesn’t do people if she can avoid it, and she’s muchmore reserved. If I give her a stern enough look, she’ll back off. But it’s a delicate balance, I don’t want to hurt her feelings.
Another thing that pisses me off is that the rumor mill has already apprised Nora of my past. Now she’s going to wonder if I’m just after a piece of ass, but what she doesn’t know is that when I look at her, she’s so much more than that.
The million-dollar question is, am I going to do anything about it. After last night, I’m afraid I’ve gone past the point of no return. After I got home from dinner, all I could think about was what if even one of those guys goes back to the pub after her shift?
Just the thought made me want to fucking kill them.
When I went back into town and waited for her to get off work, I had no intention of doing any of the things I did. The plan was just to make sure she was safe and drive her home. But when I was standing in front of her and she smiled at me, all I could think about was spending as much time with her as I could.
No matter how loud my leg screamed the whole time.
Once my lips touched hers, there was no going back. I want more of her. All of her. I had to keep enough space between us so she wouldn’t feel how fucking hard my dick was, but when her peaked nipples brushed across my chest, I almost lost my load in my pants. Like a goddamn teenager.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise, it’s been over a year since I’ve touched a woman. I’ve went out of my way to avoid women and attachments, but something about Nora makes me forget about all the reasons why.
“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Mason’s ornery voice pulls me out of my thoughts.
Glancing at him, I turn my back and go back to tossing slices of hay into trays. “About how good it would feel to wipe that shit-eating grin off your face.” I avoid looking at him, hoping he’ll leave me alone, but I doubt it will be that easy.
He throws his arms over the top rail of the fence and sets his chin on his forearm. “I’m not a hundred percent certain, but I think you were just staring off into space… smiling. But that can’t be right because you never smile.”
“My stomach hurts, it was just gas.” Maybe taking a page out of my sister’s baby book that says babies only smile because they have gas will work.
“Naah, I know that look, it’s the same look I get during the day that makes me go up to the house and pull my wife into a room that locks. You were thinking about Nora.”
“Was not.”
“Was too.”
Fuck, he’s like a fucking dog with a bone. Stopping what I’m doing, I turn on him. “It’s none of your fucking business what I was thinking about. Don’t you have something to do somewhere else?”
“I’m done for the day, were you so far off in wonderland that you didn’t realize it’s almost dinnertime?”
“I know what fucking time it is.” I don’t really, he’s right, I wasn’t paying attention.
Pulling my leather gloves off, one finger at a time, I toss each one into the empty wheelbarrow and walk past him to the stables.
“Aw, come on, I’m just fuckin’ with ya. It’s okay to like someone, Tuck. And, you might not believe me, but I like that something in this world can still make you smile.” He’s hot on my heels and pissing me off. I love my brother, but his tendency to sometimes act like he’s twelve rubs me the wrong way.
Walking to the grooming stall, I toss my hat onto a shelf full of powders, creams and scrubs. “I like lots of people, so drop it.”Lie. I give him my back and turn the faucet on over the big tub to wash my hands and arms.
He’s quiet behind me for a minute, and as I’m splashing water on my face and neck, I’m hoping he’s left, but no such luck.
He takes a deep breath and lets it out. “She’s not going to think less of you because of your leg.”
Grabbing one of the hand towels from the shelf, I contain my anger as I dry my arms and head. I sure as fuck am not going to talk about what I can’t do for her because of my leg. It’s none of his business that I know I’m only half a man, and that’s not good enough for her. She deserves so much more.
When I charged across the pub and grabbed that guy, I wasn’t thinking of who was watching, I wasn’t thinking of much except that someone was touching her and it wasn’t welcome. I couldn’t let that happen.
Somewhere in a deep, twisted part of myself, I don’t want anyone touching her. It makes me a big fucking hypocrite.
Would I have done it different if I had known everyone would see right through me?
No.
