His eyes roamed over my face. “Rule six, you needed a break.”
“So this is about the rules?”
He nodded, and my heart sank. “But this isn’t.” He brought his lips forward and kissed me. His lips were warm from the sun as they passed over mine, soft and slow. There was no desperation to it like there had been in the hotel room. This was a slow exploration. His tongue stayed respectfully in his mouth, and so did mine.
It was more heart than heat.
Eventually, he pulled back. I licked my lips, already missing the press of his against mine.
We rode back to The Ranch, slow and steady, my back warm against his chest. The smell of hay and man and fresh air surrounded me.
When we got back to the barn, I said my goodbyes to Millie, offering her a silentthank youfor not dropping me in the dirt.
After dinner, we checked into the hotel. I was hot and tired from the sun and desperate for a nap and some comfy clothes.
I took my time enjoying a cool shower, then put on my silk pajama tank and shorts with a light robe. Even with air-conditioning, it was always hot in Texas.
I thought about this afternoon with Hayes, enjoying being away from the client-bodyguard dynamic and just being ourselves. It was a glimpse into what could be once this book tour was over. A chance to be with Hayes when he wasn’t constantly scanning for danger.
I didn’t want to wait until the tour was over to see where thiscould go. I wanted more while it was just the two of us.
I knocked lightly on the door between our rooms before swinging it open. Hayes was sitting in an armchair with his laptop on his knee. He sat up straighter as I entered. “What’s wrong?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “You owe me handcuffs.”
As soon as he knew there was no danger, he visibly relaxed, but his eyes scanned over me. My hair was wet, hanging in ringlets as it dried, and my legs were bare under my robe.
He stood, walking toward me in a way that had me swallowing hard. There was something in his eye that I hadn’t seen before. Something almost predatory that I wanted to see more of. He reached out and grabbed the end of the tie for my robe, then ripped it from the loops. My robe fell open. His eyes dipped to where it now gaped at the chest, before he wrapped the tie around his hands. After a few moves I couldn’t follow, he had two loops secured around his wrists. “See? No need to buy the real thing.”
I took them from him and examined his handiwork. “Thank you. This is so cool.”
He watched me intently. “What do you plan to do with those?”
I bit my lip. “Well, I don’t write in the BDSM space, but a little light bondage could be fun. I want to work them into a scene somehow. The brooding bodyguard is using his tactical skills in the bedroom.”
His eyes darkened. “What position are we talking about? Tied to something, or just to keep her hands restrained so he can tease the hell out of her?”
Heat pooled between my legs. I had no experience being tied up, but I was very interested in hearing him talk about it in that husky tone. “What do you recommend?” I shifted closer.
“I thought yourcharacter wanted to be manhandled.”
I nodded. “She does. The male character is so strong and intense. She wants all that pointed at her and used to bring her pleasure.”
I could feel my nipples straining against my top, my breath coming fast in my chest.
“So I guess you should get writing now that you have your cuffs?”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to write it, Hayes. I want to feel it. Kissing you, I haven’t stopped thinking about it.”
“Luna—”
“I know, okay? I know. You can’t lose focus, but on that ride today, you were yourself. The real Hayes, when you aren’t on alert. It was amazing. Besides, we’re in a locked room, just you and me, and we’re in a town you know well, a safe place filled with Lone Star Security guards. Don’t you think you can give up control for just a minute?”
His face was set, but his breathing was coming faster.
“We can pretend to be my characters if that helps. You are the domineering, alpha guard, and I am the sex-starved client.”
His nostrils flared, and his body looked impossibly wider as he sucked in a deep breath. “Fuck it.” He grabbed me, and then we were kissing. It was desperate and feral. His hands dug into my sides enough to hurt, and I fisted the front of his shirt with both hands. He pulled my bottom lip between his teeth and gave it a gentle tug before pulling back.
