Her eyes flash with an emotion I can’t quite read.
“Thank you. Maybe I just always meet the wrong guy.” She rolls her eyes. “I’ll be the woman hiding in the bathroom stall of a restaurant, texting a friend to come pick me up and get me out of the mess I’m in. That’s how I ended up with my ex—as bad as he was, he was an upgrade!”
I can’t help but join in when she breaks into peals oflaughter. Her laugh is deep and real, and that kind of joy is infectious.
“What about tonight?” I ask her, my question unexpectedly coming out in a rough tone. “Do you think you might stick around for the end of this date?”
“I’m pretty sure I want to do that.”
She licks her lips, and I nearly lean forward and cover her mouth with mine. Her midnight-colored hair cascading in waves down her back is killing me, and when she looks at me—it’s like she’s looking at all of me.
I can’t explain why, but I feel like I can’t hide with her. And instead of making me jump off my stool and run in the opposite direction, it makes me want to fuck her over and over again.
She’s sexy without trying, and the combination is causing my cock to come alive. Cocks aren’t smart like I wish they were. And right now, mine is suddenly hard in the middle of a bar, sitting beside a woman I barely know. It’s quite inconvenient, and I grab my flannel shirt from the back of my stool and place it over my waist.
“Do you live in town?” I ask, hoping she didn’t notice the bulge in my jeans.
“I live a few towns over. But I took two weeks off, and I’m staying at a ranch down the road.” She tilts her head to the right.
Not possible.Is it?“Wild Ranch?”
She blinks. “You know it?”
“I’m staying there too. Small world.”
She stares at me. “You’re staying in one of the guest cabins?”
“Yep. My cousin runs the place. He and two of his brothers.”
“That’s incredible!” She bounces up and down on herstool. “I absolutely love it there. I just checked in last night, but it’s been so peaceful.”
“It is. I’d love to come here more often. But with my line of work…” I trail off, wishing I hadn’t gone there.
“What’s your line of work?”
“I work outdoors. Manual labor of a kind.”
I plan to fill her in for real, but before I can go into more detail, she reaches out and squeezes my bicep. “Manual labor explains these muscles. I could tell you weren’t a boring corporate guy as soon as I saw your body.” Her eyes widen. “I mean, scratch that. Not your naked body. Obviously. Since I haven’t seen you naked yet.”
I raise my eyebrows at her.
“Or ever!” She bangs the heel of her hand against her forehead. “God, have I gotten this bad at socializing with strange men? I’m sorry to make this awkward.”
“It’s not awkward for me.” I chuckle. “You spilled some of your wine, though.”
She looks down at her floral skirt, which now has a red stain on it. “Oh, shit. That’s what I get for using the word naked to a virtual stranger.”
“Hey, I’m not a stranger anymore. Am I?”
She smiles. “Apparently not.”
I call to the bartender for a napkin.
After unsuccessfully blotting at the stain, Emery tosses the napkin onto the counter. “Oh, well. That’s not going to come out until I can scrub the hell out of it with stain remover.”
She smiles at me and takes another sip of wine.
I stare at her, mesmerized at the way she just let it go. She’s got a large red stain on her skirt, we’re in a public place, and she’s on a date with a man she just met. She’d have all the reason in the world to freak out or, at the very least, go to the restroom to try some more tricks to blot out the blemish.
