Gail’s eyes bulge.
Fucking A. “I mean, I think it was just a friend. They were loud and giggling. It was probably Rosie.”
She sighs. “Oh, those girls can make a lot of noise.”
I nod, my jaw hard. “Well, if you don’t mind.”
I’m not sure how I keep finding myself naked in front of the Darling women, but it needs to stop. Well, except for one.
“Right,” Gail replies. “When can we go over everything for the festival?”
Fuck, it’s going to be a long day.
I promise Gail I’ll come find her when I’m showered and wait for her to leave. Then I grab my jeans, which are mostly dry, pull them on, and head back to the bedroom.
When I enter, Tally is in bed, texting furiously. When she sees me, she sets down the phone to give me her full attention.
We have a lot to do, and obviously Gail’s interruption was not how I wanted to start the day, but I refuse to let panic ruin everything about last night. So before Tally can open her mouth and tell me how she wishes we didn’t almost get caught, how we need to be more careful, or God forbid, how this can’t happen again, I stalk toward her, lift her chin, and press my mouth to hers.
Every ounce of stress, every insecurity, every worry, leaves my body with that simple connection. She hums against my lips in response, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me down on top of her, deepening the kiss. Time seems to suspend when her mouth is on mine. When she’s in my arms, life isn’t so complicated.
Spend my days on the farm; spend my nights with this woman. Smile more.
Hell, I can’t think of a better dream if I tried.
She pushes me down and straddles me, but I hold her head, keeping our lips together. Tally sighs against me, and I feel the tilt of her mouth as she smiles.
“Now that’s how I wanted to wake up,” she says, her eyes still closed.
I kiss her once more before releasing my grip on her.
She blinks her eyes open. “So.”
I press a finger to her mouth. “Don’t ruin it.”
A surprised gasp-like laugh leaves her mouth. “By speaking?”
I stare her down.
“Fine.” She twists her lips. “Well, if I can’t speak, what do you want me to do?”
I grin. I can’t help it. This girl makes me happy. And I haven’t had something that was just mine make me happy in a very long time.
“Did you know you have dimples?” She pokes my cheek like she’s inspecting it.
My laugh takes me by surprise, and her eyes dance in response.
“You should take a bath.”
Her brows rise.
“I’ll go up to the house and grab you clothes since you can’t go walking around the farm in your dress from last night.”
She grins wickedly. “I don’t do the walk of shame, Walker. I strut like a peacock.” She shimmies her shoulders and throws herself back, exposing that beautiful body to me again.
I pinch her nipple, and she squeals. “You can strut like a peacock in dry clothes. I don’t want you getting sick. We’ve got a festival to host, remember?”
Her mouth falls open. “Oh my God, the festival! Shit, you’ve got to go.”
