“You know you’re handsome, right?”
“Cut it out.” Taking her hand, he tried to start them moving again, but she stopped in front of him.
“My God, you’re embarrassed, and there I was thinking nothing had the power to do that to you.” Branna hooted with laughter. “You own a mirror, right?”
He looked uncomfortable, his eyes checking to make sure no one could hear their conversation.
“Most women have a silly smile on their faces whenever they see you, McBride. It’s lucky I’m not the jealous kind, because my insides would be twisted by now.”
“Will you quit it!”
Oh, this was just too much fun. He was really uncomfortable now, his eyes looking everywhere but at her.
“And don’t get me started on your body.” Branna hummed her appreciation. “I overheard Ellie Putt saying you should pose nude because it was just a downright sin to cover all that delicious flesh up.”
“You having fun?”
“Totally.” Branna gave him a big smile, which made him growl. “The fact that you don’t know what a dreamboat you are is cute.”
“Totally,” he mimicked, and then wrapped a hand around her neck. “So, you think I’m a dreamboat?”
“Ellie thinks you are,” Branna corrected.
“And what about you, Rosebud, do you know how hot you are?”
“Don’t try and change the subject.”
“Fair’s fair. I have to walk around with the hottest woman in Howling, watch all the men ogling her, and pretend it doesn’t bother me, and don’t get me started onyourbody.”
He pulled her closer so no one could see the hand that cupped her breast, which was devastatingly accurate, or the thumb he rubbed over her hard nipple that made her knees go weak.
“I yield.”
His breath was uneven as he planted a smacking kiss on her lips before he pushed a piece of fudge in there.
“Just so you know, I only have to see you to want you. One touch and I’m so hard it hurts, and—”
“Jake, we are in the middle of the entire town of Howling,” Branna whispered.
“All the more reason to make you understand what you do to me. In fact, I’m thinking this whole Carnival thing is overrated and we should just head home.”
“Stop that.” Branna laughed as he turned to leave. “We can’t leave. We’ve only just arrived.”
“You better make it up to me later then,” he said, giving her a sexy smile that made her heart skip a beat.
“Branna, Delray and Macy are just ahead of us. You want to head in the other direction?”
She looked up and saw Macy, who, as usual, looked beautiful and immaculate. But this time, Branna looked closer after what she’d seen that day in the drugstore and really saw the look in the woman’s eyes.
“Damn,” she muttered.
“What?”
“I saw Macy in the drugstore one day. She didn’t know I was there because I was hiding behind one of the displays.”
“Why were you hiding behind the displays?”
“Never mind that. It’s what I saw when I was hiding that matters,” Branna added. “Macy walked around the display, so no one could see her, then put her head in her hands and sobbed. Honestly, Jake, she looked broken, and I could feel her despair from where I stood.”
