Problem was, what he did see from this angle, had him just about drooling.The neckline of the blue top she wore was wide, leaving quite a bit of her skin bare.His eyes kept straying to the naked slope of her shoulder and the soft curve of her cleavage noticeable while standing behind her.
Long after her hair was quite dry, he still kept running the softness through his fingers.Finally, his body humming, his jeans way too tight, he bent forward to pick up the brush and put the hair dryer down.As he moved back again, his eyes met hers in the mirror.Around them, all sorts of strange vibrations floated around in the quiet room.
She crossed her arms, a movement that drew his eyes downward.That was when he noticed what she was trying to hide—the hard points of her nipples straining against the soft material of her top.
“Damn, Willow…” he growled.
Jumping up, she grabbed the brush from his hands.“Thank you, it’s fine.I’ll be out in a minute.”
For another moment he stared at her mouth, at the determined lift of her chin before he turned and walked away.He couldn’t remember ever wanting to kiss anyone as badly as he’d wanted to kiss Willow Weston at that moment.
Blindly, he stumbled toward the living room.Inhaling deeply, he tried to rein in his galloping libido.He began pacing, replaying every moment of the past few minutes.
Damn it, this wasn’t helping.Looking around wildly, he noticed her studio again.Before he could stop himself, he was inside.A few paintings were placed around the walls of the room, all the typical, beautiful Montana landscapes she was known for.Like a lovesick teenager, he went online right after he’d seen her the first time to find out as much about her as he could.
He walked around the easel to look at the painting.His heart tripped and for a second, he could’ve sworn it had stopped.
A sound inside the house finally penetrated his befuddled thoughts.Turning away, he quickly moved back to the living room.
He was at the front door when he heard Willow behind him.
“Let’s go.”
He thought it wise not to say anything about the painting right away.Opening the front door, he waited for her to leave before he followed her.
Before he’d reached his truck, she was already inside.
At some point, she’d have to explain about the damn painting.
*
It was difficultto breathe.The truck was big, the inside quite spacious but with every mile closer to Marietta, it seemed to shrink until all Willow was aware of was the beating of her heart, Hunter’s musky scent, his uneven breathing, and the heat radiating from his body.Or was it her body?
She couldn’t settle and kept moving in an effort to break the strange mood inside the truck.Hunter hadn’t said a word since they’d left and for the life of her, she couldn’t think of anything to say either.
Of course she shouldn’t have demanded he dry her hair.At that moment she’d just been so fed up with another man thinking he knew what was best for her.She also didn’t want him wandering into her studio.It was only when she’d seen the red bra lying on her bed, she’d realized how stupid she’d been.Hunter Grant, the cowboy she’d been having X-rated dreams about for months, was in her room.Backing down then, however, wasn’t an option.
How she was ever going to sleep again, she had no idea.The feeling of those big hands, his fingers gently running through her hair, his warm body standing right behind her, those blue eyes watching her hardened nipples wasn’t something to forget easily.
Shifting restlessly, she tried to get comfortable.
A big hand covered hers.“Damn it, Willow, please sit still, you’re killing me.”
She tried to remove his hand, but he laced his fingers with hers and put their hands on his leg.“What… what are you talking about?”
Blue eyes locked with hers before he turned his attention to the road again.“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“Well, I don’t.”Again, she tried to remove her hand from his, but he caught it again, lifting it up to his mouth.Warm lips touched her skin, heating her blood in seconds.
“You still wanna tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about?”
Her mouth was so dry, she had to swallow a few times before she could speak.“You shouldn’t have done that.”She was going for sounding assertive, instead the husky words hanging between them were anything but.
Fortunately, they’d reached Crawford Park where the courthouse was situated.This time when she pulled at her hand, Hunter let her go.
He finally found an empty spot and parked his truck.“Whenever you’re ready, you can tell me about your latest painting.”
He’d gotten out of his truck and had opened her door while she was still trying to catch her breath.
