“Because you drank half the liquor at Perdition,” I tell her.
She lifts one hand lazily into the air. “That seems… unlikely,” Rae says.
I crouch beside the bed and start pulling her boots off. “Stay still,” I tell her. She does not stay still. Instead she props herself up on her elbows, watching me through half-lidded eyes while I tug the first boot free.
“You kidnapped me,” Rae murmurs.
“I transported you,” I reply.
“Without consent,” she says.
“You were about to start a speech in the middle of Perdition,” I remind her.
She smiles faintly. “I was making excellent points,” Rae insists.
I pull the second boot off and set them on the floor before standing. “Lie down,” I tell her.
“Bossy,” she mutters. Still, she falls back onto the mattress.
I grab a glass of water from the bathroom and set it on the nightstand before turning back toward her. She’s halfway tangled in her hoodie. “…stuck,” Rae mutters.
I step forward and pull the hoodie off over her head. Her hair spills loose across the pillow. Her jeans come next. She lifts her hips clumsily while I slide them down her legs, leaving her in a tank top and underwear.
The moment I straighten, she rolls toward me.
Then suddenly she lunges forward and straddles my lap.
I’m sitting on the edge of the bed.
She’s on top of me. My hands immediately catch her hips to steady her. She’s warm. Soft. Bare legs draped across mine while I’m still in my jeans.
Her hair falls around her face as she leans closer.
“Rae,” I say.
She ignores me. Her fingers slide slowly up my chest like she’s mapping the shape of me through my shirt. “Hi,” Rae murmurs.
“No,” I tell her.
She blinks. “…no?” Rae asks.
“No,” I repeat.
Her mouth falls open. “You are the most frustrating man I’ve ever met,” Rae tells me.
“You’re drunk,” I say.
“I’m slightly drunk,” she insists.
“You’re very drunk,” I reply.
She leans closer anyway. “Cole,” Rae says.
“No,” I answer again.
Now she looks annoyed. “You’ve been fixing my farm,” Rae says loudly. “For three weeks.”
“Yes,” I say.
