Colette Slip was the kind of woman his dreams were made of—the kind of woman that a man could build a life with. How would he survive when she left?
The way he looked at it, he had two choices: enjoy their time together while it lasted, or torture himself by trying to keep distance between them.
He chuckled as she pulled away.
Her mouth quirked up to the side. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m laughing because I don’t stand a chance with you. Rules or no rules, there’s nothing that could keep me away from you now.”
A soft pink hue bloomed on her cheeks at his words, reaching the lacy edge of her bra. She tilted her head and gave him a devastating smile. The kind that reached right up to her eyes, stealing his breath.
“It’s just a kiss goodnight, Marshall. No need to get so serious.” She giggled, pressing her palms to his chest and tipping her head to run her tongue along the seam of his lips. His body warmed, tingles vibrating beneath the surface of his skin as they kissed. His chest was near bursting with joy. Pure sunshine.
Colette could say what she wanted about what was happening between them.
But Marshall knew the truth.
A kiss like that could get him into serious trouble.
A kiss like that could steal his heart.
CHAPTER 24
“Try the engine again,” Marshall called up to Evan, who had come to help him tinker with his old tractor. A few days had passed since his night at The Dusty Spur, and he was bursting to talk to someone about what was happening with Colette. It was just awkward to bring it up. He was scared he would gush. Literally gush about the woman.
The tractor was making an alarming sound as it turned, and Marshall knew something wasn’t working right. Evan was a pro with machines and could fix just about anything. The engine turned, making a soft rumble, minus the squeaking sound. Good.
It was progress.
“Sounds a lot better. Thanks, man,” Marshall said.
“So…?” Evan said with a grin, eyeing him from the tractor seat. It was the kind of grin the old gossips had when they had a juicy new story.
“What?” Marshall asked in a testy tone. He waved him away. His friend cut the engine and jumped down.
“Thanks for helping me out,” Marshall repeated.
“I guess you owe me big time now. If I’m keeping tally. I made quite the sacrifice for you the other night,” Evan said, wiping his hands on the greasy towel covered in oil spots.
“Was being with Jessica so hard then?” Marshall asked with a chuckle, shaking his head. They ambled toward the stables, where Evan had left his horse. Their land was adjacent, and Evan sometimes preferred to ride by horseback if the weather permitted. It was technically a shorter distance by horse.
“Oh, it was hard…” Evan raised an eyebrow meaningfully. “She loved it.”
Marshall snorted. Leave it to Evan to always be a pig. “Lucky gal, I guess.”
“What about Colette? Was she a lucky gal?” Evan inquired.
Marshall slid his hat over his eyes and tucked his hands in his pocket to hide the blush warming his cheeks. Fucking Evan. Always putting him on the spot.
“I’m not kissing and telling,” he admitted.
His friend grinned and nodded slowly. “Aaah, so there was kissing.”
Marshall grumbled. “What’s wrong with you? I said I don’t want to talk about it.”
Evan crossed his arms and laughed. “Dude, you’re blushing.”
“Fuck,” Marshall swore. “When I have something to share with you, I will.”
