She leans into me, her breath warm against my ear.“You’re going to replace every pair of panties you ruin on me, cowboy.”
“Does that mean you’re wet?”
“Soaked,” she replies, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.
I groan.“You’re killing me, woman.”
She smiles coyly.“Serves you right.”
I slide my hand over hers on the bar, my thumb stroking her wrist.“Say yes, Amelia.Let me take Dylan.Let me take care of both of you tonight.”
Amelia sighs, her resistance fading.
“Fine,” she huffs.“But I want him in bed by eleven, Maddox.Not eleven-thirty, not eleven-fifteen.Eleven.”
I nod.“Done.”
“And when you pick him up, make sure he takes his book bag.He has math homework he needs to finish.”
“Got it.Book bag.Math homework.”
She taps her fingernails against the bar top, her brow furrowing.“He’ll need clothes for tomorrow too.”She purses her lips thoughtfully.“Actually, so will I if I’m staying over.”
I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face.“Is that right?”
“Don’t look so smug,” she says, but there’s no heat in her words.“You’re going to have to pack a bag for me.When you get to my house, FaceTime me and I’ll walk you through it.I don’t need you rummaging through my underwear drawer without supervision.”
“Or you can just go without,” I drawl, leaning closer.“I’m only going to ruin them, anyway.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t attempt to hide her smile.“Just call me, cowboy.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say with a mock salute.
Amelia glances at the clock behind the bar.“You better get going before Dylan gets antsy.”
She walks around the bar and grabs my hand, pulling me toward her.Before I can say a word, she rises on her tiptoes and presses her lips to mine.It’s not the heated kiss we shared earlier, but I like it just as much.
I think tonight I’ll fuck her sweet and slow.Change things up.
When she pulls back, her eyes are bright.“That should tide you over.”
“If that’s supposed to make me want you less, it’s not working,” I murmur against her lips.
Her laugh is soft against my mouth.“Go get my son, Maddox.”
I squeeze her hand once before releasing it.“See you later tonight.”
It’s nearly midnight, and I’m fighting to keep my eyes open on the couch.The remote’s still in my hand,Gunsmokeplaying at low volume.Spending the evening with Dylan knocked me out.I really don’t know where the kid gets all his energy from.From the moment we pulled up to the ranch, and he saw the new Fallen Meadows sign at the entrance, the kid was rearing to go.
We began our night by demolishing Judy’s famous pot roast for dinner, then I took him down to the bunkhouse to meet the crew.There things got dicey.Wyatt, being Wyatt, decided to teach the kid how to play poker.After two games, Dylan was twenty bucks richer.Not sure how I’m going to explain that one to Amelia, but I’ll figure something out.
When we made our way back to the house, we got to work on the math homework.For the first time in a long time, I wished my sister were home.I even thought about calling her, but I didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of Dylan.
Fucking algebra.
I don’t know why they teach that fucking shit.It’s not like he’s ever going to use it.They’d be better off learning how to balance a fucking checkbook.
Once we were done with that nonsense, I took him upstairs and showed him all the spare bedrooms.
