She released a boisterous laugh. “Have you been drinking spirits this afternoon? Because I will never have men lined up to get to know me.”
“They would be stupid not to. All they have to do is gaze deeply into your eyes and spend one evening with you, and they’ll be madly in love.” Slowly, he ran his focus over her eyes, her perky nose, and soft chin, but especially to her luscious lips. “You’re a hard woman to resist, Blaze Murphy.”
After he’d said the words, he mentally kicked himself. Why had he said that? Couldn’t he control his thoughts any better than that?
“And you are a hard man to resist,” she said softly.
His gaze jumped up and met her wide eyes. Her cute grin stretched wider, and she pulled her hand away and playfully slugged him in the shoulder.
“Especially when you want to play dodgeball, and I enjoy beating you.” She stood and brushed her palms against her trouser legs. “What do you say to a few more games?”
“You don’t have to ask me twice. Nobody beats me in dodgeball and brags about it.”
The group got together again, and the next game they played wasn’t serious at all. They laughed and teased each other. He liked seeing Blaze this way. Then again, he liked her when she was passionate, too.
The last game they played, she seemed more determined. More serious. Which, of course, made him more serious. It wasn’t that he wanted to win. He didn’t care about the game. But he poured all his frustrations out, throwing the ball hard but missing Blaze every time. He fell quite a few times. So did she. But neither of them let that stop the game. Instead, they laughed and jumped back up, ready to continue.
As the game finished, Colt and Blaze collapsed on the ground under a tree. The others around them darted toward the stream down the slope. He watched her and realized her ragged breathing matched his. They lay still for several minutes. All Colt had the strength for was to look up at the leaves in the tree, shading them as he waited for his body to cool. He was physically drained, and yet this was one of the best times he’d ever had with Blaze.
Rolling his head to the side, he looked over at her again. She had her eyes closed. He hadn’t realized how near she was. If he stretched out his arm, he’d touch her. As if on cue, she looked his way.
“Are you still alive?” he asked, out of breath.
She smiled weakly. “Barely.”
“I’m thinking,” he said, still feeling drained, “that we need to call your cousins back over here and have them drag us back to the barn.”
Her chest shook from a laugh, but the sound didn’t exit her body. “Yes. I’m good with that.”
They stared at each other in silence for a few more minutes. Finally, Colt’s body cooled down, and his heartbeat returned to normal. But with it brought the frustration he’d had, which was the reason he wanted to play dodgeball in the first place.
“So...” He swallowed to help with his dry throat. “Other than feeling exhausted, did you enjoy the game?”
“I did. Do you feel better now?”
He laughed. “Not really. In fact, I probably feel worse.”
She rolled to her side and propped up on her elbow. “Colt, what’s wrong? You can talk to me, you know. I’m a great listener.”
He found the strength to roll toward her and prop up on his elbow, opposite from her. Their faces were closer than before. He didn’t know how his heart could soften anymore, but most women he had courted didn’t have her kindness.
“No, Blaze. I’m not ready to talk about it. How about you?”
“Me?”
“Yes. Are you going to tell me what’s been bothering you lately?”
“Nothing has been bothering me.”
He tsked and shook his head. “That’s not entirely true, or you wouldn’t have come to play the game.” He reached over and touched her hand. “You were playing like you were frustrated about something, too.”
“Colt, it’s nothing, I promise.”
She made a move to stand, but he yanked on her arm, and she fell against him. Immediately, his arm slipped around her waist, holding her in place. Her breathing had sped up again, but then so had his. This time, when she gazed deeply into his eyes, he could see her inner turmoil. Remarkably enough, it matched his feelings.
“Talk to me, Blaze,” he whispered as he dropped his gaze to her tempting mouth... hoping this would be the moment when she kissed him.
She inhaled sharply and her lips parted. The beat of his heart took on a different rhythm, slamming against his chest as excitement shot through him. He took her gesture as an invitation, and he would certainly follow through.
