“A couple years after you left. Washed up at twenty-five. Not where I thought I’d be.”
She shoved hair behind her ear and took a step away. We’d always had an awkwardness between us. First, just because she’d been much younger, although now four years seemed like nothing. When she brought the glass to her lips, I could tell she was using it as a prop.
“What about you? I heard you were some big flashy attorney in LA or something?” Wade had told me she’d gotten a fancy-dancy job in Billings after she’d graduated, now working for some big-time firm, the kind where guilt meant nothing if you had money and power.
Two things I hated the most.
She rolled her eyes, allowing an emotion to surface I couldn’t quite place. Contempt? Anger? Disappointment?
“I had a job offer there, but I chose to take the one in Billings. For a little while I had a career I loved in a firm who apparently didn’t love me. There’s no more to be said about that.”
“Alright, so why are you here?”
“Trust me, I’ve been asking myself that very question since I crossed the Missoula city limits.” She dropped her gaze to the floor, studying my bare feet the way I’d been doing with her.
“So catch a flight back.”
“And leave what’s left of my poor truck here?”
“Sure. Why not?” I chided, half laughing. “You’re only going to find it in pieces, Palomino Girl.” Wow. The nickname slipped from my lips. She seemed surprised.
“Great. Just fucking great.” She dropped her head into her hand and I’d be damned if the woman wasn’t swaying as if prepared to faint. “Ugh. Could these last few days get any worse?”
“Well, you got me to keep you company.”
“That’s not helping.” When she swayed again, I shook my head.
“Let’s get you off your feet.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
Something snapped in me and in two long strides I was by her side. I snagged her with one arm, lifting her off the floor.
Kenzie pressed her fisted hand against my chest, fighting me just as she’d done before.
Just like she’d done immediately after the kiss.
Only this time, I had no intention of kissing her. She simply needed to be off her feet before she fell to the floor.
“Let me go!” Her hiss was another reminder of the last time I’d seen her. I usually wasn’t a man who spent time lamenting over the past, but she was bringing one too many unwanted memories into focus.
“You need to rest and that’s what you’re going to do whether you like it or not.” Well, damn it. The same feeling of desire washed through me like I’d been hit by a truck. The ache in my gut was tremendous. I sensed she knew exactly the predicament I was in, including and especially since I had her crushed against me with the full weight of my body.
And what was wrong with that? Nothing, other than that I had a full hard-on.
Her eyes opened wide, her lips twisting from being pursed. She even licked them and that was just about all I could take.
My little palomino was the girl I’d always wanted and the one that even now was off limits.
“Just let go of me,” she insisted again, demanding as always.
Driving me even crazier.
Before I knew it, I’d dropped my head by a few inches while she clung to me with one hand. When our lips were dangerously close, I heard a slight moan escaping from her throat. I could almost taste her sweet mouth. The thirst for her was intense, too much to handle, but I couldn’t let go.
No, I didn’t want to.
This was crazy.
