I should’ve never offered to take her home. I should’ve let Jimmy deal with the three of them, or better yet, just taken Mary Lou home.
I don’t sit around thinking about her.
Not that I really think about Lark, since she just keeps showing up everywhere.
“Lark, you couldn’t even take ten steps before flopping over,” I remind her.
“Yes, well, I’m fine now.”
She’s more than fine—she’s fucking stunning. Her long brown hair sways side to side as I carry her, her arms looped around my neck, holding on to me with a trust I don’t deserve.
Lark looks up at me, her green eyes shimmering in the moonlight.
“You’re right. You are fine now,” I croak out and then look forward.
This is absolutely insane. This…thing. Which isn’t even a thing. It’s just lust. After this many years, of course I’m going todesire another woman. I’m not a monk. I’ve had sex in the last nine years.
Not that I ever fucked the same girl twice. I never even want to think about anything serious. I’ve endured more loss than any man should. My focus is directed forward, on the business and my family.
We walk without incident—blessedly.
That is, until she rests her head on my chest.
I lift her a little higher, tucking her closer, and then, like a fool, I brush my lips against her forehead.
Immediately I look ahead, not willing to acknowledge my mistake.
We get a few feet from the front door, and I stop. “I’m going to put you down.”
Those emerald eyes look up at me, all dreamy and soft before she lets out a sigh. “Okay. If you must.”
I laugh quietly. She’s never going to remember any of this, and I’m pretty happy about that. I know I’ll be trying to forget it too. “You need to get inside your house, and while I wouldn’t mind getting in a fight with either of your brothers, it’s probably best I get out of here before that happens.”
“Well, with your life of crime and the mitigating circumstances around things breaking or being moved on my ranch, I’d say that’s a good idea.”
“You’re saucy when you’re drunk.”
She grins. “I’m saucy when I’m sober.”
That’s true, and I think that’s what I like the most. Lark isn’t afraid of anything, and while she’s always smiling and laughing, she’s not weak.
I release her legs, dropping them so she can stand on solid ground again. Only she wobbles and tilts too fast. I grab her, steadying her and holding her shoulders. “Easy.”
“I got this. I’m a pro at drunk walking.”
“Yes, we saw that earlier.”
She turns to me, her hands resting on my chest, and I wonder whether she can feel my heart rate pick up. “I…am a great…drinker. You just don’t know about my skills. I have lots of them.”
“I bet you do.”
“I do. Many. People admire me for them.”
Fucking hell, this conversation is going to take a really bad turn, but I’m too stupid to stop myself. I nod slowly. “I see. And what are your skills?”
She leans in close, her head tilted back to look up at me with a seductive smile. Then it’s gone, and she’s staring at the sky. As if remembering she was going to say something, her green eyes meet mine. “What?” she asks.
She’s so fucking adorable. “You were going to illuminate me on all your skills.”
