Page 31 of The Cowboy’s Forever Promise

Gritting his teeth, he picked her up. Soft arms encircled his neck as he put her gently on the seat. As he closed the door softly, he gulped in some of the cool fall air as he walked to the driver’s side.

As he slid behind the wheel, she scooted closer. Without looking at him she put her hand on his leg. “It was a stupid idea.”

“What was?”

“To tell you we can’t … touch.”

His blood surged through his veins. “What about kissing?”

She nodded.

“You’ll have to speak up, Abby, I need to understand exactly what you want.”

She turned and looked at him. “I’m here until Sunday. Your suggestion that we spend time together while I’m here and see whether this is real or not is maybe not such a bad one.”

His eyebrows raised. “You said you’d be too busy. So what changed.”

Fidgeting, she sighed. “Like everything else I do, my wardrobe is planned and I only get a few new pieces each season. I don’t like waste. What I do buy, I usually wear for years. Today, however, even though I was only going to buy the underwear, when I came to the cashier, I forgot all about my plans and lists and bought clothes because …” A blush crept up her neck.

“Because?” he repeated.

Those green eyes met his. “Because I remembered the way you looked at me back in your hotel.”

Her words punched him in the solar plexus, his body reacted. “How the hell am I supposed to sit opposite you and have a meal after you’ve told me that?”

“I was thinking … maybe we can … kiss … before din—”

He was reversing into the street before she could finish her sentence.

*

With her one hand on Carson’s leg and the other on her tummy, Abby stared blindly through the window. Her heart was racing, her blood rushing through her veins.

She never said things like this. What was happening to her? Was the fact that she was leaving in a few days giving her the courage to say something so intimate to a man she hardly knew?

He’d grabbed her hand and was holding it tightly in his, but he’d yet to say anything.

“Where’s George?” she asked.

“With Cooper and Rose for the night.”

After only a few minutes, he turned and parked in front of a beautiful double story building surrounded by trees.

“Where are—”

Before she could finish her sentence, he’d picked her up and dragged her across his lap.

“Library …” he growled as one of his hands found its way underneath her top. “If I don’t kiss you now, I’m going to explode.” Lifting her chin, his mouth found hers like a man dying of thirst.

Within seconds, she was lost. Desire crashed in waves over her, not giving her time to take a breath. This was crazy, she wanted to rip his shirt apart to feel his warm flesh under her fingers, but they were out in the open in his truck.

Lifting her head, she gulped in some much-needed oxygen. “I’m ready for dinner now.”

His breathing was labored. “You want dinner? Now?” Barking out a laugh, the hand slipped up and cupped first one, then her other breast.

Leaning forward into his touch, her lips trailed kisses over his face. “We’re in your truck, anyone could …”

His hand was moving again, over her tummy, over the button on her jeans to where she was throbbing for his touch. Leaving his hand on her heat, he kissed her.