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Some of the hardwood flooring is missing in that area and the ladder isn’t sturdy. I get up to go hold it still, not realizing that she’d recognized the danger at the same time.

She backs quickly down and brushes her ass along my face. Once she’s on solid ground, she turns slowly.

And every word I wanted to say dissipates like a drop of water in a heatwave. That soft, shapely ass was against my face. And I can’t remember my name. Can’t recall where I left my brain. Because it’s not smart wondering what she tastes like.

I make the mistake of looking down to see her nipples straining against her shirt.

She lifts her hand and touches my beard, slowly exploring the feel of it. “It’s not as scratchy as I thought it would be,” she says.

“Why would you think it would be?”

She pulls her hand back and blushes. “No reason.”

Her phone rings and she mouths your mom at me before she answers.

They exchanged phone numbers??????

“I would love to. Of course, Maverick doesn’t mind. He enjoys helping me bake. Uh huh. See you then.”

“Tempest.”

She turns. “What?”

“Don’t hurt my family just to get back at me.”

Emotion flashes across her face but is gone before I can identify it. “Your mother said she forgot dessert, so we have to make cookies at my house before dinner.”

“Mom is making cookies at your place?”

“No, you and I are, my begging boyfriend.”

She walks off, heading toward the bathroom, and I feel like I’ve fallen into quicksand. I lost control of the narrative so fucking fast that my head is spinning. Add in my thoughts about tasting her and I’m having a hard time keeping my dick from standing at attention.

I adjust myself and climb the ladder to clean the light when my phone alerts me to a message. I pause what I’m doing to read it.

To: Midnight Cowboy

Subject: Did you ever?

Did you ever know someone who drove you crazy on one hand but on the other, there’s a weird pull toward them?

I’m so there right there. And my whatever is sunflowers. I’m close to my grandpa and he always calls me Sunflower.

I have plans for tonight, so it’ll be later when I get back to you.

~Sunflower

I start to wait to respond but then figure things might get chaotic once Tempest and the rest of my family meet so I answer.

To: Sunflower

Subject: Absolutely

And it feels like it came out of the blue. Makes you feel upside down. So then if you want to meet at the reveal party, I’ll be the cowboy carrying the sunflowers.

No worries about the timing to respond. I have something going on tonight as well. Talk to you later.

~Midnight Cowboy