AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her gaze flicked up to my face, studying me. She finished pulling her coat on, fiddling with the zipper.
“I don’t know,” she whispered after what felt like a lifetime.
Stepping forward to close the gap between us, I cupped Rory’s chin and tilted her head until she looked at me.
“How about tonight? After you close the bakery for the day, I’ll pick you up and we can go to dinner. Or grab a few drinks.”
A burst of laughter split the air. The ranch hands were on their way. In less than a minute, they would be in the barn. Rory had to make her getaway before that happened. She didn’t need nosy cowboys cracking jokes or butting into her business. This…thing…between us was still achingly fragile.
“Don’t break my heart, Beau,” she pleaded.
If I did that, she would never speak to me again. And I would never forgive myself, as long as I lived.
“I won’t,” I replied. “I promise.”
Rory’s gaze flickered, as if she wanted to say something more, but we were out of time. She broke away, moving to the door. Then she paused with the ghost of a smile on her lips.
“Drinks sound good. Especially if it leads to more of what we did last night.”
Before I could reply, she touched her pink cheeks, flustered, and ducked out the door.
***
All day long, I couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot with the knowledge that I would be meeting Rory tonight. Fifteen minutes before the bakery closed, I was parked at the curb outside the front door, waiting for her as I leaned against my truck.
I could see Rory moving around inside. The windows glowed with a warm golden light against the lavender-blue dusk, rendering the bakery with a celestial-like atmosphere. My angel was in there, and I couldn’t afford to mess this up.
At last, Rory emerged, pausing just long enough to lock the bakery. I inhaled a deep, steadying breath. Why was I nervous? I’d been on plenty of dates before, but none of them made my heart race like this.
For once, Rory wasn’t wearing her customary overalls. My gaze swept over her, taking in the sight of her snug-fitting jeans with a chunky leather belt that hugged her hips, and the sunflower-yellow halter crop top.
Those were definitely not her clothes. Someone must have wrangled her into them. But they looked good on her, accenting her figure perfectly. Tied around her waist was a blue plaid button-down, which seemed to be more along the lines of Rory’s usual style. Something practical and comfortable in case she got chilled.
“You clean up nice, cowboy,” Rory said as she approached. “It’s good to see you sober, instead of drunk on the floor of the feed room.”
I grunted at her teasing and hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her close. My hand came to rest on the small of her back at the gap between her jeans and her halter top. The feel of her warm skin beneath my palm was enough to calm the nervous bubble in my stomach. But my heart continued to race, for different reasons this time.
Rory lowered her lashes as her body pressed flush against mine. I dipped my head, nuzzling at her cheek in a silent request. When she tilted her chin up, I kissed her, soft and lingering in the hopes it would reassure her that I wasn’t here just for drinks and sex.
I wanted her.
Rory kissed me back, snaking her arms around my waist. She parted her lips, letting my tongue tangle with hers, tasting as sweet as apple pie. At this rate, we would never make it to getting those drinks.
I pulled back, cradling her cheek. She had her hair down tonight, her frizzy curls tamed into loosely coiled ringlets around her face. I couldn’t resist threading my fingers into her hair, savoring the way her eyes fluttered shut with bliss.
“We should go,” Rory whispered. “I can’t let you seduce me this easily. You have to work for it.”
“Seventeen years of asking the same question isn’t enough work for you?” I countered.
She smirked and gave my chest a playful shove. I laughed and caught her wrist, skimming a delicate kiss across her knuckles. Her breath caught in her throat and she swallowed hard.
“The chase is always the fun part,” Rory said. “You’re good at that. It’s the staying part that’s hard for you.”
I couldn’t deny the slight sting of her words, but she was right. My relationships—no matter how many and varied they were—never lasted more than a few months at the most, even if they did end amicably. With Rory, I wanted something different, and I had to prove that to her.
I opened the passenger door of my truck and gestured for Rory to get in. When she was settled, I took the seat belt and leaned over her to click it into place. I stayed in that position, blocking her in with my arms on either side of her.
“I’m not going anywhere, darlin’,” I said softly.
