He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, dumbass. You’ll have to comeback, but we have,” he looked down at his phone, “about twenty minutes before break ends. I think that’s enough time to tell the girl you love her, eh?”
I stood, tucking the chair away. “It didn’t go so well the first time.”
Lincoln held up his hands in surrender. “Listen, if you don’t wanna do this now, I’ll trade lines so you can both get some space, but I think you both need to squash this shit before it gets outta hand.” He began walking away but paused. “I waited a year before I got the nerve to seek Josie out, and it was almost too late. That’s my advice. Take it or leave it.”
bishop
. . .
I wasout of breath by the time I reached the barn. Not because it was a far jog but because it felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack.
I’d never had one before, but that’s what it felt like. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest, and my palms were dripping with sweat. I wiped them on my jeans as I slowed my gait, looking up to see Josie and Lennox headed down from the loft. The lighting was dim, but I swore the girls had tears in their eyes. They both stopped at the bottom of the staircase when they saw me.
“Hey, Bishop,” Josie said, sniffling. She gave me a small smile. “Sorry, we lost track of time. We’ll be right there.”
“No,” I said quickly. “I mean, I just wanted to talk to Lennox if that was okay.”
“Sure. Of course. I’ll see you out there.” Josie squeezed her sister’s hand and walked away, leaving us alone.
Lennox nodded, gaze slowly sliding my way. She leaned against the railing, the light from the large window upstairs silhouetting her body. “What’s up? Is something wrong?”
“No,” I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets. “I just wanted to talk to you about earlier?—”
“I was waiting for this,” she said with a sigh. “Look, Bishop, it’s fine. I know you didn’t mean it. We don’t have to make a bigger deal out of this. Let’s just forget it.”
Forget it? What the hell was she talking about?“No. That’s not what I want?—”
“I really don’t want to do this right now, okay? We have too much going on this weekend, and I can’t handle you walking away again, so if you could wait to end things, that’d be appreciated.”
“Wait… That’s what you think?” I asked, rocking forward onto my toes.
Lennox wouldn’t even look at me. She stared at Titan’s stall with tears welling as she crossed her arms over her body. “I get you’re trying to be a gentleman, but?—”
Enough of that.
I surged forward, tossing her over my shoulder and storming into my office down the hall. She called my name, beating her fists against my back like she did every time, but I wasn’t going to stop. Not until she fucking listened to me.
I slammed the door and flipped the lock before setting her down on my desk. The room was a mess and smelled like leather and horses, but what else was a cowboy’s office supposed to smell like? I rarely used the room.
“What the hell, Bishop?” Lennox shouted. She tried to hop off, but I stepped between her thighs and trapped her.
I reached out and gripped her chin, forcing her to look at me. Her blue eyes were red-rimmed and slightly glassy. Had she been crying? Was she bitching about me to Josie? The thought alone made my chest ache. I felt like a massive dick.
“I tell you I’m in love, and you automatically think I’m breaking up with you?” I whispered harshly. “What kind of fucked up logic is that?”
“Because you didn’t mean it, and that’s okay. I know you’re preparing to run. I can feel it. Right here,” she said, slamming her hand over her chest. Her heart. “Please let me walk away with some dignity before I lose it.”
“I’m not letting you walk away at all, sweetheart,” I said, tightening my hold. “Not now. Not ever. You are fuckingmine, and I’m gonna prove it.”
Her lips parted, a whimper slipping through before I crushed my lips to hers. I didn’t want to be soft. I wanted her to realize that I wasn’t running away.
Lennox wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me closer. Her legs parted and I settled against her center. We paused momentarily, looking at the other for a signal to stop. If that’s what she wanted, I’d walk away right now.
But god, I prayed she didn’t.
“I want you to listen to me when I say this, killer…” She nodded, and I continued. “I am so disgustingly in love with you that nothing could change that. You could tell me to fuck off, and I would, but nothing can change the way this stupid thing in my chest beats for you.”
“What if it’s just really good sex?” she asked. “I mean, we have a lot of fun, but?—”
