My hand finds her chin, pulling her face back to mine. I take my time this time, savoring every lick and moan I draw from her, planning to bottle them up like the greedy man I am.
Where has this woman been my whole life?
My thumb finds the pulse on the side of her neck, and I indent my thumb into it. It beats furiously under my touch, picking up pace when I languidly swipe my tongue against hers, lapping her up like dessert. I nibble her lip, sucking on it to slowly pull away. I’m two seconds away from taking her against my truck.
My finger trails along the waist of her jeans, slipping beneath. “Gray,” she moans, and we both freeze.
She’s never called me that before. I’ve always been Grayson or cowboy to her, not Gray…neverGray. It makes this personal—it makes thisreal.
I feel the panic set in at the same time as I see it dawn on her. We are both out of our element here, running on desire over emotions, over logic. I was a jealous bastard and needed her all to myself. I had to mark my territory like the dominant fucker I am.
This woman is going to drive me to insanity.
Maisie bites her lip, looking mighty uncomfortable sitting up on my hood with my raging hard on pressed against her. She clears her throat, readjusting her outfit that got twisted in our fury to eat each other's faces.
“It’s cold,” she mutters, avoiding my gaze. “We should get back to the ranch before one of us gets sick. I’m sure you’re a baby when you get sick, and I for one don’t want to deal with that,” she jokes, trying to lighten the mood, but it falls flat, just like her face.
Apparently, we are going to pretend none of this justhappened. I know why I have reservations, but why her? It shouldn’t, but it stings seeing her withdraw from me. She wanted this just as badly as I did. I so badly want to know what’s going on in that pretty head of hers.
I grab her gently by the hips, helping her down. “C’mon, let's get you warm.” My voice is firm, but I feel deflated.
I feel like a confused, wrecked man.
I feel empty without her now that I know what it feels like to have her.
I’m fucked.
maisie
. . .
TWENTY
I walk upmy front steps alone and thoroughly confused. What the heck was that? How could I be so careless? I let my vagina take control one fucking time, and look where it got me. With my legs wrapped around a handsome cowboy and my tongue down his delicious throat.
I groan, pushing my front door open, only to be assaulted by wailing. Evie runs to my feet, howling at the top of her lungs. I squat, wrapping her in my arms. “Hi, sweet girl.” My hand rubs down her fluffy mane as she begins to purr aggressively. I giggle, squeezing her tighter. “I missed you too.”
It’s late, and I’m exhausted, so I quickly go through my nighttime routine, skipping a few steps, because, honestly, who has time for a seven-step skin care routine? I would much rather prefer my beauty sleep and gremlin reading time.
I’m in bed within minutes, propped up by three pillows, Kindle in hand, a happy cat snuggled against my chest. I try to read, but my thoughts keep wandering.
The last thing I remember before passing out completely is rubbing my lips with my fingers and coming to the conclusion that I didn’t know kisses could feel like that.
“Where the hell was this when I used to visit?” I ask Chesney, squinting my eyes to see through the overgrown brush.
His hands are planted on his hips, looking perplexed. “Clearly buried under all this shit,” he jokes, kicking a blackberry barb away from his leg. “That’s going to change today, though.”
“I signed up for cowboy shit, not gardening,” I tease, knocking my shoulder into his.
I love to give my cousin shit for just about anything. After the chaos of last night, I woke bright and early, eager to do something to take my mind off Grayson and that life-changing kiss. I was thankful when I was met by Chesney’s smiling face at The Den this morning, saying he had a job for us and that Grayson would be elsewhere.
Sometimes, the puppet masters are looking out for me, I guess.
We started the day with our usual routine before heading out here. Honestly, this has become one of my favorite times of the day. The ranch is so peaceful in the mornings, and I get to watch the sunrise while getting lost in the work. I only gag half the time now, which is a win in my book.
After we took care of the horses, we ran over to the cow barn, making sure they were set for the day. Normally, the other ranch hands take care of them, but I told Ches I wanted the full tour. I know this ranch is now run as a Dude Ranch for recreational purposes, but that doesn’t mean there’s still not a ton of upkeep, especially with all the animals. The Foxes have horses, cows, chickens for eggs, and even a baby donkey named Frank, who is freaking adorable.
“You can blame your aunt for this,” Chesney hollers over his shoulder, going to collect the tools we brought. Hejogs back, his arms full of sprays and clippers. “She just had to have the zipline for this season. She wouldn’t be asking for it if she was the one who had to clear all the overgrown brush.”
