My dog lets out a low whine, looking up at Aura with her big brown eyes.
“Blink, leave Aura alone. She’s not going to fall for your pitiful starving look.” But I break off a small morsel of bacon and slip it to her. She gobbles it up and turns back to my guest. “No, no more. That’s all you get. It’s not my fault you already ate your own breakfast.”
Aura does a bad job of hiding her snicker behind her hand.
“Now, was that enough to make your decision? I’m not above offering my breakfast-making services, as long as you agree to stay far away from that sketchy excuse fora hotel. Hell, maybe there’ll even be some lunches and dinners.”
“When you put it that way…” She glances down at her plate, then back up at me from under her lashes. “How could I refuse?”
Chapter 12
Aura
Myassisstillsore from our morning riding lesson and my arms are aching from mucking stalls in the afternoon. Quint said I needed to learn how to care for the horses if I was going to ride them. I think he was just trying to offload some of his chores onto me. Regardless of the reason, my back protests as I’m struggling to maneuver my huge suitcase up and into the bed of his truck.
“Let me take that.” Quint reaches over to grab the handle.
Irritation creeps in. “I got it.” I try to pull it away, stumbling backward when my grip on the handle slips. Quint lets go too and the bag falls to the concrete with a thud.
“Are you okay?” he asks me, steadying me with his hands on my waist.
“I’m fine.” I blow my long bangs up out of my eyes, but don’t move away from his touch. It takes me back to the dance floor last night. The way he held me confidently, the way we moved in sync to the music, our bodies inches apart.
“You know I’m only trying to help you?”
He looks down at me, the brim of his hat shadowing his eyes from me again. I don’t know what it is about that thing. It shouldn’t be hot, but it kind of is. How is it that I’ve never thought about a cowboy being hot in my entire life until now?
That stubborn streak that refuses to ask for help is backed up by years of experience. “I know. It’s just…help usually comes with strings in my world. I’m trying to let go of that here, but it’s hard. I know this isn’t LA, but it’s tough to lose that mindset. So, if you can be a little patient with me, I’m doing my best.”
He nods. “I got it. Just know, if you need anything, I’m here. No strings. No expectations.”
“Thanks.” There’s a pleasant warmth at my waist where his hands are still resting. I glance down at them, and he must take that as a signal I don’t want him touching me, because he pulls away to busy himself hefting my giant luggage off the ground like it weighs nothing. He’s wearing a T-shirt again, grey this time, so I’ve got the full view of his arm muscles flexing as he tosses it into his truck. I forget about trying to help when the hem of his shirt lifts to reveal a sliver of rippled abs and a small trail of hair. No. Gotta shake that off fast. Especially now that I’m going to be living with him.
A satisfying clang rings out as he slams the gate shut after loading up the last of my bags.
“All set. You ready?”
I nod, swallowing hard and twisting my ring around my finger. It’s got a series of music notes etched in the silver. A graduation gift from Abby that always keeps me grounded even during my wildest Hollywood moments.
He nods toward the passenger door, opening it up and balancing me as I hop inside.
“It feels a little weird,” I say as the truck rumbles along.
“What’s that?” he asks without talking his eyes off the road.
“I hardly know you, and I’m moving in with you.”
“What do you want to know. I’m an open book.”
“AMA?”
His brow furrows. “What?”
“Are we going to do an ‘ask me anything’?”
“Sure?”
A hint of amusement creeps in. He must be really out of touch with the internet if he doesn’t know what that is. “It’s like a social media thing. You do an AMA session, and people can comment with a question. You’re supposed to answer anything no matter how outrageous it is. Of course, in my case, it’s highly controlled by my publicity team, so the answers might not always be real.”
