Page 14 of One Reckless Moment

One thing I knew for sure was that I needed to make this up to her. She didn’t choose to come on this trip. She was forced into it by her dad and she didn’t deserve my wrath.

I also simply hated the fact that I was the asshole who made her upset. If I saw that girl shed one single tear, I’d burn the world to the ground.

6

FRENEMIES AND RESOLUTIONS

PAIGE

I slammed the motel door behind me and started pacing the room. My heart was pounding as Cash’s words replayed in my head on a loop. He was such a jerk. All I was trying to do was offer a bonding activity so we could all loosen up and get to know each other better. This was going to be a long summer if we couldn’t even get through a few drinks together without him flying off the fucking handle.

A soft knock sounded on the door, and I took a centering breath before opening it slowly. I half expected it to be Cash on his knees begging for forgiveness, but my heart sank a little when I took in Tweety standing on the other side of the door. He gave me a sweet smile and glanced down at the bags I had left sitting by the truck.

“Thanks, Tweety,” I said softly.

Having the guys here was a nice surprise. Logan “Tweety” Tweedleman was a young rancher who started working for my dad maybe two years ago. He was handsome, and I knew he openly flirted with me. Part of me loved the attention before I crashed back to reality. I couldn’t get serious with a cowboy who got his nickname from the sheer number of bar fights where he made other men see stars. Even still, he was sweet and fun to be around. He acted like he was a total player, but I had a feeling it was all a facade.

Ryan Buckley was around Cash’s age and had worked on the ranch for about seven or eight years. He was a big golden retriever with curly blond hair and a bright white smile. I was pretty sure Buck would never actually touch me, but I knew he loved nothing more than getting under Cash’s skin.

We have that in common.

“No problem, P.” He tipped his hat with his pointer finger and retreated to the room next door.

I shut the door softly and rolled my suitcases to the other side of the room. I pushed one onto the floor and unzipped it so I could find my light pink silky pajamas. A good matching set and a face mask always soothed me when I was in a foul mood.

Thirty minutes later, I was showered and lounging in bed when I heard another knock on the door. I assumed it was the pizza delivery guy so I opened the door with a bright smile.

I froze in my tracks at the sight of Cash standing in the threshold holding a six-pack in one hand and my pizza in the other. Cash’s eyes flared slightly as his gaze traveled up my bare legs, and over the tiny shorts and cropped tank that left barely anything to the imagination. I could feel my nipples pebbling under the silky top, and I was regretting not wearing a bra. I thought this would be a quick grab-and-go situation. The pizza guy would get a ten-second glimpse of me before I closed the door on his face.

I didn’t expect anyone to linger.

My skin was on fire and I felt the urge to cover my body, but I didn’t. I refused to let him know how he affected me so when his deep green eyes met mine I didn’t even flinch.

“Are you going to just stare at me all night, or can I have my pizza now?” I raised a brow at him.

The edges of his lips tipped up into a sly smile.

“Oh? Is this yours?” he asked, as if he was actually confused.

“Yes. Now give it to me so I can shut the door in your face like I’ve always dreamed of doing.”

“I’ll give you the pizza…” he said, holding the flat box in front of my face. When I went to grab it, he lifted it above my head and tsked. “If you have a beer with me.”

“No thanks.” I jumped for the pizza, but Cash had a height advantage.

“One beer,” he said, lowering the pizza box again.

The scent of gooey cheese and tomato sauce filled my nose, making my mouth start to water. I was starving and it was making me a weak woman.

I rolled my eyes, knowing he’d won. “Fine, one beer.”

I turned and marched back into my room, swinging the door so it hopefully slammed in Cash’s face. I heard his foot catch on it before he stepped inside after me and let it close behind him with a soft click.

The motel rooms were small but clean. There was a king-size bed and a mounted TV on one wall, and a little kitchenette off to the side with a mini fridge and a small table with two chairs.

Cash placed the pizza on the table before pulling out two beers and cracking them open. He handed one to me and I took a long pull before I sank into a chair and grabbed a slice of pizza.

We ate in silence. If this was his idea of an apology, then it was a shit one. The man had been hell-bent on making my life miserable since the day I stupidly tried kissing him in that barn. He may not have reciprocated my feelings back then, but that didn’t mean he had to be such an ass about it.