Page 22 of One Reckless Moment

Axle

Fuck yeah. Can’t wait for you to pull all the women.

Reid

The ultimate wingman.

I shook my head and locked my phone. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with me lately, but I hadn’t had a woman in my bed in months. Every time I tried, there was some sort of block that stopped me from inviting her back to the bunkhouse. Something inside me that was nervous I’d be seen. I liked having fun, but the reputation as the party boy who was allergic to commitment got old pretty quickly.

I wasn’t against a relationship, I just hadn’t found the right woman—not one I could actually have, anyway. Every girl who cuddled up to me made it clear they were only interested in one night. None tried to get to know me or even hinted they wanted more than sex.

I chose not to internalize that too much.

The storm door squeaked and prompted my attention to see Paige walking out. She was wearing black leggings and a Hawke County Football shirt that was three sizes too big and hung down to her knees. Her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head and her face was completely bare. This was a version of Paige I always loved—the version where she was just herself.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved when she dressed in her sexy cut-offs and shirts that dipped low enough to drive me crazy, but this was the version of her that was less guarded.

Less angry.

“Hey,” she said, leaning against the porch railing in front of me with a glass of wine.

“Hey,” I said back, leaning back in my chair.

“How are you feeling after the second win?” she asked with a small smile on her face. I could be wrong, but this seemed like her extending an olive branch, and I was going to grab onto it with both fucking hands.

“It feels pretty damn good.” I laughed.

“Is this something you’ve always wanted to do? I know you’ve been training since last summer, but what about before that?”

I shook my head. “No. This was all your dad’s idea. I was just the one crazy enough to get on the untamed horses.”

She laughed. “Sometimes it works out to be reckless.”

I looked up into her eyes, holding her gaze with mine. “Sometimes it really does.”

Paige didn’t look away as she brought her wineglass up to her lips and took a sip. I watched as she slowly ran her tongue over her bottom lip to catch a small red droplet that lingered there.

My eyes locked with hers as I smirked at her.

I was playing with fire, but I couldn’t help it. The more time I spent with Paige, the more I wanted to haul her into my lap and claim her. Walker’s words to keep an eye on her were slowly fading into the background of my mind, and I was beginning to think of all of the ways I could take care of her on the road.

I shook out of my thoughts and stood quickly. This was dangerous territory for us. I could so easily let myself get lost in her away from the prying eyes of Ashton Creek.

“Well, yep, I’m gonna just—” I pointed at the door, shifting so I was no longer held by the gravity of her ocean blue eyes.

“Good night, Jesse,” Paige said softly, causing me to pause as I reached for the door handle.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and willing myself to keep moving inside instead of grabbing her and hauling her with me.

“Good night, Paige,” I said quickly, before disappearing inside.

10

CHAPS AND COWBOY HATS WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME

PAIGE

Watching Cash get thrown around on the back of a horse never got easier, but seeing the smile on his face when he wasn’t violently thrown off made my heart soar in a way that was not platonic. He’d never really gone into detail about how he had grown up—not even when we would hang out doing chores—but I knew enough to know this praise was not something he was used to.