Page 34 of One Reckless Moment

“Why are you so hell-bent on hooking up with a stranger?” I asked.

She took her shot and let out a breath. “I’m not. I want what my sister has, and I’m not going to find that in Ashton Creek. I’m jealous I’ll never get that big love story and lifelong happiness. But I also want to feel close to someone and not sleep alone every single night. If I never meet anyone, I’ll die alone. It also doesn’t have to be a stranger.”

Her eyes fell to the glass in front of her as she spun it in her fingers. Sadness crept in her voice which made my heart ache. I took her chin in my fingers and tilted her head up so I could look right into her eyes.

“You’re going to find it, baby. You deserve the best love story.”

Paige moved to lean in, but paused right before our lips met. The sound of the shot glass sliding against wood rang in my ears.

“Drink up, cowboy.”

I took the shot without breaking eye contact.

“Why did you drag me out of the bar that night at the Iron Saddle when Lottie and Owen were in town?”

“I didn’t want you to leave with that guy,” I said simply.

“Why?”

“He didn’t deserve you.”

“Is that the only reason?”

I paused and took another shot. “No. I couldn’t stand the thought of another guy touching you when I couldn’t.”

She sat back with a sly smile, as if I fell right into her trap. With my edge completely gone and my inhibitions out the window, I grabbed her chair and scooted her closer to me. Her legs trapped between mine, I wrapped my arm around her waist.

Lowering my mouth to her ear, I whispered, “Is that what you want to hear, baby? That I want you? That I’ve wanted you since the day you kissed me? That the day you came home from college I almost fell to my knees and begged you to give me a chance? Wanting you has never been the problem, Pip.”

Paige shifted, our noses brushing up against each other as our breath mingled. Her arms draped over my shoulders and her fingers toyed with the hair at the nape of my neck.

“That is exactly what I wanted to hear, Cash. That I haven’t been making this up in my head.”

I gestured for the bartender to bring us more shots without looking away from Paige.

“No, none of this has been just in your head.”

Paige leaned forward and crashed her mouth against mine. My fingers weaved into her hair before I fisted it and pulled it taut, arching her farther into me.

“Dance with me,” I whispered against her lips.

That’s the last thing I remembered before the night went dark.

16

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS STAYS A RECKLESS NIGHTMARE

PAIGE

I startled awake to the sound of my phone buzzing incessantly on the side table. My head was pounding and my mouth was so dry it felt like I swallowed sandpaper.

What the fuck happened last night?

I sat up and tied my hair above my head before reaching for my phone. I had fifteen unread texts and seven missed calls from my sister.

Fuck.

I peered around, rubbing my eyes when I noticed a foot sticking out from the blanket next to me. My eyes shot open as I took in the shirtless and muscular back of a man in the bed, the blankets tangled around his waist. I screamed at the top of my lungs and sprung out of bed, looking down at my body that was covered in a man’s white shirt.