Page 70 of Sunrise & Serenity

We both are.

I rest my back against his truck, pressing my palms to the cool metal. My lips are tingling, and I don’t doubt my nipples are hard enough to be visible through the material of my dress.

From the intensity of his expression, I almost expect him to reach for me again. Instead, a muscle ticks in his jaw, and his throat moves in a hard swallow. Then he reaches out and takes his hat back.

I’d almost forgotten I was wearing it.

The moment he pulls it down low, shading his eyes, I can no longer read his expression, and the night suddenly feels colder.

“Be careful what rules you try to break. You should know by now, this isn’t New York.” He nods toward my cabin. “Go inside. I’ll wait.”

I blink, and then my jaw drops.

Of all the⁠—

I’m battling so many emotions—irritation, lust, confusion, embarrassment, hurt—that I want to scream. But there’s no way I’ll give him that satisfaction when he’s so clearly shut down whatever he might have been feeling.

Or maybe I’m reading too much into it, and the kiss didn’t mean anything to him at all.

It’s not like I can be stubborn and stand here all night just to prove another point, though. So I spin on my heel and stalk to the front door. I don’t look back as I open it and slip inside. Or when I close it behind me.

But before turning on the lights, I peek out the window, expecting to see him back in the driver’s seat already. Instead, he’s right where I left him, hands shoved into his pockets, his hard jaw outlined by the glow of the moon.

Memories of the kiss sear through me, and I close my eyes and take a deep breath in.

It wasn’t real. He was just proving me wrong. Which is good because I figured out all on my own that it was a mistake.

So why is there a hollow ache behind my ribs?

With a sigh, I close the shutters and make my way to the bedroom.

Being out here was supposed to clear my mind, not confuse it even more.

CHAPTER 18

SAGE

“Looks like our food’s arriving,” Mia says as Patty approaches with our pancakes. “And you’re caffeinated, so it’s time to spill the details about last night. Did you have fun?”

With my car still at the shop, Mia picked me up for breakfast this morning. That question was the first thing out of her mouth when I got into her truck, but I managed to hold off answering by insisting I needed caffeine and food first.

I press my lips together and smile at Patty as she sets the plates in front of us.

“If we weren’t slammed this morning,” she says, putting her hands on her ample hips, “I’d stay for the answer. But I’m sure someone will fill me in later.”

With a wink, she sweeps off.

I shake my head. Since when am I the subject of diner gossip?

“So?” Mia prompts me.

She was on call last night and still got up early to drop Ruby and Greta off at the library before coming to get me. Yet she’s bright-eyed and apparently clear-headed. I, on the other hand, feel—and probably look like—I spent the whole night tossing and turning.

Because that’s exactly what I did.

The memory of that kiss hits me full force again, and my skin heats, even as my stomach twists. To buy time, I take a sip of my coffee, even though it’s a little hot. “It was… quite an experience.”

She waggles her brows. “I hope you mean the whole cowboy experience.”