Page 89 of Buck ’Em Cowgirl

“Yes,” she admitted.

I’d been avoiding her too. I could’ve gone up to the office at any point, could’ve stopped by her little guesthouse to check in, just to see her. I didn’t because seeing her meant remembering.

Remembering the way she felt under me that night. Remembering the way her lips parted, the way she gasped my name. The way I never wanted to stop.

I’d told myself keeping my distance was the right thing. That we’d established a friendship. That I could control whatever the hell this was if I kept a little space between us.

“Why’s that?”

She sighed, setting her fork down. “I think because it’s hard.”

“Hard?” I echoed, pressing for more.

If she admitted right now that she wanted me, I’d throw every damn rule out the window. Forget friendship. Being close enough to catch that familiar scent of strawberries and vanilla had me picturing the way she moaned my name, the way her pussy opened up for me, and the way she begged me for more.

“It’s hard to see you because when I’m around you . . . I feel comfortable.”

“Me too.” The words were out before I could filter them through the boundary I was supposed to be keeping between us. “I imagine that’s how you feel around Harleigh.”

She shook her head. “I love Harleigh, don’t get me wrong. She’s my best friend, and I wouldn’t be here without her. But with you . . .” She sighed as she idly traced the rim of her plate. “It was that night. When you found me in the bathroom. Harleigh went to hug me, and I love her for that. I’m grateful she understands. But you . . . you didn’t.”

My chest tightened, unsure where she was going with this.

“You didn’t pity me. Not in the way she sometimes does. You . . . let me be. You saw me, and you didn’t try to fix me. You stood there, and somehow that was enough.”

“I always see you,” I said.

She smiled and glanced down at her plate.

That need was blazing hot and impossible to ignore. If I didn’t change the subject or put some space between us, I was going to do something I’d regret.

“Come sit with me?”

She nodded and stood up, grabbing her plate.

“Will it bother you if I do this later?”

I glanced at the plates between us, and she looked down at them. I could do them. It would be easy to rinse and stick them in the dishwasher, but it also meant taking time away from talking with Fable and getting to know her more.

“No.” She shook her head. “Thank you for asking.”

She was heaven sent. A true angel on this earth. All this time, in my life, I feared what it would look like to be with someone and to truly fall in love. We all laughed at the guys who tried to have families, the ones who struggled to balance it all. But as I watched Fable lift the hem of her long skirt and move toward the front room, something in me shifted.

I could have that. I wanted her.

I cleared my throat before my thoughts got ahead of me. “Actually, I meant outside.”

She turned, curiosity flickering in her green eyes.

“There are rocking chairs on the porch,” I added, shrugging like it wasn’t a big deal. “Nice spot to watch the stars. I can see the bull pastures from there too.”

She hesitated long enough to make my heart kick against my ribs.

“Yeah, okay. That sounds nice.”

Nice. That was one way to put it.

I pushed off the counter and led the way, the sound of her steps against the wood floor making it harder to ignore the truth creeping in.