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“For now. But I do have one question.”

“Of course you do. Well then, go on. Let’s hear it.”

Emmy smirked, and regret slammed into me. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like her question. “Do you like him?”

“Sure. He seems like a nice guy,” I replied as the bells over the door jingled and a cowboy walked through, his black hat covering his eyes.

“Again with the nice!” Emmy sighed dramatically, stirring her drink with her straw.

“Nice isn’t a bad thing, you know,” I tried to explain.

“Nuh-uh. Not buying it. Cody’s not a nice guy.”

“He’s not?” I snapped, shocked.

“No. Cody’s a hot guy. A sexy guy. Cody’s a man’s man. A guy who wouldn’t mind getting a little dirty. A guy who looks like he knows his way around a woman.”

“And you know all of this because …” I asked, scooping up some menus and reaching for the coffee pot, taking my time to make sure I didn’t tip this one all over me.

“The twinkle in his eye when he looks at you.”

“And how does he look at me?” I asked, trying not to look too intrigued.

Emmy leaned over the counter, keeping her voice low. “Like he wants to devour you.”

Little did she know, he already did, and I was desperate to know if he wanted a second helping.

Chapter eleven

Cody

Iforced myself to sit still and count to ten before I climbed out of my truck.

From where I’d parked, I could see straight through the front window at the woman who had me acting like someone I didn’t recognize. I didn’t date. I wasn’t interested. I wasn’t a saint. I’d had my fair share of hookups, and occasionally I’d needed someone to dangle from my arm like an accessory, but they always knew the score. I wasn’t boyfriend material. And I certainly wasn’t husband material. I was too selfish. Too caught up in my own life to make room for someone else’s wants and needs. And while it sounded like a bad thing, in my line of work, it was necessary. If I wasn’t one thousand percent focused on the task at hand, the next guy was already lining up to take it from me. But Tillie, Tillie was different. She made me want to be someone different. Someone who could be what she wanted me to be. She made me want to give her everything she didn’t even know she wanted.

I took another deep breath and shoved the door open. Yesterday’s hiking adventure hadn’t exactly gone to plan, but somehow it had turned out even better than I could’ve imagined. This morning, when I’d walked into my kitchen to make coffee, one glance at the counter where I’d spread her out and devoured her left me as hard as fucking iron.

I crossed the sidewalk and stepped through the door.

“We’re closing,” a voice I recognized sang out as her curvy ass sashayed through the door.

I let the door close softly behind me and waited for her to come back. I was early, but I couldn’t wait a moment longer. I was addicted.

When she reappeared, my heartrate picked up, and I shoved my hands into my pockets to stop myself from reaching for her.

“Oh, hi,” she said as pink tinged her cheeks.

Strands of hair fell in her face, having escaped from her ponytail. There was a stain on her rumpled, half-untucked shirt, and the knees of her black pants were wet. But she was still the most captivating woman I’d ever seen.

“Oh hi?” I questioned, hoping she was just tired and not completely unenthusiastic.

While I’d been looking forward to seeing her all day, I wasn’t sure if she felt the same.

“Sorry. It’s been a long day, and I really don’t have the energy to go hiking or rock climbing or white-water rafting.” She sighed as she picked up a chair, flipped it over, and set it down on the table.

Following her lead, I copied her movements, reaching for a chair.

“Good to know. I thought a quiet night would be nice,” I offered.