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“The fact is, it’s not a good idea for us to continue this. But I enjoy our”—she leaned in and whispered—“time together. I like the kind of person I am when I’m with you.”
Colt nodded. “You do seem less…”
“Reserved?”
“I was going to say uptight.”
There was that smile he’d been waiting for. “Yes, well, the problem is, what makes me happy personally and professionally are in direct conflict. Getting the job for the after-school program would make me happy, too. It’s everything I’ve been working for. And to get that, I need to behave a certain way.”
When those stormy grays roamed over his body, Colt knew exactly what she meant. “I get it, JJ. Sometimes we can’t have everything. But look around, right now, we’re with people we love in the middle of nowhere. It’s just us. Everything else can be worried about tomorrow. Be who you want to be. At least for tonight.” He brushed his fingertip along her hand gently and quickly so no one could see. “You deserve to be happy. You deserve everything.”
He was just about to kick his own ass for blurting that last part out and sounding like a total moron. But JJ’s whole body shifted toward him, raw heat radiating from her.
“And what if I do want everything?” Positioning herself so that her back was toward everyone else, she traced the line of his belt.
Colt nodded dumbly, happy to do whatever, however she wanted. Christ the woman had him reeling. She was beautiful. He knew that. But somehow, surrounded by grass, trucks, and country, she looked at home. Looked at him like he was home.
“I’ll take your advice. Even if it’s just for a night, I don’t want to feel so weighed down.”
Her gray eyes roamed around. As if taking in all the land, the open
ness. Damn it, Colt wanted that for her. Freedom from everything negative. He wanted her to be happy. To be herself.
“And what about you, Colt?”
He frowned.
She grinned and tapped his stomach. “What is it you want?”
Ah shit. What the hell did he want? He had no idea. He knew he wanted JJ, but for what? A tumble in the sack?
No, he could have that with a lot of woman, most of whom wouldn’t be so damn complicated or come with invisible strings drawing him back to Diamond. But JJ wasn’t just any woman. She was smart, funny, and passionate. She made him feel like trying. Like earning her.
He took his career seriously and worked hard for that—but relationships and people? Colt would take a wily bull over stillness any day of the week. Because when he was quiet for too long, his brain started churning out things he’d rather not think about. Every time he looked at JJ, he felt himself slip into a trance. In that moment of cottonwood blowing like summer snow and Jenna-Jayne with her bright eyes and wide smile, he felt like maybe sticking around wouldn’t be so bad. And he knew, deep down, he’d be a better man for it.
“What if I want more?” Colt said.
“More? You saddle up for eight seconds at a time, trying to go for nine now?” She gave him a teasing smirk.
“Cute. Real cute.” But she was wrong about one thing. “If memory serves, Miss Justice…” Colt leaned in until he could feel her breath graze his mouth. “I was happily saddled in one place all night last week.”
Her mouth parted on a heavy exhale and her cheeks flushed the slightest pink. God, he loved it. Coaxing her. Anything to warm her skin and make her think of the times they shared. Because that was the only thing his goddamn brain would churn out. Not that he was complaining, but if he was turning into a borderline-obsessed schoolboy, he’d be damn sure to drag her thoughts down with him.
“Well, it would seem then, Mr. McCade, that you’ve had your ‘more.’ So why are you whining?”
“JJ…” He gripped her wrist. “I’m not above playing by your rules for now.” Her eyes went heavy-lidded. He released her and took a step back. “But at some point, the game will change and you’ll be at my mercy.”
Desperate to get some space from the woman who made his chest tight, he gave one last appreciative look down her body before walking over to the others. Just her presence made it hard—in every sense—to function. He wasn’t sure what he had just promised, but he was pretty sure he meant every word.
And that scared the shit out of him.
…
The evening air did little to cool Jenna’s hot skin. All night, she had been stealing looks at Colt from across the fire. The baseball cap he wore shadowed his face so perfectly that the firelight danced off his strong jaw, making all that blond stubble look like flecks of gold.
His eyes were like burning sapphires. Every time he tilted his gaze in her direction, Jenna had to check the urge once more to run her palms over her shoulders. She wasn’t cold. She was hot, but those stupid goose bumps wouldn’t go away.
“Bass, truth or dare?” Huck called across the fire to the attorney.
