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“Rain check?” I asked with a smile. Trevor nodded and took off his cowboy hat to give me a kiss on the check.
Taking a deep breath, I headed through the door where Steed still stood. He was in a cowboy hat and it took everything out of me not to lick my lips. I stopped in front of him. He opened his mouth to say something, then quickly snapped it shut.
He stepped to the side to let me pass, but when I walked by, he took my hand. My heart jumped and I sucked in a breath as the familiar energy ripped across my skin. “Pax, can we please talk?”
Everything inside was screaming to run. Everything but my heart. Steed was the only person who called me Pax and he usually said it in a whispered voice while making love to me.
My eyes darted back to Cord. He grinned.
Focusing on Steed, I sunk my teeth into my lip and forced a breath. “I can’t tonight, Steed.”
His eyes looked hopeful, and he squeezed my hand lightly. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest I could hardly think. “When?”
I rubbed my lips together. My head was spinning and I was so confused. I wanted to be angry. I wanted to hate him. Everything in me wanted to walk away and tell him I never wanted to talk to him again. But I couldn’t. Not with the way he was staring. Not with the way my heart was aching for him. “I’m not sure when I’ll be ready.”
“Can I call you in a few days?”
I swallowed hard. “You don’t have my number.”
And then it happened. He smiled and his dimples went on full display. My fingers itched to brush his day-old stubble. I longed to feel it against my lips.
“Your cell phone is in the information packet that Chloe brought home earlier.”
“Oh,” I managed, dreaming of what his touch would feel like as he gave my whole body attention. I couldn’t pull my eyes off his mouth while my naughty thoughts continued to plague me.
Jesus. Get it together Paxton. Remember what he did to you.
Pulling my hand from his grip, I took a step back. I narrowed my eyes and lifted my chin higher. I was not going to let my desire for Steed control my emotions. He’d hurt me more than he could ever realize and a sexy smile wasn’t going to fix it.
My voice cracked as I said, “I have to go.”
Steed’s smile faded. The throbbing ache in my chest was hard to ignore as a familiar pain settled into it. I found the strength to turn and walk away. If I had stayed longer I was either going to kiss him or kick him in the balls.
Keeping my breathing even, I headed out the door. My head was wrestling with my heart and I had no idea who was going to win.
Stepping inside my house, I turned on the lights and let my eyes travel from the living room to the kitchen. Calmness washed over my body. I loved my house. It was built in 1898 and the most recent owners had moved out ten years ago and left it to fall apart. When I stumbled upon it for sale, it felt like we had something in common.
We’d been left alone and broken.
With the help of my father and a few friends, I had gutted and remodeled, bringing it back to life. In the process, it had brought me back as well. The entire first floor was open with the exception of the formal dining room and downstairs half bath.
Kicking off my shoes, I slowly made my way up the stairs. The second floor consisted of two guest bedrooms I’d yet to decorate, a guest bath, and the master suite. I walked into my bedroom and smiled.
It had been the first room in the house I’d painted and decorated. The calming tones of gray were evident all over the room, from the dark gray curtains to the lighter shade of gray on the walls. The custom chairs were the same color as the walls but finished out in a blue trim. The bedding was a mixture of blues and silver. At the time I picked the colors, I hadn’t even realized what I was doing. Now…now it all came back in one giant memory, seizing my heart and causing me to drop to the floor and bury my face in my hands.
“Some day when we get our own house, how do you want to decorate our bedroom?”
Steed laced his fingers with mine. “Well, you like the color blue, and I like gray. I think we should mix the two together.”
I nestled against his body and watched the Frio River meandering by as we sat in our favorite spot. “I like that. Maybe add in a touch of silver for some glam.”
