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“I also didn’t want your new girlfriend to have to watch you brawling with her ex,” he says with a meaningful look. “She looked pretty scared, and I didn’t think she’d appreciate it.”
Dammit. Why is Jackson always right?
I don’t correct my brother about the “girlfriend” thing. I just nod, slapping him on the shoulder. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.” He gives me a half-smile. “Hey, is she really your girlfriend?”
I ignore him. “Go on. Get out of here.”
Jackson gives me a look I can’t decipher, almost like he knows something I don’t. He looks between me and Avery once more and smiles to himself before he starts to head back to his horse with a wave.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” he shouts as he mounts his horse, riding away smugly.
Once he’s gone, I head straight for Avery.
“Are you okay?” I ask as I reach her, my heart twinging at the worry on her face.
“I think so.”
She doesn’t look okay. She looks exhausted, like the last ten minutes drained all her energy. I wish I knew what was going on inside her head.
“Let’s go inside,” I tell her, resting a hand on her back and guiding her toward the farmhouse. “I’ll get you some lunch. And a hot cocoa if you want one.”
Avery nods, offering me a weak smile. “That sounds perfect right about now. Thank you, Hunter.”
5
Avery
My head is spinning as Hunter leads me back to the farmhouse, his hand pressing into the small of my back. The shock of seeing Edmund has been pushed aside by that kiss. Hunter’s lips on mine, the scratch of his beard against my chin, the scent of leather and fresh grass hanging in the air. My stomach is still fluttering, and even though Edmund’s words unnerved me, all I can think about right now is Hunter Ryder’s soft lips and the way his kiss sent a bolt of need between my thighs.
Dammit, this wasn’t supposed to happen.
I was only supposed to be staying in his guestroom.
Not kissing him.
Not pretending to be his girlfriend.
Not losing myself in those gorgeous green eyes.
Not wanting him in this way.
“What do you want to eat?” he asks as we step through the front door, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Just a sandwich would be great.”
Hunter nods. “I’ll fix us a couple of BLTs.”
I sit at the kitchen table, watching as he starts to fry the bacon rashers and chop the tomatoes. But he seems distracted, and a moment later, he sets down the knife.
“Listen, Avery,” he says, “I wanted to apologize for what happened before.”
I frown. “Apologize?”
“Yeah. For kissing you like that.” He clears his throat. “I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to get that asshole out of your life, and that seemed like a good way to do it.”
My heart sinks a little. I’m grateful for his protectiveness, but secretly, I wish he’d kissed me because he wanted to. Not just to get Edmund off the ranch.
