Page 31 of If You Loved Me

“Kiss me,” I whispered, needing to feel this man’s lips against my own.

He studied me for a moment before he took off his cowboy hat, his black curls falling into his face. I stepped into him, feeling the heat from his body as I rose onto my tiptoes and draped my arms over his shoulders.

With a hand on my lower back, he brought me closer until I could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest against my own. His heartbeat clamored against his ribs, matching the wild rhythm of my own heart.

When his thumb found my bottom lip, a shooting star couldn’t rival the burning heat of my body when his lips metmine. He took his time, holding me tighter like he was afraid I might disappear if he loosened his grip.

Somehow I knew that this was what I had waited for. I hadn’t simply chosen to be alone to focus on my career. I was waiting for a man to come along who made me feel like I wouldn’t survive without his touch. When Ranger’s hands came to grasp each side of my face as our lips parted, I knew this was what I’d wanted all along. And maybe my younger self knew it too as I watched him from a safe distance. Waiting for him to see me too.

The space between us grew shorter as he inhaled deeply, his broad chest widening. “I wish I could do that all night,”—he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear—“but I promised you a date.”

“Right,” I grinned, burying my face in his chest. “Maybe we should go do that.”

He reached around me to grab his cowboy hat from where he placed it on the passenger seat before taking my hand and shutting the door.

“Is this your first time line dancing?” His large hand enveloped mine as we started walking toward the entrance.

“I used to do it a lot with my sister. We learned from our parents when we were kids. Almost every night, they’d turn up some country music while my mom cooked dinner and they’d always end up dancing around the kitchen. When my dad passed away, Callie Rose and I kept up the tradition until I went away. I haven’t danced since I got out.”

My heart broke for him, hearing that prison had stalled something he clearly loved. I only knew what the townsfolkwhispered about him because I tried my best to stay away from the news. Watching it had always made me feel angry and sad. But now I wished I had paid better attention to his trial all those years ago because while there were certainly people who thought he belonged behind bars, I couldn’t help but feel they were wrong about him.

The questions bounced around in my mind. I hoped I would get the chance to hear his side of the story one day, but I wasn’t going to ruin our first date by probing about his past.

So I squeezed his hand and said, “Thank you for choosing to dance with me tonight.”

He let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “I’m just glad you said yes.”

I bumped him with my hip. “You knew I’d say yes. I was the one who asked you out first.”

He winced. “Why don’t we just pretend that I did the right thing and asked you on a date the morning I bombarded you at your bakery?”

Through tight lips, I sucked in a lungful of air. “I don’t know if I can give you that one. I think you might need to live with the regret for a little while longer.”

His laugh was warm. “I can handle that.”

Sweat trickled down my spine, a wide smile parted my lips and I was almost out of breath asWatermelon Crawlcame to its final note and the DJ started with Tim McGraws’sSomething Like That.

“I need a drink!” I shouted over the rising music to Ranger. A sliver of his tan chest peeked through the V of his flannel where the top two buttons were undone. Sweat glistened on his skin and I found myself wanting to press my tongue against him to see what he tasted like.

He grabbed my hand and guided me through the crowd to the bar and I admired his tight ass the entire way. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to have him deep inside me while I reached around and dug my fingernails into one of his firm cheeks.

Shit.

I was already sex crazed over this man and the only thing we’d done so far was kiss. But those kisses had blown my world to bits and I only wanted him to show me more of what he could do.

“What do you like to drink?” Ranger asked as his hand slid around the curve of my waist, his fingers wound through the belt loop of my jeans. Every bit of my concentration went to that small area of my body where his thumb started roaming over my hip.

I cleared my throat, trying to knock myself from the daze his touch brought over me. “I’ll have ginger ale and Captain Morgan.”

“A rum girl?” Those bright blue eyes shone with amusement like I surprised him.

Avoiding the heat of Ranger’s gaze, I looked to the bartender as she made her way over to us. “The combination tastes like cream soda.”

“Two ginger ales with Captain Morgan, please.” He shot me a wink before sliding his credit card to the bartender. “And you can close it out.”The bartender nodded as she grabbed his card and started on our drinks.

“Having fun?”

He leaned an elbow on the bartop and settled his foot on the footrest at the bottom of the bar. I couldn’t help myself as I took in the full power of his stature. Even though the bartop was high and deep, Ranger made it look like it was child-sized and I found myself wondering what it might be like to be held beneath that much power. If the tingling sensation between my thighs was any indication, I suspected it would be fucking amazing.

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