Page 41 of Nanny for the Cowboy

Of all the things that could be keeping me awake, it’s excitement.

I’m still buzzing from the performance today, and I can’t stop smiling, which feels so fucking silly.

It’s been so long since I performed like that, and to have a crowd there actually applauding me was…exhilarating.

I didn’t realize how much I missed that.

When it was over, Rosie offered me the chance to perform at other venues and community events. I didn’t know what to say, but now I’m actually considering taking her up on it.

Who even am I? Wanting to put myself through all this again.

Hearing the audience in my head, I grin wider, closing my eyes and remembering what it felt like to be standing up there. I had no idea what song I was going to sing beforehand, so I went with the first one that popped into my head.

It’s one of my favorites, and Rosie had the karaoke track in the system.

The event replays in my mind, and I see Brooks standing at the front of the audience, his eyes holding onto me through the entire performance.

I didn’t expect him to be so invested in my singing. He was actually supportive, all for pushing me up onto that stage. He’s been a grump this whole time, and we spend most of the time bickering.

Having him look at me like that…my mind goes back to the almost-kiss, and my heart flutters.

Seriously, what is happening between us?

The memory of his breath on my skin hits hard. I can almost feel him right here with me, his touch on my cheek too brief.

My cheeks flush, the heat crawling through my skin as I remember the vision of him shirtless and sweaty, working on that damn table. There’s chemistry between us, and as much as I want to—need to—I can’t deny it.

Brooks.

Ghosting my fingers over my lips, I imagine him poised to kiss me. Suddenly, my pulse is racing, and I squeeze my thighs together as I think of the dreams I’ve had about him.

They’ve been far from PG, and while in the beginning, it was more akin to a hate-fuck fantasy, there’s something else now…a connection.

He drives me mad, it’s true, but Brooks also…intrigues me. He’s this little puzzle that I have to figure out. And there’s also the fact that he’s gorgeous.

Without really thinking about it, I roll onto my back, sliding one knee up the mattress so that my legs are spread. It’s too damn hot—a constant in the sweltering inferno of Red Lodge during the summer—but I won’t take off the blanket.

If I stay under, I don’t have to face what I’m doing. I won’t have to admit that I’m going to touch myself…because I’m fantasizing about my bossagain.

Not only that, but your dad’s best friend.

I shake the thought from my mind, running my hand down the plane of my stomach until I reach the loose hem of my night shorts. I can just push them aside, and because some part of me was thinking about this all night, I’m not even wearing panties.

My slit is already slippery when I brush a finger over it, imagining my hand is Brooks’s. I don’t know what’s gotten into me, but I can’t stop.

This is the third time I’ve done this before I fall asleep.Third. And I can’t stop.

Seeing him in my mind, I tease myself, circling around my seam, whispering touches over my clit. I know Brooks would do this to me. I justknow. Between the bickering, the back and forth we always have going, there’s no way he wouldn’t make me earn everything he gave me.

Dammit. Clover, oh God. You’re so naughty.

I imagine it’s Brooks saying it, but I mean it, too. I know this isn’t what I should be doing. There is so much that makes the two of us an ill-fated pair, but I just…I need to indulge for a moment.

Finally slipping past the exterior, I dip a finger inside, swirling it around and then paying attention to my clit. Mynerves sing, and I picture Brooks, his fingers, his hands, his tongue…God, what could that man do to me?

I’m not usually the cowboy type. I’m not usually the older guy type. But Brooks breaks all the rules, and I lose myself to the thought of him claiming my body in ways that it has sorely missed.

Something tells me that he’d surpass them all.

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