Page 6 of Blame It On Midnight

“Why?”

And here they were. The root cause of all her problems. The reason she couldn’t sleep or focus or do anything but fantasize about the only man on the planet who could complete her. Make her happy. Bring her the kind of joy she’d only ever read about in romance novels.

“I love him.”

“You love…” Kip’s expression was comical, and if this were any other time and place, she’d take a photo so that she could remember it. But it wasn’t another time and place, and he looked like he was about to lose his shit completely.

“You barely know the guy.”

“I know him in the biblical sense.” She winked, then smiled for good measure.

“Jesus, Collins. Not the time for jokes.”

“Look, I don’t expect you to understand how I feel.”

“Then explain it to me.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Try.” He swiveled on his seat and faced her. “I’ve got your back. You’re my sister. But you have to help me out.”

“I met him at Christmastime. We went to the ranch with Ivy.”

“I was there. I remember.”

“We didn’t speak at all. I think I said hello, and he might have said it back, but other than that, we didn’t have any form of communication.”

“Sounds like a great way to start a romance.”

She punched her brother’s arm. “Don’t be an asshole.”

“I’m just keeping it real.”

“Whatever.” Collins took a few seconds to gather her thoughts. This was the first time she’d spoken to them out loud. “I felt something that night. At the time, I thought it was a normal reaction to a very hot man. But then I saw him in the bar in Nashville, and I knew that all those feelings were more than attraction. More than curiosity. More than the need to be with someone. I wanted him on a different level, and I thought that if we had sex, I could get him out of my head.”

“I’m guessing that didn’t happen.”

“No.” She shook her head. “It made things worse because…”

“Because?” he prompted.

“Because he felt the same connection. I know he did. I saw it in his eyes. I knew then that what we’d shared was special. It wasn’t random after all. It was heavy. Real. Organic. Soulmate kind of stuff.”

“You can be insanely attracted to someone without love entering the equation.”

“Maybe you can,” she replied. “But not me.” Kip was struggling with something. It was plain as day. “Just say it.”

He sighed. Reached for her with his one good arm. “Men are wired differently. We don’t have the same thought patterns. We’re not that deep. Our dicks pretty much control everything.”

“And that’s why we’re the superior sex.”

He didn’t take the bait. Didn’t smile. And Collins, already wound so tight she felt as if her head was going to explode, dropped his hand and sat back. “You think I’m being weak and dumb and spontaneous and female, and you’re probably right. But I’m here and I need to see him.”

“There are a thousand reasons why this is never going to work, and none of them touch on the age gap. He’s a rancher. He has a complicated life with a young daughter and an ex who is causing problems. Pretty sure they’ve got a court case going on at the moment. Do you want to get in the middle of all that?”

“Those are only three reasons. Four if you count the court thing.”

“Dammit, Collins. Not the time to be glib.”

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