Page 63 of Soldier Cowboy
“You could take a walk around the property. And if you’re up to it, I’ll take you to the swimming hole around here.”
“I would love that.” Jennifer plopped on the couch and slipped off her chucks. “And I’ll bring my camera along.”
Colton shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the hanger still on the doorknob. If she thought he looked good in the tux, he looked even better in the fitted white button-up tight against his torso. She continued to stare as he undid the first few buttons and unspooled his tie, making a sound between a growl and a grunt of relief.
“What?” he demanded when he noticed her openly staring. “Did I get the shirt dirty? Oh, shitfire. Where?”
She muffled a laugh as he turned in a half circle and tried to find the stain.
“No, no. You’re fine, I don’t see anything. And I wasreallylooking.”
Did he really not understand how attractive he was to every woman with a heartbeat and good eyesight? Birth to eighty, more than likely. And Jennifer was hands down one of those women. Holycowboy.
That time, she couldn’t muffle the laugh and it came spewing out of her like a firehose.
“What’s so funny?” Colton narrowed his eyes.
Oh God. She was losing it. Pretty soon she couldn’t catch her breath as she was overcome with the giggles. What a terrible time to lose control. If she didn’t stop soon, she’d pee all over herself and wouldn’t that be wonderful. She tried to breathe but then she looked at Colton. Big mistake. Now he was laughing, too.
While he continued with his manly and appropriate laugh Jennifer began to wheeze. “It’s just…I...you know, ‘holy cow?’ I…just…thought holy cowboy!Holy cowboy!”
She bent,literallydoubling up in laughter. So that’s where the expression came from. The joke wasn’t even that funny, but she still couldn’t stop. She hadn’t laughed in weeks, and it was as if all the laughter, all the joy, came rushing out in one fell swoop.
She’d once done a podcast on happiness and the choice to be happy, talking to an expert on the subject. It was about how true happiness was often a conscious decision, and it suddenly occurred to her she hadn’t chosen to be happy in a long time.
Colton plopped on the couch beside her, still laughing. His was a more controlled kind of laughter coming out of a normal person instead of a geek.
Get a hold of yourself.
Finally, the laughter slowed somewhat spurred on by Colton sitting so close to her, something which inspired anything but laughter.
“You mean like holy cow, but instead holy cowboy?” He smiled.
They both glanced at each other, and the laughter began all over again.
“I know,” she wheezed. “It’s not even that funny.”
She slowed again, putting her hand on Colton’s thigh maybe on some level to remind her of truly unfunny things. His presence grounded her. Steadied her. She was able to breathe normally again but refused to look at him in fear the smile on his face would inspire yet another round of the giggles.
“Thank you,” he said after a moment. “I haven’t laughed like that in a long time.”
“Me either.”
They were both breathing hard, as one does after a bout of uncontrolled hilarity such as theirs. But nobody laughed when Colton finally noticed her hand on his thigh. No, she hadn’t removed it. His gaze lowered then raised to meet her eyes. She’d touched him, again, but this time in private with absolutely no good reason other than she simply wanted to. In that moment, she should have moved her hand. She should have stood to say good night and thanked him for a nice time.
Sheshouldhave done a whole lot of things that would make far more sense than moving her hand only to climb sideways into his lap.
“Hey,” she said, two inches from his mouth. His gorgeous, beautiful sensual mouth.
“Hey.” His hands skimmed down her legs and then back up again, settling on her hip.
She studied him another long moment, without words, and then she kissed him. Just lowered her head, pressed her lips against that full mouth and hoped for the best. The surprise was that he tasted like the chocolate wedding cake they’d had not long ago. She’d jokingly remarked that his midnight cake was better, but even if that were true, tonight’s cake tasted divine now. The kiss was slow and simmering with heat that, although she initiated, he took over and controlled. One hand on the nape of her neck, he tugged her closer, his fingers sunk into her hair. When he tugged on a lock of her hair, he went deeper with the kiss. He was making this last, and last, and she found that she was breathing hard after a few minutes, relishing the absolute passion of his kiss. No one had kissed her like this. No one gave like this.
And then it was over as quickly as it started.
Colton broke the kiss, releasing her. “Okay, no. I’m not doing this. We…we can’t.”
Humiliation pulsed through her. He was right. They couldn’t do this. No matter the attraction she desperately felt for him, she was leaving, and he was staying. They didn’t make any sense as a couple, either. He was like her father, a man she didn’t particularly admire or respect even if she loved him. And Colton had an opportunity to reunite with his first love. Just like Sean, and Jackson, and God only knew how many people in this small town. She needed to put herself out of the equation entirely.
