Page 25 of The Cowboy Contract
Or worse, what ifhewas terrible at it?
They’d each dated other people over the years, and she had to assume he had just as much experience as she did, so hopefully…
“I feel like you’re overthinking things right now.” Leland shifted around just inside her front door as he kicked off his boots. “I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t do that, because I can’t imagine it’s going to make my job any easier.”
A little laugh escaped. “Are you already making excuses?”
The weight that had been trying to crush her evaporated with Leland finally there. She’d missed him—missed this—so fucking much. And now that she was thinking about it, aggravation bloomed in her gut. “What have you even been doing for the last ten days?”
She had struggled to stay away from him for seven after the kiss at the bar. Knowing he could just skip out on her for even longer chapped her ass a little.
“A good chunk of that time, I was hunting down that ring you still haven’t put on your finger.” Leland started up the stairs, easily carrying her to the second floor. “Then I did a few little projects before I called the realtor to come over and look at my house.” He reached the landing and went straight for her bedroom. “And, Beverly somehow roped me into watching Rosemary and Will a couple times.” His eyes came to her face as he bumped through the doorway, accidentally tapping her knee against the jam. “You’re timing on all this was total shit, by the way. I could have absolutely handled your help with that. Rosemary now expects you to bring your iPad and a dumpster of chicken nuggets every time I watch her.”
For some reason that made her smile. It reminded her she was already a part of his life. Of his family. “I’ll make it up to her.”
Leland reached the side of her bed and, in a swift and surprising move, tossed her onto the mattress. He stood over her, face shadowy in the darkness of her room. “How about you start by making it up to me?”
Paige angled a brow. “Do you want me to get you some chicken nuggets?”
Leland picked up one of her feet from where it dangled over the side of the bed. He worked off her rain soaked sneaker, slipping it free before chucking it into her bathroom where it came to rest on the tile floor instead of the carpet beneath his feet. “You can start by putting my ring on your finger.”
Her eyes zeroed in on the diamond still pinched between her pointer and thumb. She stared at it as Leland removed her other shoe and peeled away both socks, sending them sailing. “It really is so pretty.”
“It is. That’s why I bought it.” He gripped the fabric of her knit joggers, peeling them away from her damp skin. “I know I’ve fucked up a lot lately, and I was hoping pretty jewelry would help convince you to look past all that.”
Carefully, Paige slid the gold band onto her finger. It fit perfectly. “How did you know what size I wear?”
Leland freed her pants and tossed them in with her shoes and socks. “They lined up every woman in the jewelry store and I figured out which one had hands the closest in size to yours.” He paused, taking a second to peel away his coat, adding it to the mounting pile. “That’s the size I bought.”
Paige continued staring at her hand. “You could pick out whose hand was closest to mine?” It was a feat she might not even be able to accomplish. And she spent every moment with her hands.
Leland scoffed. “Of course.” He gripped the hands in question, using the hold to lever her upper half off the mattress. “I could pick you out of a lineup wearing a blindfold, sweetheart.” He lifted his chin. “Arms up.”
She did as she was told, hands—and the brand-new diamond adorning the left one—reaching for the ceiling. Leland tugged her hoodie and the long-sleeved shirt under it off as a single unit, pausing at the top of her head to use the layers of fabric to squeeze the excess moisture out of her hair.
Then, she was sitting in front of Leland—her best friend—in nothing but her panties and bra.
She shivered in anticipation, nipples pricking against the mostly dry fabric covering them as Leland went to work on his own damp clothing, peeling away the layers until he stood in nothing but his underwear.
And then those were gone, leaving her staring at his fully naked form for the first time.
He was silent, nostrils flaring, muscles tense, as he waited. Like he was giving her time to judge him. To decide whether or not she approved.
And fuck if that didn’t just make her love him a little more because it showed how obviously ridiculous the man was. He was utter perfection—in all ways—and the possibility that anyone, especially her, would find something to complain about, was laughable.
Meeting his intense stare, she gave him a quizzical look. “Are you just going to show it to me, or are you going to use it?”
A little of the stiffness in his body abated as he huffed out a laugh. “I was thinking you might actually start to do some work here and finish getting naked, but I guess I’ve got to do everything.”
Her mouth dropped open as she lifted one foot and planted it in the center of his chest, intending to give him a playful shove. But she was too slow. Leland caught her ankle, lifting it to press his lips against the arch of her foot. It was an unexpected move that sent heat racing through her insides to pool low in her belly.
After pulling his mouth from her skin, Leland propped her heel on his shoulder. Grabbing the calf of her other leg, he lifted it to his opposite side. Then his warm fingers traced a path up her thighs to hook into the waistband of her panties.
She hadn’t planned for this, so there was no telling what he was going to find under there. But if there was any man in this universe who wouldn’t give a shit, it was Leland. He knew everything about her. The good. The bad. The ugly.
And considering she was in the midst of a very long dry spell, things could be pretty ugly down there.
He dragged her plain cotton panties all the way down, freeing them from one foot before sliding them off the other and letting them drop to the floor. Hooking his forearms over her legs draped along his chest, he dragged her closer, bringing her ass all the way to the end of the mattress. For a second, she thought maybe he was getting straight to business, but then Leland dropped to his knees, going to the floor and bringing his face level with her unkempt pussy.
