Page 82 of The Runaway and the Rugged
“Hi,” I grumbled back, annoyed from how affected I was from this little bundle of sunshine who had me all sorts of fucked up lately.
Even her drunken grin had me forgetting why I was pissed off tonight.
“Am I dreaming?” she asked as I passed through the living room where my mom was asleep on the couch.
“Yeah, this is a dream, Outlaw,” I lied, not wanting her to awake tomorrow with any more embarrassment than she’ll already have.
“It is?” she questioned almost disappointingly into my chest. “So, I can say anything I want right, because the real you won’t know?”
Oh fuck.
“Because I have a lot I could say to you.” She chuckled, the words I needed to stop her completely dying on my tongue. “Like the new nickname I have for you.”
I was climbing up the stairs to the second floor, tempted to stop and ask her for all the things she had to say to me. But instead, I keep my head forward and focused until I felt her lift her head and her lips almost brush my beard.
“Wanna hear it?”
Christ, why did she suddenly sound like a damn temptress?
“I’m all ears.” I swallowed.
Hearing the subtle sound of her tongue wetting her lips, she leaned in even closer. “Ranch Daddy.”
My hands slipped underneath her knees and I almost dropped her.
Fuck…
What the hell did she just say? And why the hell was she giggling now?
“A what?” I asked, clearly hearin’ her wrong, but her gigglin’ only intensified.
“A ranch daddy!” She repeated. “You know, cause you work on a ranch and you’re a daddy.”
Fuck. Me.
I couldn’t even think, let alone process what she had just said. She was drunk and thought this was a damn dream right now, but it still made blood rush all the way to my cock.
“Smart, huh?”
I blinked, unsure how to respond as I opened the door to the other guest bedroom, the one across from mine. Wasn’t sure puttin’ her so close to me was such a good idea, but if she needed anything, I wanted to be able to get to her quickly.
I coughed. “Yeah, real smart.”
Then just when I was about to deposit her onto the bed, I felt the gentle, warm brush of lips graze just below my chin. It stopped me completely. Dumbstruck with a heart galloping like a thunderstorm, I glanced down at eyes that shimmered with longing. It’d been twelve years since I’d been in the position to let a woman kiss me.
I wanted more.
I was fuckin’ desperate for more, and it was evident in her crystal-clear, glowin’ eyes she wanted that too. She had me wanting things I never thought I’d ever have the chance to experience. She had a way of makin’ me want to break down every wall I’ve built, leaving nothin’ behind, and give her every last piece of myself I had to offer.
Dangerous was what she was.
Dangerous to me, the ranch, to anyone who had the privilege of encountering her. And that’s why she needed to stay that way.I didn't have the strength for the type of heartbreak she’d leave me behind with.
She was the woman with sunshine hair and a heart filled with endless possibilities, while I was merely just a man who had no business tyin’ someone like that down. And with a final sigh, I lowered her onto the bed, her gaze unwavering and captivating more than ever.
“Can I tell you more?” she asked, a hopeful glint in her tipsy tone.
“Not tonight, Outlaw,” I whispered, pulling the comforter up to her chest where she snuggled right in. “Another time.”
