Page 84 of A Rancher's Love
Luke blinked then glared at Tucker. “Why did it take that long? Didn’t think she was good enough for you?”
Delight rolled in hard. “Now you want to beat me up fornotsleeping with her fast enough?”
“Sounds about right,” Luke agreed.
Ginny sighed, a huge, exasperated thing. “Luke.”
Tucker was so stinking amused. “Is there any scenario in your brain where Idon’tget beat up?”
Luke considered for a moment. “Not that I can see.”
Kelli outright laughed. She shoved at Luke’s shoulder then gestured to the dance floor. “Come on. Instead of threatening to beat people up, we’ll burn off energy on the dance floor, deal?”
“Brilliant.” Ginny was on her feet, hauling Tucker after her. She spoke to Kelli on the side. “Dinner at my place tomorrow for the four of us, yes?”
“We’ll be there with bells on,” Kelli promised.
Then Ginny was back in Tucker’s arms and everything was right with his world.
The music turned slow and soft. As Ginny swayed in his arms, she looked thoughtful. “I hope that went better than expected.”
“I screwed up,” Tucker admitted. “I know Luke doesn’t have an issue with us being together, and he’s not really talking about sex. But I did blindside him. We’re best friends, and until now, we've shared about the important things in our lives. That’s on me, and I’m grateful he reacted in a way that keeps things rolling forward with this new job. I’m grateful he’s my friend.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have teased you into moving too fast.”
No way. “Goddess, you do things to my brain that I don’t expect, but you’re not responsible for my actions. I’m an adult, and if I can’t think things through a little harder before I act, that’s on me. Never you.”
She dipped her chin. “Okay. I still feel a little guilty.”
“Well, feelings are feelings, but I’m saying you need to remember it’s not your fault. And in the end, things turned out fine.” He twirled her a little closer, savouring the feel of her body’s heat. “Let’s focus on that part, okay?”
She twisted her head to rest it on his shoulder, swaying comfortably against him. “Okay.”
A great evening on the dance floor turned into an even better evening in Ginny’s bed. Tucker caught himself whistling as he crossed the distance between her cottage and the barns the next morning.
Of course, if he’d wanted an example of how fast the rumour mill operated, he had it in spades. As he grabbed a cup of coffee in the mess hall, more grins were aimed his way than usual. A few hours later, he turned the corner in the barn and came face to face with Dustin, who was definitely not wearing a grin.
“We need to talk,” Dustin said gruffly, staring accusingly at Tucker.
Tucker pulled in his patience. He was pretty sure the topic wasn’t Dustin’s chore list.
The young man was the little brother Tucker had never had, and while there were enough years between them that he’d spent more time quasi-babysitting than having deep heart to hearts, he also knew what it had been like growing up in the Stone family.
Hell, Walter Stone had been the one to explain the birds and bees to Tucker, his own dad having zero interest in answering those types of questions.
No—scratch that.Deb Stonehad gotten in the first round of information, much to Luke and Tucker’s youthful embarrassment. His summertime mom had discussed the logistics of the deed in clear black and white. She’d not only told them most women needed clitoral stimulation to climax, she’d told them to watch women-friendly porn if they needed tips.
God, Tucker could still hear her voice, and his cheeks heated at the memory.
Sex with the right person is fun, but it comes with lots of responsibilities. If you’re both enjoying yourself, then you’re doing it right. If you can’t figure out how to make sure she’s happy first, stick to using your hand.
Walter had followed up, clearly amused as all get-out at their flushed faces. He’d given them each a box of condoms and the strict admonishment to never go without.
Dustin would have been too young to have had his parents explain the facts to him, but the next generation? Caleb had a healthy sense of right and wrong when it came to sex. Neither Luke nor Walker had been hound dogs, but they hadn’t been dismissive of the women who enjoyed getting together with the men on the circuit. Tamara didn’t seem the wilting-flower type when it came to straight truths and facts.
Blunt it was. Tucker figured if he considered himself a substitute Luke at this moment, things would work out fine.
“I can’t believe you never said a word about you and Ginny getting together for all those years.” Dustin’s frown deepened. “I can’t believe you thought it was a good idea to sleep with her.”
