Page 38 of A Cowboy's Bride
Petra nodded slowly. “Dixie is a huge help. I think Jinx ishopeful. I think that’s about the best we can expect, here at the start of all things.”
Which was the perfect assurance and a terrible trigger at the same time. Because Aiden had just realized that’s what he wanted not only for Jinx, but for himself as well. Possibly for him and Petra.
Hope.
Hope for a future where they could be together.
10
Ever since Aiden had moved his stuff into the bedroom, Petra had played through the sleeping situation a dozen ways. Each time she’d changed her mind as to what was right and what was wrong until she’d tied herself up in a tangled knot.
But while sitting by the fire, listening to Aiden’s music, she'd realized the truth. She was making this far more complicated than it had to be. If right now was about getting through one day at a time for Jinx’s sake, it should be the same for them. She and Aiden had managed just fine during the one night they’d had together way back when.
If they could enjoy some wonderfully distracting moments here and now, she wouldn’t mind one bit.
By the way he was pretending not to watch her, Aiden’s brain was obviously as messed up as hers had been. Everything about his body language as she brushed past him and headed to the bed said he was very aware of her, and very interested.
She knew what was going on. She imagined his brothers giving him thedon't screw this upchat. Or even worse, laying down the law to Aiden about what he could or couldn’t be doing.
Petra was well past the point where she let other people dictate what went on when it came to her sex life. Didn't mean she couldn't enjoy teasing the hell out of Aiden about the contrast between how he was acting now, considering how forward and playful he’d been the other night at the bar.
Case in point? The man was clearly attempting to hide the fact he had a hard on.
Enough. Time to talk about the elephant in the room. She stopped beside the bed and twisted to face him.
He stood beside the sink, back to her as he rinsed his toothbrush as if his life depended on it. His gaze stayed fixed on the taps, avoiding the mirror that showed her reflection.
“Are you hoping I’ll vanish beneath the sheets and you won't have to face me until tomorrow?” Petra asked.
Aiden chuckled, but it sounded wrong. More stress reaction than true amusement.
He turned, and his gaze dropped instantly as she loosened the knot of her robe. “You said you wanted the right side of the bed.”
He snatched the hand towel off the wall and made a show of drying his hands, the hanging end of the towel held suspiciously low to block the view of his groin.
Too funny. “We need to talk.”
He dragged his gaze up to meet hers, forcibly keeping it there. “Yeah?”
She let the tie fall from her hands, and the front of her robe gaped open. His gaze flickered over her naked torso for the briefest of seconds before returning to her face.
The man had willpower. She had to give him that. “Remember when we met the first time?” she asked.
Heat flashed in his eyes. “Every detail.”
Petra nodded. “Me, too. And you remember when we met this last Monday at Rough Cut?”
He nodded slowly, the towel still dangling in front of him. “Why do I think I'm being set up?”
She laughed, abandoning her exaggerated pose and sliding toward him. She rested a hand against his naked chest, the scent of him surrounding her as she breathed deep, delicious wood smoke and musk filling her senses. “No games, Aiden. We might have a big job to do here with Jinx and setting up High Water, but that doesn't mean it has to complicateus. We've shared a bed before, and it was a whole hell of a lot of fun. I'm on board with doing that again ifyou'reinterested.”
He tossed the towel onto the counter and slid his hands onto her hips. “You know I'm interested. I'm just worried. What if we?—”
His words cut off, uneasiness on his face.
Petra spoke softly. “What if we just do this thing and act like adults? Promise to talk to each other and not make assumptions. Promise not to lie to each other. What if we choose to dive in instead of trying to dream up and work through every nightmare situation before it's even happened?”
His fingers tightened for a minute before he took a deep breath. “So you're saying we’re both grown up enough to be able to crawl into this bed, enjoy each other, and tomorrow we’ll get up and do what needs to be done. As friends.”
