Page 64 of A Cowboy's Bride
Laughter bubbled up. Petra brushed a hand over his cheek as she smiled indulgently. “If you’re suggesting we should test drive every bed before the warranties are up, I’m game.”
He kissed her, hands stroking naked skin. He needed to deal with the condom, and he needed to not go too fast, but what he needed most of all was right here in his lap.
Petra finally broke the kiss, carefully crawling off him and onto the mattress.
Aiden dealt with the condom then pulled up his underwear and pants. He opened his arms. “Come here. I’ll take you back to the tub while I clean up.”
“As long as you come join me,” Petra offered.
He lowered her into the water and did a quick temperature check. “This I can handle. Give me a minute.”
Thankfully, there was no sign of his brothers when he grabbed the broom and dustpan, dealing with the wood splinters but leaving the broken frame for later.
He grabbed two glasses of lemonade and peanut butter cookies from the jar and made his way back to the bathroom.
Petra accepted the food and drink, chugging down half of the lemonade even as she gestured to the water in front of her. “It’s big enough for two. It’s big enough for three, but that’s not my kink.”
He stepped into the water gingerly, arranging himself with his back against the incline of the tub and her legs in his lap. “Good to know. It’s not mine either.”
Petra took a nip of the cookie and made a noise that made him want to go right back to the bed, broken or not. “These are really good.”
“Agreed.” He ran his finger up her shin, caressing her skin slowly. “I thought you made those.”
She shook her head. “Not me. I thought you did.”
“Well, whichever of my brothers was the mastermind, we’ll request a new batch as soon as possible. These were the last two.”
She licked crumbs off her fingers then stretched her arms along the top of the tub, smiling at him contentedly. “That was a most excellent bit of distracting.”
“Agreed.” Her skin was so soft he wanted to pull her into his lap and keep touching her. She was pink and red now for reasons other than the heat of the water, and the shine in her eyes made him all the more determined to convince her this needed to be real.
“I like that look.”
Aiden lifted his gaze. “What’s that?”
She wiggled her finger at his face. “You know why I went back to your hotel with you three years ago? It was mostly because of that look.”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but I’m very happy to have that look.” Aiden picked up her foot and rubbed gently. “Anything particular about it? Just in the interest of science and making sure I offer youthe lookon a regular basis.”
She laughed then her expression grew thoughtful. “It was my brother’s wedding weekend. Second wedding, if you count the one they can’t remember that took place in Vegas.”
“Nowyou tell me this story. I can’t wait for the next time we see Zach and Julia.”
“Mischief maker,” she teased. She shook her head as if remembering. “I love my big brother, and at that point, all my other sisters were married, most with rug rats, so it was kind of as if they were all at the stage of a game that I had no interest in yet. I didn’t want to settle down, but seeing Zach with Julia—they were so freaking in love, it just poured from them every time they looked at each other.”
Aiden raised a brow. “So you decided having a one-night stand with a total stranger was a good way to celebrate your brother’s wedding?”
“Pretty much,” she agreed, but she wrinkled her nose in the most adorable fashion. “It was less about trying to counteract the wedding cootie vibes that were floating around and more about just doing something that mademeas happy as they were at that moment.”
“Well, I remember you getting happy.” He smirked. “Although we didn’t break a bed that time.”
Her laughter rang, loud and clear. She smiled, a sweet sincere smile that made his toes curl. “But you had that look. That one that says you’ve got secrets. Not evil dark secrets, but delicious and naughty, and if I’m really good you might share them with me.” She paused then nodded firmly. “And kind. It makes you look kind.”
Aiden sighed heavily. “You had my hopes up there for a minute with secret looks and naughty looks, and then—bam, you hit me with that damnkindbutton. At least you didn’t friend zone me.”
She splashed him.
It seemed as good a time as any to admit this. “I picked you up because of your look as well. You were so full of life and fire I was drawn to you. That’s what I remember the most about that night.”
