Page 10 of My Cowboy Kiss
“Are you sure?” I can’t bear the thought of him being hurt either. “Let me check you.”
River clamps his hand around my forearm to prevent me from touching him and stands, dragging me to my feet. A muscle leaps in his jaw. “Get dressed.” His voice is sharp and commanding.
Cool air from the vent above my head hits my skin at the same time his gaze does. Both travel over my body. One cools. The other sets my core ablaze.
River
I’ve seen Courtney in various states of undress over the years. Those images flash to the front of my mind—swimsuits, a slip she had on right before she stepped into her formal prom gown and asked me to zip her up—a short nightgown when she’d spent the night at my house.
When we’d hung out and I didn’t think of us as anything but friends, I never gave a thought to what she wore. As far as I was concerned, it didn’t affect me. It was harmless. But since falling for her, nothing has been harmless about her to me.
And her in front of me like this feels dangerous. I could take a step and kiss her. I could carry her to bed and show her that making love is nothing like a transaction.
I could show her we belong together, but she doesn’t know that yet and I won’t be the guy who pushes her just because it’s what I want.
I gentle my voice. “Pleaseget dressed.”
“I wasn’t thinking. I reacted when I heard something break. I wasn’t trying to tease you.”
“I know you weren’t,” I say firmly.
Just like I’m not like any of those men your mama let into the house.
She reaches for the broom. “I can sweep that up.”
“I’ll do it.”I need something to keep my hands occupied so I can try to stop thinking about how beautiful you are.So I can stop thinking about good how kissing you felt. “I need you to put some clothes on.”
She looks uncertain for a second then gives up and hurries away.
I can breathe easier now. After I finish cleaning up the broken pieces and dump them in the trashcan, I step outside to wait for her. Seeing her in a skimpy bra and panties set isn’t something I’ll easily forget. Neither will my cock.
I take off my Stetson and hold it in front of me to block the cock viewing from her neighbor who came outside to water a plant by her door. The woman pets her cat, then speaks to me. I think it’s about the weather. I’m sure I respond politely with something that makes sense.
I don’t know for sure because at the same time the woman is talking, Courtney exits her apartment in a pair of shorts framing her curvy ass and a pale yellow t-shirt with the wordsfun in the sunstretched across her tits.
“There he is. What a good kitty,” Courtney exclaims, bending to rub the cat and giving me a bird’s eye view of her ass.
If she backs up a step, maybe two, she’s going to be bent over right in front of my cock. My brain takes that thought and spins it into hot, dirty images.
Turning my back to her, I slap my Stetson on and start walking toward the parking lot. “We don’t want to be late,” I say over my shoulder. Normally I’d wait for her to finish a conversation but with the way my cock is growing if I keep standing there, it’s going to get awkward.
I get in the truck and roll down the window to let the hot air out. Hot days were never my favorite until I saw Courtney in a pair of shorts and a shirt that bared her stomach. There were many summer nights where she and I were sitting on the tailgate of my truck talking and I wanted to tell her how I feel about her.
Would she have laughed it off? Would I have made her uncomfortable? Sometimes I wish I had said something. I think it would be better than living with today’s fear that if I can’t get her to see me in a new light, then some other guy might come along and steal her heart while mine breaks.
Courtney joins me a minute later and my what-ifs are put on the back burner.How is it that she gets prettier with every passing minute?
She shoots me a glance. “Are you sure you’re up for us doing this?”
“Positive. The archery range is usually crowded around this time because it’s where the club meets. Word will travel fast that we were together on a date. That’ll get your boss off your back.”
“That’s not why I’m asking. You look flushed.” She leans closer to my face, searching it intently.
My heart drums wildly.
With a frown, she puts a hand on my forehead. “Were you in the heat too long? Putting in too many hours at the ranch? Or is something else going on?”
She lowers her hand, looking worried.
