Page 35 of Cowboy's Last Stand
“Are you sure it’s OK?”
He covered her hand with his to still her motion.She could feel the drum of his heartbeat, the heat of his body, and the rough press of his callused palm.His voice was a low rumble.“I’m sure.”
She removed her hand and stepped back.A flush suffused her cheeks as she realized he was aroused by her touch.She was aroused too.Her nipples tightened into hard points, and her pulse fluttered in her throat.When she raised her fingertips to her neck, his eyes darkened.She imagined his open mouth there, hot and searching.She imagined his hands on her breasts, cupping her warm flesh.
Instead of throwing her down on the bed and ravishing her, he picked up the shirt.She donned the cardigan to hide her body’s reaction to him.He shoved his arms through the sleeves and snapped the buttons.She’d bought it for Mike, of course.The garment fit well across Jason’s shoulders, but the sleeves were an inch too short.He solved this problem by rolling up the cuffs to reveal his strong forearms.
“Should I tuck in it?”
She stepped back to study him from head to toe.His jeans were fine, his boots a basic dark brown leather.They were worn but clean.The pale blue shirt contrasted nicely with his jet-black hair and rugged features.“Either way.You look good.”
“I have a black eye,” he pointed out.
“It’s hardly noticeable,” she lied.
He returned to the porch and dug a case out of a side pocket of his backpack.Unfolding a pair of black-framed glasses, he put them on his face.The transformation was Clark Kent-like.Her library-loving, bookworm heart melted.
“Better?”he asked.
She nodded, swallowing hard.The glasses looked smart, plus they disguised his injury.“Are those reading glasses?”
“They’re for driving, actually.I rarely use them.”
“I like them.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
They stared at each other for a long moment of mutual admiration.
“What were you going to say earlier instead of nice?”she asked.
His brow furrowed.
“You said I looked nice.”
“Oh.”
“What were you going to say?”
“Sexy,” he admitted.
Heat warmed her cheeks again.“Should I wear a different dress?”
“Are you kidding?”
She took that as a no.His frank gaze made her skin tingle and her toes curl.She shouldn’t have fished for the compliment.It would echo in her ears all night long, and she’d have even more trouble curbing her desire.
Flustered by the thought, she went inside to get Marcus.
Chapter Eight
It was rainingagain when they arrived at the VFW.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars organization had a banquet hall with a live band, a long buffet, and dozens of tables.The space was filled with multigenerational families.Children of all ages darted between distracted adults.
Jason removed his glasses, which had fogged on the way in, to wipe the lenses.His vision had been perfect before he’d sustained a head injury in Afghanistan, so he wasn’t used to wearing them.He didn’t drive, and he didn’t need them for anything else.The glasses made him feel like a spy or an impostor.A stranger in his own skin.
