Page 56 of Rough Cowboy
“Abstinence. Abstinence!” He grabs the edges of my shirt to yank it down. In the process, his paintbrush swipes my bare belly.
I gasp.
He gasps.
“You just painted my baby.”
“I’m so sorry.” The red blush that creeps up his neck is adorable. “I’ll get a washcloth.”
I catch his arm. “I didn’t know you to be such a prude.”
I step back and dip my paintbrush in the can of White Daisy paint. I flick it at Silver. Paint flecks hit his face and sprinkles sexy white dots over his skin.
He lets out a surprised sound from deep in his chest. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
“Oh, I did it.”
“It’s on now.” Silver dips the paintbrush in the can, holding the dripping brush between us.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“I enjoy a good challenge.” He winks at me before paint smacks my front.
I squeal and retaliate. I dig my hand into the paint and throw a handful. It hits the tattoos stretching over his outer bicep.
Before I know it, a paint fight is in full swing. We fling paint at each other with wild abandon, laughing, shouting, and chasing each other around the room. Our hair and clothes are covered. Messy and chaotic. But incredibly fun.
I don’t remember the last time I let myself be this carefree and silly.
Eventually, we both run out of paint—which means another trip to town. We collapse onto the drop cloth with exhausted laughter.
We lay there momentarily, on our backs, staring at the ceiling while we catch our breath.
Silver turns his head to look at me. Our eyes meet, and we both burst into laughter once again.
At that moment, I realize I fell in love with Silver long before this moment.
Silver reaches out and brushes a lock of hair out of my face. His hand lingers on my cheek.
“What’s this about?” My voice is low and husky.
Silver leans in closer. “I don’t know.” His voice is barely a whisper. “I couldn’t resist.”
I want to lean in for a kiss. I want him to make the first move. We stare at each other for what feels like forever or until a throat clears.
“Did you two save any paint for the walls?” Lena asks.
Busted.
I can imagine what she’s thinking.
I turn my head, and the second our eyes connect, I realize how much I’ve missed her. “You wanna join us?”
“I brought dessert.” She holds takeout bags from Cowboy Cafe. “Pies. Alma took my order, so it’s hit and miss.”
The waitress Alma is hard of hearing, and her orders are always a mystery.
Silver climbs to his feet. “I’ll get some plates and cutlery.”
