Page 10 of A Cowboy's Twinkling Lights Lasso
“Great.” His tone sounds upbeat.
“Take another sip, sweetheart.” My aunt tips the glass into my mouth again.
I swallow the hints of cinnamon and cloves before pushing the glass away. “Aunt Rita, I’m good.”
She dangles keys in my hand. “Watch out for this one. He has an ulterior motive.”
“I suspected as much.”
Thorn leans back on one leg in a sexy stance that I can’t ignore. Time has sculpted this cowboy into a timeless beauty. His boyish charm has been replaced with a commanding presence and a body honed by years of hard work.
He narrows his eyes on me. “I made my motives as clear as a blue sky.”
Is that what he thinks? Planning to make me fall in love with him? That’s not as clear as a blue sky.
“Let’s do a recap. Tell me, exactly what are your intentions this weekend?”
He takes one stride and stops straight in front of me. The delicious smell of woodsy cedar steals my breath. When his rough and calloused hand cups the side of my face, I don’t move away like I should—like my brain screams. His warmth pools into my skin. It feels like an eternity before he speaks. As we stand there, lost in each other’s eyes the way we used to down by the creek on a warm summer day, I could stay lost in his copper-colored eyes forever.
“I’ve missed you, Flora.” There he goes, being all sultry and sensual. “Have you missed me?”
Yes.
No.
A hard yes.
But a solid, hell no.
My lips part, but the lines I’ve practiced if I ever bumped into him again don’t come out.
“Every moment we’ve spent apart these past years has made me realize how much I miss you.”
I’ve played out this conversation in my head more times than I’d like to admit. None of the scenarios included him touching me. And absolutely all of them included my hand across his face. Yet, my hand remains firmly at my side, as foolish as all those days I spent with him.
“And the second I saw you in the elevator, it’s like the world stopped turnin’, and everything else faded away.”
I wish he’d take his hand off my cheek. All my body craves is for him to explore my body further.
“You’ve got this way of lightin’ up a space, and I can’t help but feel like I’m the luckiest cowboy alive just bein’ near you.”
“I’m not that same girl.” I’m thankful my tone carries a rough edge.
“I want to discover the woman you’ve become.”
I scoff and break our connection. That’s when a movement to my side catches my attention, and the room sinks in. The lineup of photographers and cowboys watching us, listening, and judging. The matchmakers are fully invested beside the entrance, and my sister holds onto our every word.
My eyes flicker back to his, and suddenly, his touch burns my skin with embarrassment. The very thing I didn’t want to happen is playing out in front of the gossipiest townsfolk and all eyes are on me.
Chapter Three
THORN
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FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, I park behind the town hall’s back entrance. A heavy silence followed us out of The Enchanted Ballroom. It followed us down the elevator, into my truck, and the short ride to town.
“Flora—”
