Page 6 of Shameless Cowboy
I finish my chores early so I can shower and start on dinner before Kayla gets home from work. Cooking is not a strong suit of mine, but like any red-blooded American man, I can grill a steak, bake a potato, and open a bag of salad. I’m hoping it’ll be the thought that counts when she sees I’m trying.
Kayla walks in as I’m seasoning the steaks to go on the grill. “Perfect timing. I was just getting the steak ready to go on. They’ll be about thirty minutes if you want to relax before dinner.”
Her eyebrows raise. “Are you making me dinner? That’s so sweet. It was a long day at the shop, and I was just planning on a girl dinner of charcuterie, but those steaks look way better. Hope you don’t have dessert. I stopped in at Darcie’s for coffee earlier, and she had her pumpkin snickerdoodle bars, so I grabbed some to bring home. They’re so good, and she only makes them a few months of the year.”
“Pumpkin snickerdoodle sounds interesting, but what the hell is charcuterie?”
Her giggle has my blood heating. I don’t know what it is about the sound, but I have a burning desire to be the reason for it.
“Charcuterie is like a giant snack plate with meats, cheeses, crackers, fruits, veggies, nuts. Whatever you feel like really, as long as it doesn’t require cooking.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound like a very stick-to-your-ribs kinda meal.”
She grins. “There’s a reason they call it girl dinner.”
“Fair enough. Do you want one of your hard ciders to drink while dinner cooks?”
Her brow arches. “I didn’t know we had any, but if we do, I’ll take one. It’ll really hit the spot after today.”
My shoulder rises and falls. Grabbing a cider from the fridge, I twist the top off before handing the bottle to her. “I picked some up when I went shopping yesterday. Why don’t you go change into your comfy clothes and then come tell me what happened today?”
She stares at the bottle for a moment, then shakes her head and thanks me before heading down the hall. A few moments later she returns and launches into the story of how supplies, orders, and deliveries all went awry while I throw dinner together.
The domesticity of it fills me with peace. I always wondered what it would be like to have these everyday moments couples share with Kayla. Now I’m experiencing it, I know what I’ve been missing out on and am determined to do everything in my power to ensure it continues.
After clearing dinner away, we’re standing in the kitchen digging into the treats she brought home from Darcie’s. It’s amazing, not that I had any doubts, I’ve never had anything from the coffee shop that isn’t.
Kayla must agree because she moans as she devours hers. The sound has my dick pulsing. Traces of sugar and cinnamon stick to her plump bottom lip, and I can’t resist brushing it away with my thumb. The move has her inhaling sharply, and her tongue pokes out to retrace the path of my touch. It takes everything in me to keep from taking her right then and there.
I clear my throat, stepping back. “Want to watch The Bachelorette?”
“Youwant to watch The Bachelorette?” She blinks rapidly several times, skepticism clear in her voice.
“It’s what you like to watch, so why not? I’m not sure I’ll be as good at the commentary as your girlfriend Brooks, but I’ll do my best to hold my own.”
She shakes her head with a smile. “I don’t think anyone could match Brooks, but you’re welcome to try. I’d love to hear what you have to say.”
“You’re on,” I reply, pulling another cider and beer from the fridge before following her into the living room.
Chapter Seven
Kayla
I feel like I’m in an episode of theTwilight Zoneor maybe teenage me fell asleep and is dreaming again. Though I’ve never had one this vivid, and I’ve certainly never been turned on in a dream like this before. I covertly pinch my thigh to be sure and I don’t wake up in my room covered in boy band posters.
Nope, I’m still sitting on the couch at Brooks and Austin’s with my feet in Austin’s lap while he massages them as we watch The Bachelorette. Now there’s a sentence I never imagined happening.
I’m not paying a bit of attention to the show, which usually captivates me. Instead, I’m sneaking glances at my husband, trying to figure out what in the hell is happening. I’ve almost blurted out the question multiple times tonight, but I’m afraid to break whatever spell is over us or to change him back into the distant Austin I’ve always known.
I’d much rather bask in the attention he’s bestowing upon me and reveling in every touch of his rough hands against my skin, causing goosebumps of epic proportions. My core clenches whenhis big hand comes to rest on my knee, his thumb sweeping back and forth over the inside of it.
“Kayla?”
My gaze shoots up from where it was locked on his hand touching me to find Austin studying me with his head cocked to the side. “Yeah?”
“I asked if you wanted another drink.”
“Oh, uh, I probably better not.”
