Page 40 of Wrangling Hearts
Claire’s eyes blinked open then, and that brilliant mossy green pierced me right in the heart. “What are you doing here?” Twisting, she stretched and yawned, her perfect face puffy from sleep. She sat up slowly, her hair falling down her back in a tumble of dark, chocolatey red curls.
I was so far gone for her that it physically hurt.
“Came to see your mom. She told me to take you home.”
She scoffed, looking down at me with an arched brow. “Did she now?”
“She did, and I know when to listen to what I’ve been told, so let’s go.”
I stood and held a hand out for her, which she didn’t take, but I wasn’t expecting her to. Charlotte was right, Claire was the most independent woman I’d ever met.
But when we walked down the hall together, and she laced her fingers with mine without any kind of prompting, I felt like I’d won something.
“Did you see theWhispers?” she asked once we were in the elevator, breaking the silence.
I ran a hand over my mouth, chuckling. “Anna woke me up with it and demanded to know every detail.”
Silence, and then she said, “What did you say?” Her voice had shifted, going from tired to husky. I wondered if she wasthinking about our kiss like I was. The air slowly grew thicker, every breath harder than the last. Having her so close in this tiny space with her hand in mine was one hell of a potent drug.
“I told her we kissed, and she asked me how it was.”
She looked up at me then, eyes heated. “And?”
I turned, facing Claire fully. “I told her the truth.”
She shifted towards me. Wetted her lips. My dick was so hard I could barely think. “And what’s the truth?”
I shouldn’t be encouraging this right now with what she was going through, but God, when she looked at me like I was all she’d ever need, I couldn’t resist. I took our joined hands and pulled them behind my back, making her step closer, her chest brushing mine with every breath.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinkin’ about you. I’m tempted to press the emergency stop button and take my sweet time with you. As much as I loved the way you gasped my name, I wanna hear you scream it. I wanna make you feel things you’ve never felt before. And that kiss was the best goddamn kiss I’ve ever had in my life. That’s the truth.”
The air simmered to the point of combustion. Time was suspended as she stared into my eyes, my soul, as if she were deciding whether to see if I meant it about the emergency button or not. She wouldn’t have to tell me twice; if she wanted it, I’d give her everything I had right up against that fucking wall.
The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open, but we didn’t move. Locked in this trance of unspoken feelings and want.
Someone cleared their throat, and only when Claire moved did I. My hand lingered on the small of her back as we walked through the lobby. And when we made it outside, she let out a long breath. “You really have a way with words, don’t you?”
I let out an amused huff. “You’ve got no idea.”
“It’s overwhelming,” she said, quieter.
My stomach dropped. I knew I shouldn’t have gone that far. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said any of that with what’s goin’ on. You said you needed time, and I shouldn’t—fuck, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s the good kind.”
We got in my truck. “These F-450s are nice,” she said, looking around. Then she smirked, her cheeks a little pink. “But I prefer a F-250 myself.”
A laugh tore out of me, and I shook my head, pulling out of the parking spot. “You’re trouble.”
She just hummed, pleased with herself. We rode in silence for a while as we made our way out of town towards our ranches. I wasn’t really sure what to say, what was off limits or not. I didn’t want to push her too hard or scare her off. I’d already spilled my guts in the elevator, so I imagined bearing my heart and soul to her would be a little too much.
“Beau.”
“Yeah?”
“I can hear you thinking.”
I sucked my teeth and tapped my fingers on the dashboard behind the wheel. “You’re awfully perceptive.”
