Page 20 of Still A Cowboy
“Try wiggling it now,” he said, forcing his voice to stay level.
Willa gave a little tug, but the toe didn’t budge.
“Hang on,” Cal said. He poured a little more, rubbing it in, working slowly, his thumb sliding over her skin.
His heart was beating faster than it should, and his breathing had kicked up. And that brainless part of him behind the zipper of his jeans? Well, that part thought this was the best situation ever.
It wasn’t.
It was hard enough to resist Willa when she was clothed and surly, but the challenge skyrocketed with her damp and naked.
“Okay,” he said. “Try again.”
She gave another tug, and this time her toe popped free with a slick little snap. She gasped and pulled her foot back as if she thought the faucet might grab her again.
Cal grinned. “Rescued you. No cutting pipes,no emergency calls. Pretty smooth if I say so myself.”
Willa huffed out a laugh, her cheeks pink. “Yeah. Real smooth.”
His hand lingered just a second too long on her foot before he caught himself and let go. “You’re free.”
“Thanks,” she said, her voice soft but a little shaky.
Cal straightened, but the heat he felt wasn’t going anywhere. Not even close. He stood and cleared his throat. “I’ll, uh, give you some space.”
He stepped out into the living room and pulled the door mostly closed behind him. The scent ofMidnight Temptationfollowed him, sweet and warm, clinging to his skin like the whole situation wasn’t already burned into his memory.
He moved to her window, needing something else to look at, something that didn’t involve Willa, bare skin, and the way his hand had felt on her foot.
Across the street, the fancy rental house was lit up again.
Cal narrowed his eyes. The couple was back. The man wore a sleek black cape and a gold mask this time. The woman was dressed like some kind of fairy-tale villain—tight red dress, dramatic headpiece, tall boots. He studied them and decided this wasn’t Mason and Fia. Nope. And he was more than relieved about that.
He watched as she backed the man towardthe window, her hand slipping into his pants without hesitation. Yeah, things were already in full swing. He jerked his gaze away and scrubbed a hand over his face.
“Okay. Good for them,” he muttered to himself, focusing hard on the floorboards instead.
His pulse was still hammering from the scene in the bathroom, andMidnight Temptationwas still in the air, lingering as if it did indeed have someone’s love life to spice up.
This town really did not know how to give a man a break.
Willa came into the living room a minute later, her wet hair pulled into a quick, messy bun. She wore a pair of well-worn sleep jogger pants with a hole in the knee and a faded T-shirt with a grumpy cartoon cat across the front. Somehow, the hole in her pants and the cat on her shirt made her even more tempting.
“Thanks,” she said, her voice a little rough. “For the rescue. I really thought I was going to wait for Fia or my mom to show up. You saved me from a lifetime of teasing.”
Cal stayed by the window, giving her a small grin. “Anytime.”
She walked over to stand beside him and glanced out the window. Her gaze landed right on the couple in the rental house. The woman’s hand was still confidently down the man’s pants, their masks glinting in the light.
Willa snapped back like she’d touchedsomething hot. “Oh wow, okay. That’s… happening.”
Cal bit back a laugh. “Yeah. Seems like it.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, clearly flustered. “Right. Well. Thanks again. Really. I promise I won’t test any more old movies.”
Their eyes met. Neither of them moved away.
The heat that had been simmering between them all along hit like a match to dry kindling.
