Page 32 of Still A Cowboy
“Yeah,” he verified.
His mind flicked back to the string of texts Eden had sent after that. She wasn’t exactly thrilled about his change of plans. She’d asked toreschedule. Twice. But he had put her off.
Sure, work had kept him busy. His office manager, Darlene, had sent over more updates and he’d had to settle a couple of things with the team back in Dallas. But the truth was, he hadn’t followed up with Eden because he hadn’t wanted to.
He had been thinking about Willa. Only Willa.
“I haven’t talked to Eden since Halloween,” he repeated.
Willa’s eyes narrowed. “Then why the heck would Eden say you were working things out?”
She stopped mid-sentence, her mouth snapping shut as the realization hit her. Anger flared fast in her eyes, sharp and bright.
Cal gave a slow nod. “Yeah. She’s trying to rattle you.”
Willa cursed, turning on her heel and pacing again, her hands flailing just enough to show how much this was crawling under her skin.
Cal’s gaze drifted, catching a flash of color on her jeans. He squinted. There were two sparkly turkey stickers stuck to the back pocket.
He bit back a grin.
As she turned again, he spotted another one tangled in her hair, glittering like a tiny, ridiculous badge of the day’s chaos.
He reached out and gently plucked it free. “You’re shedding Thanksgiving,” he said, holding up the sticker between his fingers.
Willa paused, her breath still heavy from pacing. “I can’t believe Eden’s trying to gaslight me over this.”
Cal’s mouth pulled into a smile, slow and sure. “Yeah, I hate that she’s pulling this nonsense.” He tossed the sticker onto the table and met her gaze. “But I’m glad you’re here.”
Their eyes locked, heat rising fast between them, that sharp zing he hadn’t been able to shake since the first time they nearly kissed. His hands itched to pull her in, to erase the distance that still sat stubbornly between them.
But her phone buzzed in her hand.
Willa looked down, her expression tightening as she read the message. “It’s Fia. She wants to know who posted that video.”
Cal’s stomach dropped a little, the pulse of the moment fading as the weight of the mystery came crashing back in.
Right. The video. The why. The who. And whatever the hell came next.
Cal walked to the window, drawn to it like maybe the answers were sitting right there on the other side of the glass. He pulled the curtain back and looked out.
Willa came up beside him, her shoulder brushing his as she peeked through the window too.
The curtain across the street at Driftwood Manor was still wide open, but the room looked empty. No sign of any masked role players oranyone else. But the camera was still there. Sitting like it had never been moved.
Willa jumped back, her body tensing as she ducked out of view. “You think it’s still recording?”
Cal kept his eyes on the window. “Could be.”
A grin pulled at the corner of his mouth. Part of him wanted to give whoever was behind that camera a real show. He wanted to drag Willa into his arms and kiss her like he meant it. Like he wasn’t the least bit sorry they had been caught the first time.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason he fantasized about doing something like that. Hell, it wasn’t even the main reason.
The truth was, he just wanted to kiss her.
And if he was being honest, he wanted more than that. A whole lot more. He wanted her in his bed. Or hers. Location was optional.
His pulse kicked up as his eyes slid to her again, her breath still just a little uneven from the conversation, her cheeks still pink from the heat between them.
