Page 80 of Ride Me Cowboy

Sound advice. “Thanks, Mack.”

“I’ll get the footage to you after breakfast tomorrow.”

She grabs my empty bowl and makes to the door. I watch as she leaves, still frowning, wondering about Cole, his mom, his sister, and wishing I wasn’t as involved as I already am.

Cole

“You hiding out in here?”

Beth spins her chair to face me, and my mouth goes dry at the sight of her. It’s been a long day. A long day of missing her, wishing we hadn’t fought this morning, wishing Mack hadn’t walked in on us.

“No,” she says, her eyes flicking to mine then darting away, a tight smile on her lips. “And yes.”

“Yeah?” It’s the last thing I wanna hear. I walk over and move to stand between her legs. “Why’s that, City Girl?”

I put a hand on her cheek, and she closes her eyes, leans into me. That feels darn good. I guess I’d been expecting she might pull away. Might be holding onto whatever had driven her out of the kitchen this morning.

“I just wasn’t sure I could face Mackenzie and act like everything was normal,” she admits, cheeks flushing as she flicks a gaze up at me.

“Yeah?” I brush a thumb over her cheek. “That’s all?”

Her eyes are huge on my face and as we stare at each other, this huge chasm opens up right in the center of me, like a bottomless pit of something. I back away from it real fast, dropping my hand to my side.

“I don’t want to fight with you.”

My gut tightens. I crouch down, resting my palms on her thighs, something deathly important wrapping around me, something I know I need to get out. Need to say, and have her hear. “We can fight ‘til the cows come home, darlin’, I ain’t never gonna hit you. I ain’t never gonna hurt you.”

Her eyes sparkle with unshed tears and her lips part on a soft rush of breath. I kneel up, bringing my face close to hers. “If anything, fighting with you just makes me want to do this,” and I kiss her, like I did this morning, only I’m gentle now, soft and slow, because I just know she needs that. Her hands come around me, pressing against my shirt, but I taste her salty tears.

“I’m sorry,” she says, pulling away, biting into her sweet pink lip. “I’m a mess.”

“We’re all a mess sometimes,” I say. Don’t I know it.

“I wasn’t afraid of you, Cole. That’s not what I meant.”

I run my hands up and down her thighs, comforting her. Feeling her. Feeling everything flood through me. Adrenalin, need, concern.

“It’s funny, Christopher never really got mad, his rage was ice cold. Controlled and contained. I was his way of getting it out.”

Well, fuck me if that doesn’t make my own anger spike.

“I will never hurt you,” I say again, because I just need her to know that. Even when she says she does, it’s so important to say it. Over and over. So she has it like a promise, tight around her heart and soul. She deserves so much better. She should never have wound up with a guy like that.

“That’s not why I didn’t like fighting with you.” She bunches a hand in my shirt, staring at her fingers. “It’s more…I like us being on the same page. I’m sorry if you felt like I went behind your back.”

“You did go behind my back,” I say, watching as her cheeks flush a darker shade of pink. “But I know why you did it. I know you’re trying to help us. And I think your idea’s good, Beth. I appreciate you.”

Her throat shifts as she swallows, surprise evident in her sparkling blue eyes. “Really? You’re not just saying that, because…”

“Because I want to fuck you again?” I grin, loving the way she reacts to me using that word. Her whole face explodes with a hunger that is as visceral as what’s in my own belly.

“Yeah.”

“Nah, I can walk and chew gum at the same time. This is business. The other is pleasure. Best pleasure I’ve ever known, come to think of it.” I wink at her, long and slow. “So whaddaya say, City Girl. You ‘bout done for the night?”

“Your place or mine?” she jokes.

“Neither, the way you scream.” I pull her to standing, and press a quick kiss to her lips. Quick, not because I want it to be, but because if I kiss her how I’ve been craving, I know we won’t make it so far as the pickup.