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They came to a red light, so he turned to face her. “Dead end?”

“I’m not going to remain in Colorado, so why start something when it’ll only end in heartbreak and awkwardness? We’re family … sort of. Though, not in a banjo playing, move-to-the-deep-south kind of way. But we don’t want to make this awkward for Asher or Triss.”

He nodded and pressed his lips together. She was still convinced there was no life for her here. That she couldn’t find happiness on the ranch, or with him.

He needed to do a better job of convincing her otherwise.

“One date,” he said. “Let me take you on one date and show you it doesn’t have to be a dead end. It could be a roundabout.”

She lifted a brow.

“Or a … an intersection? A four-way stop? An on-ramp? And off-ramp? A yield? Oh, I got it,” he snapped his fingers and grinned, “a merge.” His brows bobbed salaciously.

“Stop,” she said with a giggle. “No, wait, GO! The light is green.” And as if on cue, the vehicle behind him honked.

He gunned it. But his feathers weren’t ruffled at all and he settled into the drive. “One date, Minx.”

“I thought we had to go set up the cabins?”

“We do. We’ll go on a date after that.”

“I don’t know if this is a good idea. I know it will be great when it’s happening, and that I’ll enjoy myself. But what about after?

“What do you mean, what about after? After the date? After the date, I’ll make you breakfast in bed, then have you sit on my face so I can have my breakfast.”

The flood of pink to her cheeks made his dick twitch.

She was fighting a smile which only made his smile grow.

“One date, Mieka. And we don’t have to have sex. Just let me… let me woo you.”

“Woo me?”

“Yeah. Let me woo you. Court you. Do things properly. Because we certainly didn’t do it properly the first time. I mean, yeah peg A went into hole A, or I guess it was peg D went into hole V, but we don’t even remember doing it, so … I don’t consider us doing it properly.”

“Peg D? You’re really not selling me on any of it by calling your junk a peg.”

“Pegs can be big. It’s not a clothes peg. Pegs for construction can be big. Like timber frame pegs and stuff.”

Her mouth twisted. “Me thinks the gentleman doth protest too much.”

“This peg got you off in the end.”

“I think it was the finger,” she teased.

“Ah, yes, the finger.” He wiggled the finger he’d pushed into her ass. “It really is magical.”

Her eyes rolled, but she was still smiling.

“One date, Minx. Let me take you out, show you that this is in no way a dead-end, or a road destined to end in heartbreak.”

Chapter Twelve

Nate had given her a lot to think about on their drive, and no matter how much Mieka tried not to, her eyes kept drifting to his finger. Yeah, that finger as it gripped the steering wheel. Then, when she’d realize she was staring at his hands—particularly that finger—she’d move her gaze elsewhere, and of course, her eyes drifted down to the front of his jeans where a big peg apparently lived.

Damnit, she was in a dry spell. Like a major dry spell. Her stubborn cat was starting to pace and meow and demand attention. Not to mention those horny hornets in her belly that buzzed every time Nate smiled at her, or she imagined those big hands of his holding onto her hips as he plowed into her from behind over a hay bale.

Even though she’d been sleeping with that bartender back on the ship, it’d been over a month since they’d done anything, mostly because their shifts didn’t align. And when they did do things, he’d been mediocre at best. The man had no tongue skills, and zero stamina. Most of the time, Mieka had to get herself off after he came.