Page 17 of Broncos and Ballads (Healing Springs Ranch #2)

The tension in her shoulders seemed to ease. “I’m going to take credit for your new burst of inspiration.”

“Is that right?”

“Yes. In fact, I deserve a cut of profit from your next hit.”

“I’ll be sure to send you a check.”

“Good.” The lines in her face had smoothed out, the frustration now gone.

He reached up and caressed her cheek.

She stopped breathing.

“Listen, darlin’.” He wasn’t sure why he’d touched her cheek. He dropped his hand away and took a step back. “I’m trying not to focus on how you look, because there’s so much more to you than your beauty.”

She was watching him intently.

“But if I want to admire how pretty you are once in a while, can you let me do it without getting mad?”

“Maybe.” She tilted her head and seemed to be trying to see deep inside him.

He was usually open and honest about most things.

Of course, he’d had to hide the truth about this fake relationship with Venus from everyone.

But sometimes—like over the past night—their relationship didn’t feel so fake anymore.

It felt real, his attraction felt genuine, and he didn’t feel like he was pretending. Like now.

“Will you let me admire how good-looking you are, then, too?” Her voice took on a teasing quality that he liked.

“Darlin’, you can admire me all you want. I won’t object.”

She laughed lightly. “It is hard to stop admiring you, but I’ll force myself.”

He expelled a full breath. At the same time, he caught sight of Ella Mae waving at him more urgently. “Hate to put an end to all your admiring, but Ella Mae’s about to come over and drag us to the car if we don’t hurry on up.”

He rode with Venus to the airport. At the drop-off area, he helped her out and didn’t let go of her hand. Instead, he tugged her into a hug.

“I don’t see any paparazzi or reporters,” she whispered against his neck as she slid her arms around him. There were other passengers being dropped off, but no one seemed to be paying them any attention at the predawn hour. “I think we’re okay if we don’t kiss goodbye.”

He hadn’t expected a kiss, but now that she’d mentioned one, the desire to taste her lips rose up swiftly, and the memories from their kiss in Paris came rushing back. “Maybe we should kiss…just in case.” He made sure to infuse enough teasing into his tone that she wouldn’t take him seriously.

She pushed against him playfully. “What? Do you need more inspiration?”

“Yep, and a kiss would help a whole lot.”

She was smiling up at him, her eyes alight with happiness.

Was it possible that he was the cause of her happiness?

That he was the one putting that light in her eyes?

Either way, whether he was or not, he wanted to be the one to make her happy, to make her smile and laugh, to make her look up at him with radiant eyes.

He wanted to go on doing it for the rest of his life, and he couldn’t imagine anything else that would ever matter as much.

A quick and sharp pressure clamped his chest, snagging his breath. What was going on with him? Why was he thinking like this about Venus? His feelings were too intense and were pumping through him too fast, too furiously.

Fast. Furious. Just like in the McQuaid legacy of love that happened to McQuaid men when they found the woman they were passionate about.

That couldn’t be happening to him. Not with Venus. Not when she was in love with and wanted to marry another man.

Brock took a rapid step back, the vise around his chest rising and threatening to strangle him.

Her smile faltered. “Is everything okay?”

He forced a quick smile and cleared his throat, trying to dislodge the tightness in his throat. “Everything’s fine. Sad to see you leaving, that’s all.”

It wasn’t all. But he’d already said enough at the park about how she was becoming the inspiration for his songs. He couldn’t say anything else. Besides, it wasn’t true that he was falling for Venus with the same passion other McQuaid men had fallen for their women. He wouldn’t let it be true.

He certainly wouldn’t tell her. It would scare her away forever, and he wasn’t ready for that to happen.

She glanced down at her phone. “I suppose we could exchange phone numbers.”

“Probably a good idea. Since we’re practically engaged and all.”

She took his phone and typed in her contact information, then handed it back to him. “Send me a message.”

He typed in a few short words and hit Send.

She didn’t read the message and instead took hold of the handle of her suitcase, which their driver had placed beside her.

She twisted it and seemed to be stalling, almost as if she wanted to say something more.

Then she smiled at him again, but this time it wasn’t genuine.

He wasn’t sure how he could tell, he just could.

“I hope your last concerts go well.”

He couldn’t let her leave without making her smile again for real. “They won’t go as well as last night’s concert, but without you here, darlin’, what do you expect?”

Her eyes lit up again.

He breathed out a tight breath he hadn’t known he was holding.

She turned and began to walk away, rolling her suitcase alongside her. She cast him a final glance. “I’ll be expecting to hear the new song from the park when I see you next.”

“Is that right?”

“No excuses.”

He chuckled.

A moment later, she crossed through the sliding glass doors.

She was elegant and graceful with just a hint of seduction to her sway.

He wanted her to turn back around and give him one last smile.

But she kept going and disappeared around a corner.

Even then, he waited, hoping for one last look at her.

At the honk of a car in the drop-off lane, he tore his gaze away.

Only then did he realize how hard his heart was pounding and how tense his muscles were.

With need for her, a need that he hadn’t realized had been building inside him but that now couldn’t be contained.

He didn’t want to drive away from her, didn’t want to be apart from her for even a minute.

In fact, his body keened with such longing to be with her that he was tempted to chase after her and pull her into another hug and this time kiss her. The desire swirled with a strength that left him breathless again.

He’d never felt this way about any woman, as if he’d be empty and useless and nothing else in his life had mattered until he’d met her.

He took a step toward the door, then stopped himself.

No, he couldn’t go after her. What they had wasn’t real. The feelings between them weren’t real. And a future with her wasn’t real.

He couldn’t let himself think that it was.