Page 27 of Broncos and Ballads (Healing Springs Ranch #2)

He inched forward until his lips hovered near Venus’s. She hadn’t broken from his gaze yet, and something shifted in her eyes, turning the summer blue to an autumn blue, like the sky overhead. The darker blue held notes of expectation…and maybe even desire.

Did she want to kiss him as much as he did her? Was that why she’d so easily acquiesced to Tia’s request?

Her hands slid up his arms, stopping on his biceps. Her fingers circled his muscles, tightened, and then she tugged him forward.

He closed the gap between their bodies, letting his press to hers, feeling every part of her in a completely new and sensitive way, as if his nerves were heightened and every inch of him raw.

Her lashes fell, and her features tightened, this time with obvious desire.

The sight of it drew upon something deep inside him, so that a soft moan welled up. Part of it filled the air between them, but the rest was stifled as he meshed his mouth to hers, releasing all the emotion he’d been feeling, uncaging everything he’d kept locked away for the past few weeks.

She didn’t hesitate to respond. In fact, there was a hunger in her movements, as if she’d been waiting for his kiss, needed it, and now couldn’t get enough.

He didn’t want to assume she was feeling the same that he was.

She couldn’t be. No one could experience the same depth of emotion that was running through him.

But she was experiencing something. Her kiss was too passionate and eager to be pretend.

The rhythm of their mouths together was like singing in perfect harmony. She was singing the melody, and he was on the third below her, blending together in a way that was rich and beautiful. It was the best music ever created, and he didn’t want the sound of it to end.

“Good!” Tia called.

The voice was off-key, jarring him back to reality.

Venus broke the kiss, then buried her face against his shoulder.

Brock wrapped his arms around her, wishing he could protect her from this public display, wanting their kisses to be private. They may have started their relationship to put on a show for everyone else, but he was done with that.

“Maybe one more.” Tia’s voice rang out. “This one a little slower.”

Brock tossed Tia a grin. “As much as I want to kiss Venus again, I won’t do any more for the cameras.”

Venus didn’t move but seemed to relax against him.

He bent in and pressed a kiss to her head. From the corner of his eye, he could see Ethan snapping more pictures of them. Brock inwardly sighed, then he pulled back from Venus.

“No more pictures today with Venus.” Brock cocked his head in the direction of the house. “But how about I meet you back at the house in a few minutes, and I’ll give you a few more shots of me with my guitar.”

“Sure.” Tia tugged on Ethan’s camera, drawing it down from his face. “That sounds like a workable plan.”

Venus stepped out of his embrace, but he kept his arm around her, and thankfully she didn’t seem to mind.

They stood together on the trail and watched as Tia and Ethan began to hike away.

When the two turned the corner onto the long winding driveway that led to the house, Brock let himself take a deep breath.

She expelled a breath too. “Do you think they suspect we’re pretending?”

He tried not to flinch, but her words punched him hard in the gut.

“In my opinion, we did a superior job with our acting all day.” She smiled up at him. “Maybe when I’m done modeling, I’ll go into acting. What do you think?”

A part of him knew he needed to play along with her, to grin and tease her back. But the other part of him—the part that wanted to finally be honest—pushed to the surface. “Venus, you should know…”

As if sensing the seriousness in what he was about to say, her smile faded.

He had to tell her the truth. “Today, that kiss, this time together—it hasn’t been acting for me.”

Her eyes flashed with something. Was it fear?

He hesitated. What if he said too much too soon and scared her away? He didn’t want that to happen. On the other hand, how could he keep pretending that what he felt for her wasn’t real?

He grasped her hand in his. He had to tell her. If he didn’t now, he would later. So why not now? “The truth is…”

She remained silent, didn’t try to interrupt him or stop him. That was a good sign, wasn’t it?

“The truth is…” he started again. “I haven’t been pretending for a while because I really like you.” Like? What was he saying? His feelings for her were infinitely more than like .

She was searching his face as though trying to make sense of what he was saying.

“Venus.” His voice dropped to a ragged whisper. “I’ve fallen in love with you—”

“No, Brock.” She held out a hand to stop him as she took several steps away. “That wasn’t part of our deal.”

“I know. But it happened, and I can’t keep hiding my feelings from you.”

Her face had grown pale and her body stiff. “We’ve just been having a good time. That’s all.”

A vise of panic closed around his stomach. This wasn’t going well, and he needed to salvage the situation. “Yes, I’ve had a good time with you, but I’d like more—”

She shook her head. “Remember, this is about Reed?”

“Do you still love him?” The question came out more forcefully than he’d intended. But he had to know where she stood with Reed.