Page 49 of Owned By The Cowboy

“Yeah?”

“Tonight was amazing. All of it.”

“It was, handsome.”

And then he’s gone, swinging back out through my window and disappearing into the night like some kind of cowboy superhero.

I lie in bed for a long time after he leaves, staring at the ceiling and trying to process what just happened. Not just the sex, which was incredible, but everything else. The way he looked at Annalise during the dance. The way it felt to have him here, in my space, in my bed. The way he answered when I asked about pretending this was casual.

I’m falling for him. Hard. And the scary part is, I think he’s falling too.

* * *

I wake up at six-thirty to the sound of someone moving aroundin the kitchen. For a split second, my heart jumps because I think maybe Blayne stayed, but then reality kicks in. He left. I watched him climb back out my window.

I throw on a robe and pad down the hallway, expecting to find Jaylen raiding the fridge or Annalise making herself cereal. Instead, I find Nia sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a knowing smirk on her face.

“Morning, Mama.”

“Morning, baby. You’re up early.”

“Couldn’t sleep. Interesting night?”

Something in her tone makes me look at her more carefully. She’s got that expression she gets when she knows something she’s not supposed to.

“It was fine. Why?”

“No reason. Just wondering if you enjoyed your… evening stroll.”

“My what?”

“Your walk. Around two AM. I heard you in your room.”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

“I couldn’t sleep either,” I say, trying to keep my voice casual. “Went to check the locks.”

“Uh-huh.”

Double shit.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Mama.” She gives me a look that’s way too mature for fourteen. “I’m not stupid. And my room faces the front yard.”

I stare at my daughter, trying to figure out how to handle this. She clearly saw Blayne’s truck, which means she knows he was here. But how much does she actually know?

“Nia…”

“Relax. I’m not going to tell Jaylen and Annalise. They’re oblivious anyway.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means they think Blayne’s just being nice. Taking Annalise to the dance, helping around the house. They don’t see what’s happening.”

“Which is?”

“That he looks at you like you hung the moon. And that you look at him like you want to climb him like a tree.”