Page 48 of Texas Kissing

I went to take a step towards her, but held myself back at the last second. “Okay,” I said.

“And my business...I know you don’t like it, but I’m going to keep doing it.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Girl, I don’t want you getting hurt. I care about you too damn much.”

She bit her lip when she heard that, but stared back at me determinedly.

I sighed. “At least let me know what’s going on, so I can look out for you?”

She considered. “Okay,” she said at last.

Thirty seconds was long since up. I moved in to kiss her.

“One more thing. How’s your health?” she said, dodging.

I grabbed her upper arms to hold her still. “I got an old muscle tear in my shoulder from wrestling a steer.”

“I mean…” Her eyes looked in every damn direction except at me. “Is it safe for us to...without a….”

I suddenly got it. “Oh!”

She blushed, which looked so damn cute I had to will myself to hold back. “I just mean—You obviously...youknowa lot of the local girls.Very well.And regularly. And you prefer to...you know.Go bareback.And—”

“My health is just fine. But what makes you think I do that with the other girls?”

That seemed to throw her completely. “Don’t you?”

I shook my head and just told her the truth. “Lily, when I saw you, I had to have you. Completely. That’s something that’s for you. You’re not like the other girls. That was just fucking.”

She closed the gap between us.

“Are we done talking?” I asked.

“Shut up,” she muttered, grabbed the front of my t-shirt and pulled me down to her. My lips met hers. I closed my eyes and just went for it, me all sweat and stubble, her all sweet, perfumed softness. I devoured her, eating her up like a goddamn candy bar, my hands stroking her cheeks and winding into her long, silky hair. I was so hungry for her, I couldn’t stay still. I started twisting her around as we kissed, moving in slow circles across the barn as if we were slow-dancing.

When we finally came up for air, I muttered without thinking, “Damn you, Lily, I think I’m falling for you.”

Which, it turned out, was the wrong thing to say. Because suddenly, she pushed me away and staggered back, her mouth open in shock.

40

Lily

Falling for me?Oh God. That was too much...waytoo much. My carefully constructed plan to control the relationship had just veered off of a cliff.

“Lily?” he asked. “What the hell?!”

I stumbled backwards towards the door. “Falling for me?”I croaked. “You can’t fall for me!” It was exactly what I’d wanted to hear...and it was terrifying. I didn’tdeservesomeone like Bull falling for me.

“I can’t—” I shook my head. “This was a bad idea.”

I turned back towards the door and put my hand out to grab the handle—

There was the sensation of something falling around me, then a high-pitched whine and a snap. My legs shot out from under me and I landed, face-down, in the hay.

I lay there stunned for a second and then rolled over onto my back. I went to get up and discovered I couldn’t...because my ankles were roped together.

He’d just lassoed me!