Her eyes crinkled from the smile hidden behind her hands. “I have no words.”
He smiled.
“This is the wildest night of my life.” The crinkles lessened. “I’ve never done anything like this. Ever. Just in case you thought this was a normal Friday night for me.”
He took her hand in his. “Me neither.”
“I mean, I don’t even know your last name or anything about you. Except you’re a photographer.” She swallowed. “And you’re an incredible kisser. And...even better at this.” Her smile was back.
He chuckled. “Well.” It was nice to hear.
“Did I embarrass you?”
“No. Flattered.” He squeezed her hand. “I think it’s safe to say you turned my carefully planned trip into something entirely unexpected.”
“And that’s a good thing?”
He nodded, swallowing back the tightness in his throat. He’d almost accepted he’d never feel anything that wasn’t tinged with sadness. But now... Maybe there was hope. Eventually. “A very good thing.” He stared down at her, memorizing her smile. She had the sort of smile that was contagious. A person would be broken not to smile back. He’d thought he was broken, but here he was, grinning like a fool.
“You’re very tall.”
“Where did that come from?” he asked.
“I’m tall. A lot of men would say too tall.” Her eyes sparkled. “It was nice to reach up to kiss you is all.”
Which seemed like a natural place to kiss her. A soft kiss, light, teasing—and the brush of his nose against hers. “You keep on throwing me curve balls.”
“I’ve been told I’m a little too...forthright.” She shrugged. “You grow up in a household as crowded and noisy as mine was, you learn to cut to the chase.”
?
?I appreciate it. People talk too much, for the most part.”
“Well, I’ve been accused of that, too.” Her smile grew. “Not that there’s been much talking tonight.”
He grinned.
“Can you ride a horse?” She pointed at his favorite hat hanging on the headboard. “You have the hat and the boots, but there are plenty of people that come through Stonewall Crossing to play country for a while.”
He laughed.
“What?”
She had no idea how charming she was. Even more so considering she was naked and in his bed. “Nothing,” he said, leaning down to kiss her again.
He liked the way her hands slid up his chest. Liked the way her fingers gripped his shoulders when his tongue slid between her lips. He liked pretty much everything about her. And loving her body... She had the sort of body a man could spend hours exploring. Thankfully, they still had what promised to be a long and sleepless night ahead of them.
“I’m glad your truck had a flat tire,” she said between kisses.
He broke away from her, running his fingers through her long blond hair. “And I’m damn lucky you decided to sit on the porch, not waiting for me, to have your hot chocolate.”
“You are,” she said, pressing a kiss against his neck. “Damn lucky, I mean.”
Her lips fastened to his neck and any hopes of a verbal response were gone. Every nerve was on fire for her again. She was right, he was damn lucky.
Chapter 3
Ash dismounted from the gray sorrel he’d ridden across the sprawling acres of Boone Ranch and led the horse into the barn.