Sky watched them head toward the stable, her brain stalling out while a thrumming sensation built deep in her core, seizing her insides, making her immediately hot and bothered. So much so, her fists actually balled at her sides and her inner muscles squeezed tight as a dull throbbing radiated in her pussy.
So not the reaction she’d anticipated having to Reese’s fiancé’s brother.
Not until the two stallions had disappeared into the enormous building did she turn to Reese and demand, “Good Lord, why didn’t you warn me?”
“I thought I did.”
“No, you did not. ‘Sexiest damn thing’ means nothing to me unless you put some context around it. Like tall, dark and hunky as hell. All that bronze skin and muscle. And the boots and hat…” She sucked in a breath, an inescapable sense of awareness jolting her. “Well, that’s just icing on the cowboy cake.”
Reese grinned. “They’re green.”
“What are green?”
“Sam’s eyes. As beautiful and sparkly as cut emeralds. Set against that tan of his, they’re absolutely brilliant. And his hair is as dark as midnight.”
“You’re killin’ me, Reese. Seriously. What sort of friend are you, anyway?”
Reese flashed a Cheshire Cat grin. “Do I even have to show you the inn? ’Cause jackpot signs have replaced your pupils, sugar.”
Sky scoffed, though there wasn’t much punch behind it as her body still felt the zings like nothing she’d ever known before. “Do not make any assumptions. It is perfectly natural for a woman’s tongue to drag on the ground when she spies a man built like that. But again… Not. Interested.”
Though her hormones vehemently protested that statement.
“Sure, sure.” Reese wasn’t buying it, either. She linked their arms together and led the way up the wide steps to the pristine porch that ran the length of the inn.
Sky couldn’t help but spare a glance over her shoulder toward the stable. Despite what she’d said to Reese, the stud in the Stetson got her juices flowing. Quite the surprise, considering she’d sworn off men some time ago.
Yet there’d been an intriguing air about the cowboy that she’d seemed to breathe in when he’d moseyed on by. He’d been all cool and casual like. But had conversely incited hot flashes inside her.
She tried to shake the sensation, though her thoughts lingered on the sexy cowboy as though he were a magnetic force she couldn’t defy.
“Just so you know,” Reese told her, finally bringing Sky’s attention back to their conversation. “I was equally resistant when Caleb came to town. Said the same thing you did. Not interested.” She laughed softly and shot a coy look Sky’s way. “Must I reference the skating rink again?”
Sky groaned. “No need to rub it in. I’m sufficiently jealous.”
“Well, it took some doing to get us together. He’s five years younger than me, don’t you know? Liza says that makes me a cougar.”
“She sounds like fun,” Sky said, trying to get her breath back.
“Oh she’s a hoot. I heard the reverend’s wife once called her a disco ball at a wake. At the time, it was meant as a put down. You know how snarky Lydia can be when someone goes against the grain. But it’s actually sort of the truth. Liza’s pretty flashy—in a good way. She’s sure perked up this town since you’ve been gone. We’ll have to get together for dinner one night at Pietro’s.”
Sky’s stomach rumbled at the mere mention of Wilder’s most popular restaurant—her reaction to thoughts of mouthwatering food a welcomed distraction from the tingles that had resulted from the mouthwatering cowboy.
“What I wouldn’t give for a huge bowl of pasta bolognese, Mike Jones style.” Because there was no actual “Pietro” in the small town of Wilder, Texas. Hell, her uncle Mike wasn’t even Italian, but his food kicked ass. Sky craved it from time to time and found even the restaurants in New York couldn’t compare.
“We don’t have any overnight bookings on Wednesday, and my assistant manager will be in to run the dining room. We can take the night off and meet everyone for dinner. We’ll bring Sam.”
And welcome back, tingles.
“Did I mention he’s our age?” Reese chatted on. “From some high-society family in Dallas—daddy owns an oil company, but don’t worry about that. I’ve learned firsthand that you just have to keep your chin up and your wits about you around senior Bennett Senior’s crowd. And, in particular, Caleb’s snooty mother—Sam’s stepmother—Judith.”
“Reese, honey, you make my head spin.”
And just hearing Sam’s name sparked that wicked awareness again. How surreal. A tiny bit encouraging, though. She was actually relieved to feel a physical reaction to a man, after being completely ambivalent for so long. Well, it’d been more than ambivalence she’d experienced, but she didn’t want to think about what had driven her to hide out in Luckenbach and made her so physically unresponsive, she’d lost all touch with her own sexuality.
She’d been tangled in a very dark and scary part of herself for much too long. But today, a
ray of light had penetrated. The thought brought a smile to her face.