“It’s the hair,” I say.
He chuckles. “That long hair? Really? Man, I couldn’t do it. But then, a lot of you ladies do it. Isn’t it a pain in the ass?”
I laugh then. “Yeah, it can be. That’s why mine is out of my face most of the time. Part of ranching too.”
“My sisters both wear their hair long. Not an issue for Diana, since she doesn’t do much ranch work, but Bree’s out in the orchards with Dad all the time when she’s home.”
“She wears it up. It’s not an issue.”
“It’d be easier to cut it off.”
“I’ve thought about it,” I say truthfully. “What do you think? Should I cut it off? Wear one of those short styles?”
His eyes widen then, and he looks almost frightened. “God, no. You should never cut your hair.”
“Then why’d you bring it up?”
“Because of your comment about Dale. I don’t get the appeal of long hair on men. But he refuses to cut it. It’s not like any of the rest of the guys in our family wear it like that. Henry and Brad wear theirs a little longer than most, but not down past the shoulders like Dale does.”
“It’s sexy,” I say. “I’m not sure why, but it is.”
“Your brother wears his long.”
“Oooh! That’s not what I mean. My brother is not sexy. He’s my brother. Besides, he’s a rocker. That’s how rockers wear their hair.”
“Not all rockers.”
“But a lot.”
He takes another drink.
Yeah, sexy convo we’re having. Talking about his brother’s hair. God, Callie. Get a grip.
Silence reigns for a few awkward moments, until—
“You want to go to dinner tomorrow?” he asks.
“Isn’t tomorrow evening the big welcome home bash?”
He blushes. Donovan Steel, Esquire, actually blushes! And man, it makes him even handsomer.
“Right,” he says.
“How quickly you forget.”
He meets my gaze then, and I feel like those gorgeous hazel eyes are penetrating my soul.
“Easy to forget when I’m sitting across from the most beautiful woman in Colorado.”
Chapter Eleven
Donny
Callie’s cheeks are an amazing shade of pink. Like the petals of a dusty rose. God, who talks like that? Since when do I wax poetic?
Again I remember the red-gold poppy I saw once at a benefit in Denver. So close to the color of her eyes.
She says nothing.
“The night after, then?” I prod.
That gorgeous blush? It’s extending down her neck to the tops of her breasts, which are visible due to the V-neck T-shirt she’s wearing. It’s black, with an imprint of a dragon and Jesse’s band’s name, Dragonlock, embroidered in bright red.
She takes a sip of Diet Coke, trying to pull off coy, but her blush gives her away. “Sure. That’d be fun.”
“Awesome. It’s a date, then.” I polish off the rest of my soda. “You want another?”
“No. I’m good. Thanks.”
I pull my wallet out of my pocket and leave a few tens on the table for Laney. “Ready?”
“Sure.”
She stands, and I get a great look at her body. The T-shirt is formfitting, and her skinny jeans adhere to that marvelous ass. She may not have the breast size of her sisters, but that ass… She’s got them both beat on the posterior. I’d like to slide my tongue between those cheeks and give her the rimming of a lifetime.
I drop my gaze lower. She’s tall and lean-legged, and I imagine those shapely gams wrapped around my neck as I pound into her.
Fuck. My groin tightens.
She walks toward the exit, and I follow. I feel like a high school kid about to make out with my girlfriend in the car. Crazy shit.
I’m definitely getting the vibe from her. She may talk a good game, but I’ve seen her body react. That blush… Those swollen breasts… She’s turned on.
And so am I.
I follow her out the door of the bar, and my other head takes over.
In an instant, I push her back against the brick of the building, and I crush my lips to hers.
She gasps softly and then parts her lips, letting me in.
She tastes sweet—a mixture of hops and diet soda—and I sweep into her mouth, finding her tongue and tangling it with my own.
Callie Pike knows how to kiss, and it’s refreshing. So many women are passive kissers, but not this one. She invades my mouth as I invade hers. I go deeper, and she goes deeper, until our tongues are engaged in a duel for control.
Fuck, she’s hot.
My cock is already hard, and I push it against her belly. A groan vibrates from her throat and through my clothes, taking over my body. Just one little groan from her, and I’m on fire.
I’m ready. I could fuck her right now up against the outside wall of Murphy’s Bar.
Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had sex in a public place.
But Callie Pike deserves better.
I brace myself to break the kiss, when she grabs my ass and pulls me closer into her.