Tempting Love (Cowboys & Angels 3)

I let out a moan before gazing into her shy expression. “Look at me, dove.”

She did as I asked. Our eyes locked, and I drank every single second of it before leaning down and kissing her. Corina wrapped her arms around my neck. The kiss nearly brought me to my knees. It was soft and filled my body with a warmth I’d never experienced before. This woman was my everything.

When I withdrew my mouth from hers, I rested my forehead against Corina’s.

“I’m sorry it took me so long. I swear to make it up to you every single day.”

Corina let out one of her sweet innocent giggles before crinkling that cute little nose of hers. “That was a nice start.”

Laughing, I kissed her forehead. “Come on, dove. Let’s go eat.”

Music came from the bar as I knocked on the door. Less than thirty seconds later, the door unlocked and I followed Cord in.

“What’s the big emergency, Mitchell?” Cord asked, walking over to the bar. A pile of receipts was laid out on the surface.

“Corina and I are together.”

He stopped and looked at me. A huge smile took over his face. “No shit? It’s about damn time.”

I grinned. “Yeah, well, I was a stubborn asshole.”

“I’ll second that.”

As I turned, I saw Tripp walking from the back offices. “Define together.”

He reached for my hand, and I quickly shook it. “Well, we haven’t slept together and that’s why I’m here. I need advice from both of you and this is one time I don’t want to go to Dad for it.”

They both laughed. Tripp jumped onto the bar and spun his baseball cap around. “You mean you don’t want to ask Dad how long you should wait to sleep with the woman you’re in love with.”

I nearly choked before letting out an awkward laugh. “I’m not in love with Corina. I care about her…a lot. But love? Hell, we only spent one night together and that was almost a year ago. I feel something, but I’m not ready to call it love.”

Tripp and Cord looked at each other. “You don’t have to be having sex with someone to fall in love with them, Mitchell,” Tripp said before taking a drink from a bottle of water.

“Can you let me get used to the fact that I actually want to be with one woman first?”

Cord chuckled. “Yep, you’re in love.”

Rolling my yes, I turned to walk away.

“Okay, okay. Stop. We’ll cool it with the love talk,” Tripp said. “But, Mitchell, I do need to tell you that Corina has already told me she’s in love with you.”

I could feel my cheeks burn as I smiled.

A look of horror moved across Cord’s face. “Jesus, you’ve turned into a fucking pussy! If this is what love does to you, no thank you. I’ll keep my bachelor ways.”

Tripp slapped Cord on the back. “Dude, your life is going to turn upside down when the right woman comes along.”

He huffed. “Well, I’m certainly not going to stand here with a damn Smurf-looking smile on my face.”

“Smurf?” I asked with a chuckle.

“Yeah, you know the little blue people.”

I looked at Tripp, and he shrugged his shoulders.

“I know who they are. Why did you pick Smurfs?” I focused back on Cord.

Cord stared. “I don’t fucking know, dude. They’re happy little creatures who are full of love and all that shit. That’s what you look like with that goofy smile on your face. Like a Smurf.”

I pulled my head back. “I look like a Smurf?”

Tripp laughed harder.

“Fuck you, Mitchell. You know what I mean.”

Laughing, I replied, “I don’t. Should we call Smurfette and ask her? And if I look like a Smurf, does that make you Grumpy Smurf cuz, well, you see where I’m going with this?”

Cord shot daggers at me. “Don’t you have someone to arrest or some shit?”

Placing my hand over my holster, I looked at Cord as seriously as I could. “I don’t know, have you spotted Gargamel and Azrael?”

Tripp fell back on the bar, laughing. I couldn’t help but join in while Cord shot me the finger.

“I hate you both.”

Hitting my brother on the back, I jumped over the bar as I sang, “la, la, lala, la la” and helped myself to a beer.

“First off, it’s Sunday and I’m off,” I said. “I don’t arrest people when I’m off.”

Cord rolled his yes.

“Second, I really do need y’all’s advice. I don’t want to fuck up again with Corina. Last night we stayed up nearly all night talking. She ended up falling asleep on the sofa, and I didn’t have the heart to wake her up so I sat there beside her for the rest of the night sleeping sitting up.”

“Wow,” Tripp said with a slight grin. “Papa Smurf would be proud of you.”

Cord groaned.

I grinned before rubbing the back of my neck. “Yeah, my neck is killing me. I bet I only got an hour of sleep.”