Bonnie ran her finger around the rim of the empty cup. It was just a habit, something that she did whenever she was deep in thought. She wasn’t sure when she had picked it up, but it was definitely something she had done for years.
“Do you think I could maybe borrow these clothes for a night?” she asked. “I can wash them and get them back to you tomorrow. I just really don’t want to put my wet clothes back on before I go home.”
“Yes, of course,” he said. “I have a ton of clothes here and I kind of think that outfit looks better on you than me. Why don’t you just keep it?”
She ran her hands down her sides. “Really? It’s so big on me.”
Dylan shrugged. “I think it looks cute on you.” His eyes were warm on her, and she loved the way he looked at her.
A few strands of her hair fell across her face, and she pushed them back over her ear. “Thank you.”
She wasn’t sure what to do. Part of her felt like she should stand up from the table and tell Dylan how much she appreciated the hospitality, before heading back home. It would have been the proper thing to do. The only problem was that she really didn’t want to leave. She wanted to kiss him.
“Let’s go to the living room. There’s a big comfy couch in there that we can relax on for a bit,” Dylan said, noticing her empty teacup. “Let’s let the rainstorm pass at least before you head out.”
“That sounds good.” Bonnie stood up from her chair and took a step back, allowing Dylan to pass by. He smiled at her as he did, and their eyes locked for just a moment.
That look of his, she thought. There’s just something in his eyes that I love so much. It just makes me trust him. Am I crazy, though? Am I crazy to allow myself to start falling for a guy here at the ranch? I mean I don’t even know how long I’ll be here. What if I go home sooner rather than later? What if he breaks my heart? What if, what if, what if...
Bonnie’s mind whirled, but it didn’t stop her body from following Dylan to the living room.
When they got there, he took a seat on the couch. Bonnie sat next to him, taking the opportunity to get close. The cushions pulled her in, and she let out a long, relaxed breath.
“This feels nice,” she said, turning to look at Dylan.
He seemed just as relaxed. He had one arm over the back of the couch and had already kicked his feet up onto the coffee table.
The two of them sat close. Dylan became like a magnet to her body. She just wanted to touch him and to lose herself in him in a way that she didn’t quite understand. She snuggled into his shoulder with his arm draped over her. He was so warm. She felt like purring.
“It’s a good thing you decided to stay,” Dylan said, pointing toward the window across from them. “Looks like the storm is just getting started.”
“Oh, wow.” Bonnie’s jaw dropped as she looked out the window.
Dylan wasn’t kidding. The storm that was brewing in the distance looked much worse than the one they’d just walked through. The clouds were so dark that virtually no sun was passing through them. Even though it was early afternoon, it started to look like late evening outside.
The storm moved quickly, too. She watched as the storm crossed the sky in just a matter of moments. The rain came once again, though this time it was somehow more intense than the first.
“This is insane,” she said, turning to face him.
The only light in the room was that which came from the window, and since the sun was covered up, that didn’t really amount to much. Still, it was enough to illuminate Dylan’s gorgeous face. His dark hair was pushed over to the side, and there was stubble on his cheeks.
They gazed at each other for just a moment. Then Bonnie heard an electric-sounding crackle outside. Before she could even turn to look, a lightning bolt hit a nearby tree. It sent a shock wave of energy toward them, and she screamed in surprise.
Without even thinking about it, she jumped toward Dylan, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck. Within a split second, she had brought her knees toward her chest and managed to get herself into a position where she was now curled up in his lap. Her eyes were wide with fright when she glanced up to Dylan.
“Wow,” she said, her hands trembling. “That was close.”
Dylan wrapped his arm around her, holding her against him. She could feel her own heart beating quickly in her chest. She didn’t know if the adrenaline that was pumping through her veins was caused by the nearby lightning strike or by the fact that she was now sitting on Dylan’s lap.
“Sorry,” she said. “That scared me.”
“Don’t be sorry,” he replied. “I’ll be honest. It made me jump a little bit, too. That was about as close as it gets. I’m pretty sure it hit the tree right outside of the trailer.”
Attraction crackled in the air between them. It was more powerful than the lightning outside.
She knew what she wanted right then. It wasn’t just to kiss Dylan. She wanted to lower her walls down for someone. For the first time since her brother got in trouble, Bonnie felt like she had someone she could turn to. That alone caused the magnetic pull to increase in intensity.
“Kiss me,” she said, but her words were so quiet that she didn’t know if any actual sound came out at all. It didn’t matter, though. Even if she’d only said it in her mind, Dylan still got the hint.