Serving Trouble (Second Shot 1)

“Good point, but he’s not here now. He went in early today. So we could pretend. It might be fun.”

“Fun.” He looked at her as if he’s forgotten the meaning of the word. Seeing that look, she knew they both needed a little break from the worrying.

“Noah.” She looked him straight in the eyes. “I’ve been waiting for weeks to kiss you. So get your ass out of the truck and follow me inside.” She opened the passenger door and hopped down.

Please follow me.

She heard a second truck door slam shut as she reached the side of the house, followed by the crunch of gravel beneath his boots.

“Naked kisses?” he demanded when he reached her side.

She nodded and headed for the back door. “I don’t have an old mechanical bull here. Just a twin bed. Can you work with that?”

“Yeah,” he said. But he stopped inside her kitchen.

She turned to face him, dropping her backpack and duffel on the floor. “There’s no one here.” She moved closed and placed her hands on his chest. “Just you and me.”

“I know.” He placed his hands on her hips and looked down at her, his blue eyes staring into hers. “But I still expect your dad or your brother to walk in. It feels wrong. Forbidden. And, sweetheart, that’s not a turn-­on. Not for me.”

Her hope surged. He didn’t want her because she was off-­limits. Kissing her, making love to her on that bull and in his bed had nothing to do with exploring what he couldn’t have. He wanted her. She could feel it in the way his fingers pressed into her hips, holding her close as if he needed to keep her right there.

“I brought the toy Daphne gave me to Germany,” she murmured. “Alone in my hotel room at night, I’d take it out, slip it beneath the sheets and pretend it was your cock.”

“Josie—­”

“But I have a secret.” She rose up on her toes until her cheek touched his. She couldn’t quite reach his ear. “The real thing is so much better.”

“Josie,” he growled, his hands sliding over her ass, moving lower to her thighs. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around him. “Josie, I love your dirty mouth.”

Love. He’d said the word. She was tempted to whisper, What else do you love? Me? But she didn’t want to push, not now, not yet.

He carried her up the stairs and headed straight for her room. Inside, he set her down and offered her a smile that was pure Noah.

“One, two, three,” he began.

Her brow furrowed.

“Go!” he added as he pulled off his shirt.

Understanding dawned and she kicked off her sneakers, glad she’d left her boots in her closet. This time, she wanted to win the let’s-­get-­naked contest. Except he’d already stripped off his pants, shoes, and socks.

When his boxers hit the floor, she paused, her thumbs hooked in her panties.

“Don’t stop there,” he said, walking around her and claiming a seat on her bed. He planted his feet hip-­width apart, his erection ready for action. “I’m ready and waiting for you to climb up here and take me for a ride, cowgirl,” he added. “Show me how you used your toy while you were away.”

She slid her underwear down her legs and stepped out of them. Then she took a detour to her nightstand for a condom. “And what did you do while I was in Germany?”

He grinned and wrapped his hand around his cock, stroking from the base to the tip. She moved between his legs, watching his movements.

“I missed you, Josie.”

She raised her gaze to his face. One look in his blue eyes and she knew he wasn’t talking about wild, naked bull rides and orgasms.

I miss you.

It wasn’t the same as “I love you,” but she’d take it.

For now.