Stay with Me (Cowboys of Crested Butte 4)

“Mortified. How are you?”

/> “Tired. Really tired. Thinkin’ I should drive us over to Palmer Lake, so we can get some rest.”

“We have a meeting with Ty Rinaldo today, Romeo,” Billy grunted at him.

“What do you need me for?” Jace kissed the back of Bree’s neck. “You can handle it, Patterson. You…” he kissed her neck again, “and Tucker…and Ben…and your dad…and Bullet.” Jace kissed her neck between each name he spoke. “Don’t need me…”

“You’re right,” Billy said with disgust in his voice. “Bree, get him outta here, would ya? Before he corrupts my wife and daughter, and makes me sick to my stomach.”

“Gladly,” she answered and led Jace back downstairs.

“Is there a way out down here, so I don’t have to go back up there and embarrass myself again?”

Jace smiled at her, but didn’t answer.

“You didn’t help matters any, standing there in the kitchen, kissing the back of my neck.”

Still he didn’t answer but instead put his lips on her neck, just below the curve of her chin.

“Jace,” she sighed. “You need to stop this.”

“Your words say I should,” he went back to kissing her. “But your body and the tone of your voice are tellin’ me somethin’ else altogether, darlin’.”

She put her arms around his shoulders, and thought about pushing him back down on the bed. Wait. What was she doing?

“Take me home,” she whispered instead.

Jace wasn’t showing any sign of stopping, so she pushed away from him.

“Okay, okay. You wanna pick your car up first?” He asked the question but was unbuttoning the top buttons of her shirt rather than waiting for her to answer.

“If I say we can leave my car at my sister’s house for now, will you stop what you’re doing and drive me home?”

He looked into her eyes. “As long as you don’t button up that shirt on the ride home, you can probably convince me.”

“What? Are you crazy? I’m not walking outside with my shirt wide open.”

He put his arm around her and swooped her up. “I’ll carry you with your shirt wide open, then.”

“Jace,” she couldn’t help but smile. “Put me down and put your shirt on. And your boots.”

When he put her down and smiled, Bree thought she’d lose her footing. Did he know how disarmingly gorgeous he was? And it wasn’t just when he smiled.

They’d been back at Bree’s for a couple of hours at least, and must’ve fallen asleep. Jace tried to ignore his ringing phone, but whoever it was called over and over again, until he finally picked it up.

“Yeah?”

“You and me are havin’ dinner with the Rinaldos tonight. I’m bringin’ Renie. You bring Bree.”

“I’ll ask her—”

“Don’t ask her, bring her.”

Jace hung up, shaking his head.

“What was that about?”

“We’re invited to have dinner with Ty Rinaldo and his wife tonight.”