Maybe Sam had been talking about Cash? Then he stepped to the side, and Tessa saw Nick right behind him. Of course, Sam must have been talking about Nick.
It didn’t matter if Sam had been talking about Nick, Cash, or John being a keeper—the two shots of Jack Daniels took her words as encouragement.
“Yep, and I’m going to see for how long.” Tessa pushed up from the table. Sam’s confused voice asking where she was going barely registered as she made her way toward John.
On the way, she passed Nick and Cash, lifting the beer out of Cash’s hand with merely a nod as she headed straight past him to the bar.
Cash’s fingertips tingled when they brushed against Tessa’s. His heart leaped at her touch, but she just kept going, snatching the beer out of his hand and brushing past him to continue on to the bar. Cash turned around and looked, and his heart sank. She was walking toward the smooth dancer from the other night.
“You coming?” Nick, who had gotten a few paces ahead, turned around, a questioning look on his face.
“Yeah.” Cash glanced back at the bar then started forward.
Nick smiled. “Oh, I see. That blonde, right?”
Cash whipped his head around again. “What? Oh, yeah.” Nick must have thought he was checking out the blonde at the bar, not Tessa. And that’s what Cash wanted him to think. It would be a disaster if he let Nick, or anyone else, know his true feelings.
“She’s pretty hot. You should go for it.”
“Maybe later.”
They continued to their table, where Cash purposely took the seat next to Sam and watched Tessa at the bar.
Sam leaned toward him and lowered her voice. “Who’s that guy Tessa is with?”
“I don’t know. Some guy she met here the other night.”
“Yeah, I thought I saw them dancing. I don’t get a good vibe from him.”
“Me, either.” Cash crossed his arms over his chest as he watched. The guy was leaning toward Tessa, his hand on her hip. Their bodies were only about an inch apart.
“He looks like the possessive type,” Sam said.
“Yeah. The flirty type.” The guy had stepped closer, and they were hip to hip now. Cash’s hands wanted to ball into tight fists, so he flexed his fingers while he fought the urge to go over there and rip the two of them apart.
“She might’ve had a little too much to drink. Maybe I should go over there and interrupt her.” Sam slid a sideways look at Cash. “Or maybe that would just add fuel to the fire.”
“You know how she is. You tell her not to do something, and she’s gonna want to do it even more.” Cash hadn’t taken his eyes off them the whole time.
Now the guy’s hand was moving down her backside, cupping her ass. Tessa’s hand floated up to his chest, but it looked like she was trying to push some distance between them.
The guy pulled her closer.
Tessa’s smile turned downward, and she pushed harder.
The guy leaned over, kissing her earlobe.
Cash shot out of his chair and was across the bar in a second. He grabbed the guy by the arm and pulled him away from Tessa. “It looks like the lady doesn’t want you groping her like that.”
Cash was a few inches taller than the guy, and he used it to his advantage, standing close and leaning down in the guy’s face. But the man was cocky. He just smiled, stepped back and slid his eyes over to Tessa. “Really? I think she liked it. What’s it to you, anyway?”
“She’s my friend.” Cash looked at Tessa. Instead of being grateful that he’d saved her from this jerk, she appeared to be furious. She was probably mad that he was interfering, but he didn’t care. He knew the guy was bad news, and he wasn’t going to stand by and let him break Tessa’s heart.
“Did you want this guy groping you?” Cash asked her.
“Well, no but...” The guy put his arm around Tessa’s shoulders and pulled her awkwardly against him. “See, the lady doesn’t mind.”
Tessa pushed away from him. “Hey, wait a minute. Maybe I do.”
Cash had had enough of this guy. He grabbed his collar and pinned him against the bar, ignoring the warning look from the bartender. “Listen, Buddy, the lady does mind, and if I see you touching her like that again, I’m going to make sure that you won’t be groping anyone for a long time.”
He let go of the guy who stumbled back against the bar, and then he grabbed Tessa’s hand and pulled her toward the door. “Come on, we’re going home.”
Tessa’s head spun as Cash pulled her out into the parking lot, his warm hand clasped tightly around hers. They were halfway to his car before her head caught up with what had happened inside the bar. She yanked her hand out of his and stopped short.
“What the hell was that all about?”
He spun around, his blue eyes blazing. “That guy is bad news. I’m not gonna stand by and watch you get into trouble with him.”
“I don’t need a bodyguard!”
“Everyone needs someone to look out for them. All of us do.”
Tessa stood there furious, her blood boiling over, and then she thought about how Cash and Nick had been looking out for Melina. Cash had always been there for her, too. Her demeanor softened. She hoped she wasn’t turning into a high-maintenance friend like Melina. “Yeah, but you practically punched that guy out.”
Why did that turn her on? Maybe she shouldn’t have had that last beer.
Cash continued toward his Jeep, talking over his shoulder to her. “He was spoiling for a fight. Anyway, I think you would’ve been sorry if I hadn’t intervened. He’s not the guy for you.”
Tessa ran after him to catch up, her anger returning. “Who are you to decide who the right guy for me is?”
But she wasn’t really angry at him. She was angry at herself. Even before Cash had intervened, she’d realized John was a jerk. It was obvious he was only after one thing. It figured the one guy she’d picked to finally open up to and trust with her heart was another loser. She wouldn’t make that mistake again.
But right now, Tessa needed someone to take her frustrations out on. She stopped at the passenger door of the Jeep and turned on Cash, jabbing her finger into the hard muscles of his chest. “I don’t need you telling me what to do or who to date!”
Cash leaned one palm against the roof of the Jeep and captured her finger with the other. Leaning close, he whispered, “I think that’s exactly what you need.”
Her heartbeat sped up, but not from anger. Her gaze dropped to his lips. So soft and kissable.
What the heck?
She was acutely aware of how close their bodies were, a mere centimeter of sultry summer air between them. Suddenly, she was desperate for their bodies to be closer.
She looked up and saw the question in his eyes and then her gaze dropped to his lips again. She wondered how he would taste.
He leaned closer, then hesitated. Tessa wasn’t thinking with her head now. Instead, some primal urge fueled by too many beers tossed her common sense away and took over. She closed the gap, rising up on her toes to mash her lips against his.
For a second, he didn’t move, and she thought she’d made a huge mistake. But then he moaned and crushed her to his chest, his lips taking hers. Tasting lightly at first and then with a low growl, he deepened the kiss, parting her lips and tangling her tongue with his.
Tessa’s heart exploded, sending a coil of fire to her core with an intensity she’d never felt before.
Cash tasted the sweet liquor on her tongue. Felt warm silky flesh as he ran his hands along her curvy sides under her shirt. Her breasts pressed tightly against his chest sent a flood of warmth straight to his groin.
What was he thinking?
Not thinking, just feeling.
Cash’s body was in an epic battle with his brain. His body was formulating a plan to get Tessa home and into bed. His bed. Her bed. Didn’t matter.
But his brain was trying to bust in on the party. Needling him about how he should not be doing this. How he s
hould not be thinking about taking her home and making sweet, steamy love to her all night long.
Sweet, steamy love that would ruin their friendship.
Shit!
What had come over him? He’d been helpless seeing her leaning up against the car like that—so vulnerable—with her face flushed and her eyes dark with desire. Never mind that it was desire for some other guy.
Cash wanted her and he couldn’t stop himself.
Hadn’t she started it? And it wasn’t like she was pushing him away now, either. Not with the way she was pressed up against him, her arms entwined around his neck and making little mewling noises that ratcheted up the tightening in his groin.
Did she want this, too?
Of course, she didn’t. At least not with him. He’d seen her slam down those shots, and she’d had a few beers on top of it. She wasn’t thinking straight. Probably transferring all her pent-up feelings for that jerk in the bar to him. She’d wake up tomorrow and realize what a huge mistake this had been.
He tore his lips away. Grabbing her shoulders, he put a little space in between them. His heart hitched at the sight of her, her lips red and swollen from their kiss. Her chest heaving, eyes blazing.
He’d screwed up royally.
“I’m sorry. I...I didn’t mean to do that,” he said.
Her fingers flew up to her lips and alarm flashed through her eyes. “Right. Me, either.”
He stepped back from her, his blood pounding in his ears as he let his emotions subside. He was afraid she’d never want to talk to him again. But she simply laughed, opened the car door and hopped in.
He closed her door and walked around to his side of the car. He got in and dared to look at her, his heart trembling. Would she even be able to look him in the eye now?
She did, her face apologetic. “It’s okay. We were both emotional. Just forget about it.”
Forget about it?
Cash wished he could forget about it.
But now that he’d kissed Tessa, he didn’t think he’d ever be able to forget it and he was terrified that things would never be the same again between them.
8
Tessa’s lips still burned from the memory of their kiss when she awoke the next morning.
Had she really kissed Cash?
The memory brought a flurry of excitement that was quickly overshadowed by a feeling of trepidation.
Had she ruined their friendship?
He’d said he didn’t mean to do it. She hoped it wouldn’t screw things up between them. Tessa wanted to be able to keep her old friends because Lord knew she was no good at picking new ones. Not male friends, anyway.
She rolled over, stuffed the pillow over her head and groaned, thinking about how she’d even considered hooking up with that guy John. He’d turned out to be a jerk. The way he manhandled her was off-putting, and Cash had come to her rescue just in the nick of time.
Ugh. Hopefully, Cash didn’t think she was turning into one of those high-maintenance friends he had to rescue all the time. Maybe he wouldn’t even want to hang out with her anymore. Maybe he’d already gotten up and left the house so he wouldn’t have to deal with her.
She flipped over on her back, kicking the sheets off in frustration. Once again, she’d proven that she couldn’t trust her own instincts. Just like she didn’t see the signs that Derek had been fooling around on her, she didn’t see the signs that John was a player. She’d be much better off never dating again.
The smell of bacon wafted in, and her spirits rose. Cash was here, and he was cooking breakfast!
She leaped out of bed and dressed in a hurry, wanting to get to the kitchen while breakfast was hot. But as she approached, seeing Cash in front of the stove, her stomach tumbled. Would he act weird with her now that they’d kissed? When he turned, would his eyes be shadowed with contempt and pity for her?
As if sensing her questions, he looked over at her. Their eyes locked, and she saw...something. A flicker of hope? Probably hoping she wasn’t going to read too much into their kiss. He needn’t worry. It was a silly impulse, and she had no idea why she’d even done it. Probably too much to drink. As Cash had said, he didn’t mean to reciprocate and as far as she was concerned, it never happened.
His face broke into a wide smile, and Tessa relaxed. Good. Things weren’t going to get all weird between them.
“Breakfast again? Smells delicious.” Tessa kept her voice light as she slipped onto the barstool on the other side of the bar. For some reason, having the bar in between them felt safer, though she had no idea why. What was she afraid of?
Cash turned back to cooking, and Tessa wondered if she should even mention the night before. Not the kiss, but he had saved her ass and she wanted to thank him and apologize for being such a bitch about it.
“Thanks for rescuing me last night. I’m sorry I yelled at you.” She focused on rearranging the silverware beside her plate, too embarrassed to look him in the eye.
“No problem.” His voice was muffled as he was still facing the other direction, his focus on scrambling the eggs.
She continued. “To tell you the truth, I’m a little embarrassed. I mean, I thought he seemed like a nice guy...”
“Hey, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.” Cash turned around and grabbed both plates then swung back around and loaded eggs, bacon, and an English muffin onto each plate. “That guy is the one who should be embarrassed.
Excellent. No mention of the kiss. They could go on being friends as usual.
They dug into their food, eating in companionable silence. Tessa’s hopes rose higher the longer they ate. She’d been half afraid Cash would give her one of those ‘talks’ about their kiss and then things would be awkward between them forever after. She didn’t want that. She valued his friendship too much.
Thankfully, things weren’t awkward. Things were perfectly fine, and the longer they sat there leisurely eating breakfast, the more her heart stopped fluttering and settled to its normal beat.
Her phone made a noise and she pulled it out of her pocket. “It’s Sam. She and Nick are making their famous chili today, and she wants to know if we want her to set some aside for us. I could pick it up this afternoon and we could have it for supper tonight.”
She glanced at Cash out of the corner of her eye. Would he want to have supper with her? Or would he be afraid she would throw herself at him again.
To her relief, Cash just smiled and nodded. “That’d be great.”
He finished his last bite of breakfast, grabbed both their plates and slid off his stool, taking them into the kitchen.
“Okay. We’ll eat around six?” Tessa asked.
“Sounds good.”
He sounded like the same old Cash. The one before the kiss. He wasn’t looking at her funny or acting like he didn’t want to be anywhere near her—which was a huge relief for Tessa. She couldn’t afford to lose Cash as a friend. He was one of the few people she trusted.
And Tessa was going to need her friends, especially since it looked like she couldn’t trust herself to pick a guy that was good dating material. She didn’t even want to anymore. She’d had too many failures in that department, so it looked like friends were going to be the only companions she had for the foreseeable future...maybe even forever.
Relief flooded through Cash as he drove away from the Riley ranch. Thank God Tessa hadn’t mentioned the kiss from the night before. He’d been terrified she wouldn’t want to stay in the house with him. Wouldn’t want to have anything to do with him.
But she’d acted perfectly normal, as if nothing had happened—which was good. He couldn’t let that one slip-up—that one glorious, heart-stopping kiss—ruin their friendship. He needed Tessa in his life, and he knew that anything more intimate than a friendship would mean risking losing her forever.
Just like his grandfather had lost his grandmother.
But despite his screw-up, things were going to proceed as normal. He just had to be careful not to slip up li
ke that again.
He pushed aside dangerous memories of kissing Tessa and thought about his grandfather. Cash missed having him at the ranch, but he knew the Golden View Retirement Community, where he was heading right now to visit, was better for Gramps. He had people his own age and activities every day. He was thriving there.
By the time Cash pulled into the Golden View parking lot, his spirits were high.
He walked through the lobby, lush with plants, greeting some of the old-timers he’d met through Gramps as he headed to the elevator that would take him to Gramps apartment on the third floor.
Gramps opened the door and crushed him into a hug. He was tall like Cash, with a shock of white hair and sharp hazel eyes. In his youth, he’d packed on the muscles just like cash, but age had stolen most of those. Still, the old man was strong.
The apartment was spacious—a sunny corner unit. Gramps led him through the galley kitchen and down the hall to a large living room that had bay windows overlooking a wide stretch of land.
Gramps had picked this unit in particular because it had a view of the mountains and now he had all the shades open showing the spectacular Montana landscape.
The apartment was decorated in leather and chrome—a far cry from the rustic ranch decor they had at home, but Gramps had said he needed to change. He took up his usual position in his La-Z-Boy recliner and Cash sat on the ‘L’-shaped sectional sofa.
“What’s going on boy? You look like you got a spring in your step today.” Gramps winked and leaned toward Cash, resting his forearms on his thighs. “Does that have something to do with a special filly?”
“No!”
Gramps’ brows shot up at Cash’s too-quick response. “Sounds like you are protesting too much.”
“No. It’s nothing like that. I haven’t found anyone special.” Cash’s eyes slid to the black-and-white photograph of his grandfather and grandmother. It had been taken in happier times when they were a loving couple. Why did his grandfather keep it out? It must be a sour reminder of his loss, and Cash couldn’t understand why a man would want to be reminded daily of a woman that had run off on him.
Too Close For Comfort (Sweetrock Cowboy Romance Book 2) Page 5