With a giggle, Emylie reached for my hand again as she winked then looked at the overly confident couple in the front seat. “Please, you haven’t seen dancing until you’ve seen us on the dance floor.”
Carter tossed his head back and let out a cackle. “It’s totally on!”
“Winner gets?” I inquired.
Carter smiled bigger. “Mad respect.”
Emylie huffed. “And what about the loser, and who is going to judge?”
“Loser, both of them, will have to stand on the bar and sing a song the winners pick out. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about who will judge. I know the perfect person and they’ll be fair.”
Before I could counter, Emylie called out. “Deal!”
“Wait!” I cried out. “Em, you don’t even know how good they are.”
She leaned in closer to me, sliding her hand along the inside of my thigh, causing my dick to instantly starting fighting with my jeans for room. “Trust me,” she whispered in my ear and then kissed my neck.
Jell-O.
I was nothing but Jell-O.
Carter and I sat at the bar and talked about hunting while Emylie and Tori whispered about something. Every now and then they would both peek up at us and smile. It wasn’t lost on me that Carter and I were both attempting to win back our high school loves.
“You should really come to my dad’s ranch. We’d love to have you. Get you a whitetail Texas deer and check out the amazing stocked tank we have thanks to Emylie.”
Carter glanced over to the girls. “I like the sound of that.”
I was ready to move on from the small talk. “So what’s the deal with you and Tori?” I asked before taking a drink of my beer.
Placing his attention back on me, he shrugged. “High school sweethearts, broke up during college because I couldn’t give her the things she wanted.”
My gaze drifted over to Emylie. “At least you didn’t destroy her by cheating.”
His hand gripped my shoulder as he gave it a squeeze. “You’re here now, and that’s all that matters. And she loves you like mad.”
My stomach felt like someone had sucker punched me. “What makes you say that?”
Carter let out a laugh. “The very first time she spoke about you I could see it in her eyes. Hear it in her voice. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see how much the two of you love each other.”
With a huge grin, I stood and slapped him on the back. “And if you think you’re not head over heels for Tori still, you’re crazy. By the way, she looks at you like she wants to devour you.”
His gaze snapped over to Tori while the corners of his mouth curved up. “The feeling is mutual. But I can’t help but keep being reminded of why we broke up in the first place.”
I wasn’t about to let him know I was aware of his problem. “It’ll all work out. For both of us.”
Emylie walked up with the most beautiful look on her face while Tori followed her. “I think we should get this dance contest started, don’t you?”
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her to me. What I wouldn’t give to sink myself balls deep inside her tonight. The thought alone had me aching. “Let’s show ‘em, babe.”
Her eyes lit up and I loved how those golden flecks sparkled.
Vince Gill’s “Make You Feel Real Good” started.
Not being able to contain my smile, I winked and pulled her out onto the dance floor. Carter and Tori were close behind us. Once we hit that sawdust floor, I spun her around before tucking her against my body and taking off. If there was one thing I knew we did good together, it was two-stepping. Fuck, we’d been dancing together since we were in seventh grade. A few spins, a couple flips in the air, and I knew we had this thing clenched.
Emylie laughed as her brown ponytail swung around with each spin. Each time I pulled her back into me, I made some kind of face to insinuate something sexual. I didn’t know how Emylie was feeling, but I was so fucking turned on I wanted to beg her to let me have one small taste of her.
“Why, Mr. Warner, you haven’t lost your touch at all.”
My chest warmed with the way she was taking me in. “It’s my partner.”
Her eyes turned dark as they fell to my mouth, causing me to swallow hard. The song changed and the air between us instantly charged as I held her up against me while we glided across the floor.
“I love this song,” she grinned.
“The words, Em. They’re so true.”
When a tear slipped and trailed down her cheek, I pulled her into my chest and held her tight. “I love you so much.”
The lyrics to Russell Dickerson’s “Yours” played as I held the love of my life in my arms. Just holding her gave me the greatest high I’d ever experienced.
She was mine. I planned on spending the rest of my life earning her trust and love back.
And if I had to, I’d wait forever for her.
MY HEART WAS racing as Holden and I danced. I wanted more than anything to be with him, but we needed to take things slow. Less than a week ago, he was engaged to another woman. Expecting to have a child with her. I needed to make sure my heart wasn’t going to be ripped out again when I least expected it.
The song ended and we took a step back from each other. I instantly missed the smell of his musky cologne. He was my weakness; there was never any doubt about that.
“I wonder who won?” I asked with a grin.
Holden surely could see how much I was fighting the urge to be closer to him. At least I prayed he could see it. I knew he was doing the same. Especially when he was the one who stopped our kiss from earlier. Had we kept on with it, I’m not sure either of us would have had the strength to quit.
Taking my hand in his, he replied, “Let’s go find out, shall we?”
As we walked up to Carter and Tori, I couldn’t help but smile at the way his arm was around her waist. When he glanced over his shoulder to us, he frowned. Oh gosh. I hope he still isn’t mad about the whole doctor thing. Maybe I pushed too hard and stuck my nose in a bit too much.
My smile faltered a bit as we stopped directly in front of him. “Are we okay, Carter?”
His eyes softened as the corner of his mouth rose slightly. “Of course we are, Em. But we need to talk.”
Chewing on my lip, I nodded. Holden squeezed my hip with his hand, sending a rush of desire through my body, making me quickly forget the nerves I felt not a moment ago.
“So. Who won?” Holden asked.
We all looked at the older bartender. Turned out he used to be a professional dancer back in the day and even starred in couple of movies before retiring to Colorado. At first I wasn’t so sure he would be neutral, but he assured me he would be.
With a quick laugh and a shake of his head, he pointed to Holden and me. “By a landslide, those two won.”
I jumped as I clapped my hands then hugged Holden.
“What?!” Carter cried out. “Billy, how can you say that? I’ve known you for years.”
With a shake of his head, Billy replied, “And over those years I swear your dancing has gotten worse, boy. Those two danced circles around you. They even did a few flips.”
Carter turned back and glared at me as I shrugged. “You did flips? Seriously?”
I tried like hell not to laugh. I knew from the other day when we danced that Carter wasn’t that great of a dancer. Our chances of beating him and Tori were very good.
Holden laughed then asked, “Now what was it the loser had to do?”
With a quick look of terror on his face before he smiled, Carter walked up to Holden and gave him a slap on the back. “Let me buy you a drink, buddy, and we’ll talk about the elk hunting trip you want to take.”
Rolling my eyes, I glanced over to Tori. The way she was staring at Carter spoke volumes. The love in her eyes was unmistakable. I hoped Carter would end up at Tori’s place tonight.
“Your mind is racing.”
Goosebumps raced across my body as the sc
ruff from Holden’s unshaven face brushed against my neck.
“Sorry. It was,” I replied with a slight chuckle.
“Em, I’m exhausted with the drive and everything. Would you mind if we headed back to the bed and breakfast?”
My breath caught in my throat. Would I be strong enough to resist the urge to keep my distance? I had to be. Falling into bed together would be the last thing to help us get through all of this. It would be nice … but not the right thing to do.
“Of course we can head back. I’m tired myself. Do you mind if I speak with Carter for a moment?”
A look passed over Holden’s face before he grinned and replied, “Sure. Not at all.”
Making my way over to Carter, I asked if he had a minute to talk before Holden and I took off. We walked around the bar and stood up against the wall. “I’m not mad, Em.”
I let out a relieved breath. “I agreed to be tested again.”
There was no way I could hold back my smile. “I’m glad, Carter.”
He shook his head and smiled. “You blew into my life and turned it upside down, I hope you know that.”
Scrunching up my nose, I replied, “But it needed to be tossed about right?”
“It sure did.”
Carter pulled me into his arms and hugged me. “It’s all going to work for you and Holden, Em. I know it.”
Reaching back to look into his eyes, I replied, “I think so too.”
“Now get on out of here. Have a good night.”
With a wiggle of my eyebrows, I giggled. “You too! Don’t behave!”
Carter laughed as he led me back over to where Holden and Tori were talking.
“Ready?” I asked, glancing at Holden.
“Yep.” Reaching his hand out to Carter, he flashed him a large smile. “How about you deliver that song tomorrow night?”
With a grin bigger than the Grand Canyon, Carter nodded and replied, “I’m totally down with that. Totally.”
“Um, I’m actually pretty tired myself,” Tori said with a smile.
After saying goodnight, Holden took my hand and led me to the taxi. He held the door open and went to say something but quickly stopped himself. I wasn’t sure how to read things between us right now. Was he struggling with this as much as I was? The need to be with him was almost unbearable. Yet, I couldn’t forget everything that had happened over the last few years.
The drive back was filled with small talk, anything to keep from thinking of what it was going to be like pulling up to the bed and breakfast and head to two separate bedrooms.
“Did you enjoy your evening?” Holden asked as he took my hand in his and led me to the door.
With a warm smile directed at him, I nodded. “Very much so. I haven’t had that much fun in a long time.”
“Not even with Mason?”
My smile quickly faded as his eyes dropped to the ground. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that, Em.”
“I was lost, Holden, and so was he. The easiest thing to do was turn to someone who felt safe.”
Holding up his hand, he shook his head. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. I have no right to even bring any of it up. I was the one who pushed you into his arms in the first place.”
My heart hurt as I looked into his eyes. “It was never anything more than sex.”
He nodded, but I could still see the regret in his eyes. I hated Daphne even more for what she did to us. The time she stole, the hurt she caused. The only thing I could do was hope that someday her Karma would come back and bite her in the ass hard.
“I should probably get some sleep,” Holden finally said, breaking the awkward silence.
The only thing I could do was smile and nod my head. “Same here. Goodnight, Holden.”
Taking a step closer to me, his eyes met mine. His hands cupped my face while my tongue traced my lips, anticipating his soft kiss. “I love you, Em.”
Swallowing hard, I placed my hands on his chest. My fingers itched to slide up and into his hair, pulling his lips to mine. But the only thing I could do was softly reply, “I love you too. Sleep good.”
He leaned over and gently kissed me on the lips. “Night, babe.”
My stomach clenched as I whispered, “Night.”
And like that, he turned and vanished behind the bedroom door. Leaving me alone in the living room.
This was what I wanted.
Separation.
So why did it make me feel so completely alone and lost?
Slowly turning, I headed to my room as I ran my fingers over my still tingling lips. I stripped out of my clothes and took a long hot shower. Slipping on a T-shirt and a pair of shorts, I climbed into the large king-size bed and pulled the covers up to my chin. It didn’t take long for the tears to start falling.
In the darkness of my room, I sobbed, “I hate you, Daphne.”
I glanced at the sunlight shining through the window as I rolled over. Panicked, I sat up quickly and looked around.
Where am I?
Closing my eyes, I let out a small sigh escape from my lips as I realized I was at the bed and breakfast.
The smell of bacon filled my nose, and I couldn’t help but smile. Pushing the covers away, I made my way to my private bathroom. Quickly brushing my teeth, I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and pinched my cheeks to give them some color.
I slowly inhaled a deep breath then let it out and made my way to the kitchen. I stopped in my tracks when I saw him.
Holy. Shit. My libido just shot out the roof.
Holden stood at the stove with nothing but a pair of low hung sweatpants on. His hair was wet from what I guessed was a shower. He always did like to get up at the crack of dawn and run.
Dear Lord help me, because this man is the picture of sexy.
Squaring off my shoulders, I rolled my neck and took in a few quick breaths. You’ve got this, Em.
Stay strong.
Holden started humming a song and my panties instantly grew wet. His voice sounded like heaven as he sang along with Kenny Chesney.
My mouth opened to say something, but my stupid voice cracked. Luckily, he didn’t hear me. Clearing my throat, I walked up to the kitchen island and tried with all my might to sound completely normal. Even though I was far from normal.
“Good morning!”
Spinning around, Holden flashed me that damn smile of his. I gripped the island and held on until my legs stopped wobbling.
“Hey there, beautiful. How did you sleep?”
Like shit. “Good. You?”
He pouted and my heart melted. “Afraid I slept like shit.”
“I’m sorry. Was the bed not comfortable?”
With a curt laugh, he shook his head and turned back to the eggs. “No babe, it wasn’t the bed.”
I wanted to ask him why had he not slept good, but I already knew the answer. “Can I confess something?” I asked as I watched the muscles in his back flex each time he moved.
Moving the eggs around in the frying pan, he answered, “Sure you can.”
“I didn’t sleep very well either. As matter of fact, I couldn’t sleep at all.”
Holden turned back to face me. “Why not?”
“Knowing you were in the room next to me … I ached the entire night.”
He tossed the spatula onto the island and moved so fast I gasped when he drew me into his arms. The feel of his bare chest caused my insides to tremble. His lips smashed to mine while my arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer to me. The kiss deepened and we both moaned into each other’s mouths.
The ache between my legs grew as I felt him press his hard length against my body. “Let me ease your ache, Em.”
My body practically caught fire as his husky voice spoke against my lips. I knew if I said yes, neither one of us would be able to stop. I was trembling from his kiss alone.
Leaning my forehead against his chest, I took in a deep breath. “As much as I want to say yes, I know what will happen.”
“I promise you, I’ll make sure we stop. Let me make you feel good.”
My betraying body was starting to win the battle against my head. The feel of Holden’s lips across my neck caused my heartbeat to race faster than it as in a long time.
“Please, babe, please let me do this for you.”
The walls were quickly tumbling down around me, and I was about to give in when the smoke alarm went off. Holden and I both turned to look at the stove.
Holden took off toward the stove like a lightning bolt. “Fuck! The eggs are burning.”
My chest was rising and falling with each forced breath. Holy shit. That was close.
I watched as he dumped the burnt eggs in the sink then ran water over the pan. “Damn, I really wanted to make you breakfast tacos.” He glanced up. “Who puts a fire alarm right above a stove?”
A giggle escaped from my lips. Like the crazed woman I was, I stood there and watched his body move. “Looks like we’re heading out for breakfast.”
Snapping his head to look at me, he forced a smile. “Sure. If that’s what you want to do.”
With a nod, I replied, “Yep. I’ll go change. Maybe we should see if Carter and Tori want to join us.”
The look of disappointment on Holden’s face wasn’t hard to miss. “Sounds good, Em.”
With a poor attempt at a smile, I turned and headed back to my room. When I shut the door, I covered my mouth and shut my eyes.
I’d never wanted a man as much as I wanted Holden. But was my heart ready for this?
My head told me no, but body was very much saying yes.
MY DICK HAD been aching ever since Emylie confessed why she couldn’t sleep last night. Little did she know, I had to jack off in the shower twice last night because I couldn’t get her off my damn mind.
Now we were walking into a goddamn restaurant for breakfast when I could have had her for breakfast. Stupid fucking eggs.
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