Page 42 of Expiry Dating

Brady flipped them over until she was pinned beneath him and he was settled between her thighs. “Are you seeing anyone else?”

“No, you know I’m not.”

“Good. Are you planning on seeing anyone else?”

She let out a long breath. “No, Brady, I’m not.”

“Good. I don’t want you to, the same way I don’t want to see anyone else. I want you, Ali. Only you. Believe it or not, I like holding your hand in public, and I wanna take you out. So that’s what I’m gonna do, and your stubborn ass is gonna let me.”

“Oh yeah ... or what?”

A wicked idea came to mind as he let his fingers trail over her silky skin. “I’m sure I can think of a few ways to convince you, sweetness.”

He lowered his head into the crook of her neck and relished in her full body shiver as his lips travelled across her collarbone.

“That’s not fair.” She panted.

“Life’s not fair, sweetness.”

***

The trail ride turned out to be a great idea. He’d taken them to the very edge of Jake’s ranch where they were currently riding through fields of wildflowers and ponderosa pines. They were headed toward the creek that ran through the property, one of Brady’s favourite spots.

Letting the last of the summer heat warm his insides, he drank in a view that was almost as captivating as the woman next to him. Golden tinges on every leaf they passed signified a new season was on the horizon. He’d missed this. So much so, it made him wonder what the hell he’d been doing since he’d moved back. This is where he should have been. This was why he came back. Why he loved Bluestone.

Taking a deep breath, he let the earthy aroma fill his lungs and the faint sound of water lapping against the rocks wash over him. It offered him a comfort he hadn’t felt in a while. Casting a glance in Alice’s direction, he hoped she felt it too. She was a much better rider than he thought, especially for someone who’d only received a handful of lessons from Sam.

“So, how old were you when you learned how to ride, Deputy?”

Brady smiled at the memories her question triggered as he pulled at Sunshine’s reigns, directing her closer to the creek. “Jake’s old man taught me, must have been eight or nine.”

“That young?”

“Actually, that’s pretty old for around here. Most ranch kids learn to ride from the age of three. I’m pretty sure that’s when Jake learned. But then again, I wasn’t a ranch kid, just good old-fashioned trailer trash.” His laugh lacked any humour as the reality of his trip down memory lane started to sting.

“Now whose hiding behind self-deprecating jokes?”

“Touché.”

They continued their ride along the river where Brady silently cursed himself for letting those words slip from his mouth. Today was about Alice. Not him. And certainly not his past. Taking another gulp of the crisp air surrounding them, he sought the same comfort as he breathed in horse, hay, and pine.

It had been a long time since he’d felt insecure about how he grew up. He wasn’t that poor, useless kid anymore.

No, now I’m a useless grown man. Kicked out the military, used up, broken. Killer. Maybe that’s why she’s pushing me away—she knows I have nothing to offer her.

“You okay, Brady? You look like you’re about to go all Wild Wild West on me.”

He cleared his throat. “Yeah, sorry, just thinking. You wanna stop here for lunch?”

“Sure,” Alice easily agreed, a look of concern crossing her pretty face.

Once they found a nearby tree to tie up the horses, he helped her down and went about laying out a blanket. He’d packed sandwiches and sodas, and he couldn’t help but feel Alice’s excited smile strike his insides as she took her first bite.

“Do you really think of yourself as trailer trash?”

Alice’s question took him by surprise, which apparently he didn’t hide.

“Come on, Brady, don’t look at me like that. You can’t just throw something like that out there and expect me not to react.”

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