Page 111 of Hold Me Until Morning

An awareness.

One she couldn’t pinpoint because she’d never felt anything like it before.

Her gaze collided with someone who was off to her right, digging a hole with a shovel on the far side of a corral.

A boy.

Okay, a man.

One she’d never seen on the ranch before, but it wasn’t like hands and contractors weren’t constantly coming and going.

He was crazy tall and scarily wide, a trucker’s cap on his head and a worn tee stretched over his massive, oppressive frame.

She couldn’t quite make out the details of his face, the sun glinting down through the trees and striking over him in a glare that blinded, though she swore she could feel the piercing of his eyes.

Eyes that cut and slayed and flayed her wide open to some secret place that she hadn’t known existed.

Her stomach twisted and her heart was suddenly beating manic.

“Oh my God,” Brooke was suddenly whispering in a thrill. “That’s him.”

Jarred out of the stupor, she looked back to Brooke. “Who?”

“The guy I was telling you about. The one I fucked in his truck the other night. Talk about hot.” She drew it out, her dark chocolate eyes widening in emphasis.

“Oh.” It wheezed out of Hailey.

And she hated that it sounded like disappointment.

Brooke took it all wrong. “Don’t worry about me. I mean, I know he’s way older and that he comes with a reputation of being a player, but I can totally handle that wild boy.” Then she leaned in closer to Hailey’s face. “And I fully intend on taming him.”

A peal of laughter sprang from Brooke as she shifted and started to race up toward the house, tugging at Hailey as she went. “Come on, we need to get ready. This girl needs to look her best.”

TWENTY-FIVE

HAILEY

What the hell did I think I was doing?

Playing games with Pruitt was dangerous. I knew it all the way down to my soul. But the problem was I was having a hard time discerning what was real.

How I’d gone from promising myself that I’d never in a million years allow Cody Cooper to touch me because what kind of horrible person did that make me to him giving me the best orgasm I’d ever experienced Saturday night.

How I’d gone from him insisting on staying here for one night to make sure Pruitt didn’t come back around to him kissing me like he’d actually meant it in front of the very monster out in that parking lot.

How I’d gone from hating my new neighbor to him out in the backyard putting together a playhouse for my daughter while I finished dinner inside.

Whatever game it was? I knew I was playing it with fire. A crackle in the distance that warned those flames were gathering strength. A few moments more and they’d make it over the ridge and completely consume.

So lost in my thoughts, I nearly jumped out of my skin when the back door burst open and a clatter of energy ripped through the air, though my smile was easy when I found my daughter racing into the kitchen, flapping her arms overhead.

“Mommy! We did it! We got my playhouse all the way done because Mr. Cody is so very strong and has the biggest, most giantest muscles I ever seen, and it’s ready and we got the biggest surprise! You need to come see!”

The crash of words tumbled from Maddie, my little whirlwind grinning so wide as she jumped in place, all dimples and chubby cheeks and innocence, wild locks of blonde curls framing her sweet face.

She grabbed my hand and tugged. “Come on, you have to come see right now!”

True to his word, the second we’d gotten back, Cody had gone directly into the backyard and started putting her playhouse together.

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