Chapter Sixteen

Dallas

Holding Blair while she slept was becoming a favorite thing of mine; asleep, she was so soft and vulnerable that I still couldn’t compare the two sides of her, the ball-buster that turned out billion-dollar business deals like she breathed air and the tender girl who uttered the softest cries when she orgasmed.

She’d been back in Montana for over two weeks, and while it was an open secret that we were ‘knocking boots’, we didn’t shove it in anyone's face. What we did now was have our romantic activities in her room rather than mine. Marie was up before dawn; she needed her sleep.

Christmas was four days away, and I looked forward to giving her a present. I still didn’t know if I was staying in Montana or heading to Texas.

“Why are you thinking about it so hard?” Blair murmured as she shifted on my chest. “Go back to sleep, Dallas.”

I chuckled. “What would you do if I told you I was just admiring how sexy you are?”

She peeked one eye open, “Flattery? Last time I checked, you already got lucky.”

“I remember,” I stroked a hand down her spine. “Doesn’t negate the thought, though.”

Blair sighed as she buried her head in the crook of my neck, “I think I liked you better when you were an asshole.”

Easing her off me, I left for the bathroom, used the facilities, washed my hands, and gazed at my reflection in the mirror. The man I saw staring back at me was miles away from the man who had come to this ranch. One was tan and healthier, with a spark in his eyes, while the other had been pale, stressed, and partially dead inside.

I knew which one I wanted to stick around.

Heading back to the room, I saw the first rays of dawn coming in, and I slid back into bed to wrap my arms around her; her breast pressed into my side, comforting and enticing at the same time. I leaned into her ear and whispered, “Who is your Secret Santa?”

“Goose,” she replied, sleepily but sharp enough to deflect my sneaky question. “I gotta tell you, dog toys and treats aren’t as cheap as they used to be.”

Well, I tried.

“Now, go back to sleep,” she ordered.

“Yes, ma’am.”

The town was covered in white this close to Christmas, and the cheer in the air was practically infectious. I had to have a good talk with Blair as the emotion for her, brimming under my breastbone, had to be expressed somehow.

We were back at Hank’s store, picking up some odds and ends. My phone vibrated with a text, one that made me go cross-eyed.

One of you will pay. You will lose her, or she will be forced to lose you.

“What the fuck was this?”I stared at the screen. There was no sending number, so I couldn’t call whatever asshole was behind this and cuss him out.

Blair rounded the corner and approached me, her hands filled with items. Luckily, she didn’t see my confusion. She was instead staring at a row of scarves. “It’s no Burberry, but what do you think about this one?”

The scarf was made of a soft-looking yarn, with fat stripes of silver and green. “I like it. It compliments your eyes.”

“Aw, thanks.” We headed to the checkout counter and got her things in bags before heading into the fluttering snow.

I shoved the phone into my back pocket and decided to ignore it. Maybe it was a text sent to the wrong person, but a niggling feeling inside me told me that was not the case. If this person meant Blair, what did they mean by she would be forced to lose me? Was someone going to put a gun in her hand and aim it at the back of my head?

What did it mean?

“Are you okay?” Blair asked.

“Oh, yeah,” I unlocked the truck, “Just wondering about a few things.”

When we went inside, and felt the warm air, “Blair… what are we?”

She quirked her head, “What do you mean? What are we doing?”