Page 29 of Don't Trust the Cowboy

“Naw, the one on my leg does, though. Don’t know why.” I reply, pulling my towel up a bit, forgetting that that’s all that I’m wearing. “This, this one hurts like a sumbitch when I’m dead on my feet. Which I’ll be if I don’t get my ass back into bed.”

Her shirt just covers her hairline and that’s it. “Why the hell didn’t you get yourself some decent pajamas, darlin’?” I ask her kindly.

With a self-conscious pull at the hemline, she answers. “I couldn’t sleep in it. I’ve been sleeping in this one for years. I believe it brings me good luck.”

Well, it brings me good luck, darlin’. That I know for sure. “Y’all don’t wear that in front of anyone else, do ya?”

She shakes her head no. “Never. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude or to make you feel uncomfortable.”

Yeah, she didn’t hear or see anything. “Y’all didn’t do any of that, darlin’. Now, you get on back to bed. It’s been a long day.”

That’s when she turns around, and all hell breaks loose.

Chapter 10

Piper

Thesweatpoursdownmy back, making my shirt stick to my back, which wouldn’t be a problem if I were alone, but I’m not, and my ass is fully exposed to Billy as I turn around.

“Fuck...me.” He mutters, and as I turn around to face him again, he’s looking up at the ceiling, as if diverting his eyes.

“I’m...sorry, Billy.”

He does a face palm, shaking his head. “Look, if we’re going to live under the same roof, Piper, we have got to have some ground rules.” He says, but my eyes are immediately between his legs, as I see a swell. It makes me wet instantly, and I gasp.

He looks down and rolls his eyes, exhaling quickly. “Fuck, give me a minute.” He grunts, almost angrily, and he goes into his room. “You go put something on, too, now, so we can talk.” He calls from his room.

“Okay.” I answer, voice quivering. After quickly putting my other pajamas on, I go back out into the hallway, meeting him. I’m about to go into his bedroom, but he stops me.

“Not in there. Let’s go into the kitchen.” He says kindly but directly.

We sit down at the table, while he pulls a chair up a foot away from me and turns it so he’s sitting backwards in it. He’s got a T-shirt and his jeans on but no socks, and his hair is still damp. Curls form behind his ears while a bead of water stains the front of his shirt. He smells delightful but I can’t help but feel a little bit scared right now. I’m afraid that he’s going to tell me that I need to move out. That this isn’t working out for him. It’s not a terrible thing. I can handle living in my car again, however temporarily, but I hate to let him down.

Billy licks his lips. “Look, I don’t mean to come down hard on you here, darlin’, but I’ve never lived with a woman before, and I sure as hell don’t want this to turn into a big pile of shit, okay?”

I nod, listening intently.

“Alright.” He softens some. “First rule is that you can’t wear that shirt anymore. Now, I paid for you to wear something decent, and you need to be respectful of that. I’m...a man...and you’re a beautiful girl, and we both have to stay professional. But it’s real difficult when...well, let’s just say when you’re...dressed like that.”

I know I shouldn’t be thinking this, but he’s so adorable. He’s trying so hard to be firm while remaining respectful and polite, and I can’t help but stare at him. Despite the horrible scar behind his shirt, I can’t help but look at his beautiful face in the moonlight. His voice is so soft and sexy in the silence.

“Now, I’m sure that your daddy wouldn’t appreciate you dressing like that around me, would he?” He asks innocently, and then I think he remembers that my daddy is dead, and he rakes a hand through his hair, with a look of regret on his face. He places a hand on my knee. “Shit, darlin’, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. I’m so sorry.”

Is it wrong that I want to kiss him right now? He could not be any sweeter if he tried. “It’s okay, Billy. I know that you wouldn’t say that to hurt me.”

“No. That’s right. I wouldn’t. But I’m sorry all the same.”

“You’re tired.”

“You are right about that. But I just...the last thing I want is for this whole situation to backfire on me. And I think the first place to start is to set some boundaries here. Healthy ones. Does that sound fair?”

I nod. “Sure. I admit that aside from my folks, I’ve never lived with anyone else, either. And when I was living with Crystal at the dorm, I suppose that I came out of my shell because of her. She and Jade were raised a lot differently than I was, and with them, it was okay to dress how I wanted, instead of like a nun, and I guess it stuck.”

“There ain’t nothing wrong with dressing how you like, darlin’. It’s just that, I’m sure at some point, since you said yourself, that your folks made y’all dress like a nun, that you were taught to dress a little more...respectable...around men. I wouldn’t want you to disregard that. And...well...without telling too much, I am a warm-blooded man, and I don’t want to ruin a good thing here.”

The more he speaks so humble and sincere, I want to kiss him. And before I can stop it, I blurt. “Billy, I don’t know how to act around a man.”

He raises a brow. “I don’t know exactly what you mean. What, did you go to school at a convent or something?”

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