Page 15 of The Cowboy's Temporary Solution

Ranger

Sunlight assaults my senses,demanding that I wake up long before I feel rested.

When I finally will my eyelids to open, the damn curtains have been pulled wide open and the sun is practically in the room along with me.

My brain slowly creaks into operation as random bits of information slowly come together to make sense of things.

These windows face south, it's well past nine a.m. for so much sun to be hitting this side of the house.

I'm on the floor of Ma's guest bedroom. Half the bedding is off the mattress and wrapped around me. I'm stark raving naked under the flowered bed cover, except for one boot weighing down a foot that's trapped under the bed.

Serenity.

Stretching my arms out to my sides, I don't feel her near me.

Lifting my head, I have to shut my eyes for a minute. When the spinning stops, I look around. The room is pretty torn up. My clothes are strewn all over the floor around me, some of Seri's stuff lies tangled in with mine. The bed looks like it's seen more than sleep, with only one pillow left near the headboard, and all the covers pulled off the side where they're mostly covering me.

But no sign of Serenity.

My head's pounding, but I manage to pull myself onto my feet. Bracing myself against the side of the bed, I yank at my remaining boot until it comes free, then stumble toward the shower while I wrack my brain in hopes of remembering just what all happened last night.

A shit ton of whiskey is the last thing I remember clearly: Virgie making sure the table didn't go dry while we told lies and tall tales about my dad after we left the service.

Seri nestled up in my lap like a kitten while Bernie eyed her from across the table.

Bernie trying to call us out on not groping each other like horny teenagers whenever we're out together. Like Bernadine hasn't known me practically our whole lives.

That woman knows good and well I’ve never been the type that was all about public displays of affection. Hell! She used that to her advantage plenty there for a bit and everyone in town knew it was true enough to believe her lies.

The shower tile is cool where I rest my cheek against it while I let the steaming water beat some life back into me.

I'm too damn old to put away liquor that way anymore. Can't remember the last time I woke up feeling this wrung out.

Memories of Serenity's lips on mine flood my mind. Seri doesn't know me like Bernie does. She doesn't know I'm not the sort of man who's ever needed to paw at my woman in public just to mark her as mine.

She took Bernie's bait and made sure no one would be doing any more questioning about where things stood between us.

Problem is, it left me confused as all hell. Thinking maybe that sweet young thing could see me as more than a ticket to her dream job.

I'm just about woke up under the sting of the shower, putting together the rest of the night bit by bit, when I remember more. Seri scolding at me for dumping Lance's unconscious body on the lawn, her lips on mine, her hands on my body, hauling her down the hall with her over my shoulder while she swatted my ass.

Tusslin' with her here in the room, and ruining those pretty, black nylons she was wearing.

What I don't remember is where we left off, but judging from the state I woke up in, I'd say it's fair to assume the night went as far as nights can go between a red-blooded man and a beautiful woman.

Running my hand through my wet hair, I pound my fist against the shower wall and groan.

Try as I might, I can't remember anything past ripping through Seri's stockings. I don't know how I got one boot off or how either of us managed to pull my jeans and underwear off over the boot I woke up in.

More than that though, I can't remember the sweet taste of Seri coming on my tongue or the velvet clench of her pussy on my cock. Things I have been starving for since I first saw her in the airport back in Tacoma and definitely things I'd wanted tocarry with me in my memories as long as I draw breath on this earth.

I didn't want Seri to be a drunken romp on the floor that I couldn't remember come morning. I want her to know she's mine, dammit. I want her to stay here on the ranch with me and be my wife and the mother of my children.

As I towel off and find some fresh clothes to throw on, I have no idea if I said any of those things to her last night and even less idea of what she might have said to me.

"Lookin' for a little hair of the dog?"

Gunner's voice comes from the back door as I sort through Mom's kitchen cabinets.

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