Page 13 of Wild Horses

War’s eyebrows rise, and his jaw drops. “Cream their jeans?”

The giggle slips from me unbidden. I don’t giggle. Laugh, chortle, obnoxiously snort? Sure. But giggle? What is this man doing to me?

Grinning at him, I say, “It’s interesting that cream their jeans is all you took from what I said. But what can I say? Rodeo is a harsh mistress.”

“Apparently.” He appraises me, and I can’t tell if I made the puzzle picture clearer or muddied the waters.

“What about you? No offense, but you don’t strike me as the thrill-chasing type.”

“No, usually I’m not, but recently…” When he pauses, I can’t stop myself from soothing the crinkles in his brow away.

“You can’t leave me hanging like that.”

He flashes a charming grin, but it dims before taking hold. “Maybe another time.”

Once again, the momentum between us comes to a screeching halt. I have to fix it, to get my fix of him. Before I know what I’m doing, words tumble from my mouth. “Have dinner with me.”

War cocks his head, his brown eyes appraising and curious. “Are you asking me out, Laramie?”

May as well go whole hog. “Yep.”

His toothy smile is worthy of a dental billboard. “I’d love to. Can I get your number? Does Friday night work for you?”

I clear my throat. “Tonight. Now.”

“Now?” If his eyebrows rise any higher, they’ll disappear into his hairline.

My stomach flutters. He probably thinks I’m desperate, and he’s not wrong. If I don’t do this now, I won’t see him again to make it happen. And while I would regret not giving PT my all, I also know I’ll forever regret not properly kissing this man.

“Yep. Come on. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

He rubs his jaw. “It’ll be hard to get a decent reservation this late.”

“Pfft,” I make a sound akin to a deflating balloon. “I have the perfect place in mind; no reservation needed.”

“You’re something else, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told.”

War gets out of the hot tub and helps me out. He wraps a towel around me, his large hands rubbing up and down my arms. Even through the thick material, his touch is a brand searing my skin.

Yes, this is what I need. One night with this intriguing man. One night to burn off this attraction. Then I can focus. Then I can heal.

CHAPTER SIX

war

Outwardly, I’m all cool confidence as I wrap a towel around Laramie. Internally, though, there’s a loud, blaring voice that sounds similar to my father screaming, “What are you doing? This isn’t you.”I grit my teeth, fighting to dislodge his disapproving words.

I took a stand today, a stand last week. My life isn’t a spiraling mess. Today is the first step in making my future what I want it to be, and what I want right now is to go out with this woman.

This woman I just met. This woman who askedmeout. On a date I agreed to with no planning. No groundwork. No suit.Shit.

“Having second thoughts?” I release the slowly tightening grip I have on her arms. “Did I freak you out? You can say no.”

“No!” I startle us both with my yell. Taking a deep breath, I regroup. “No. I want to go out with you, but I only have my gym clothes.”

Her chocolate brown eyes study me, raking me over fromhead to toe. “I have an idea for that, but you’ll have to trust me. Give up some of that control you seem to cling to.”

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