Page 72 of Spilling the Tea

“Yes, we could say that,” he agreed.

“And we could say we kissed out of curiosity.” Her voice sounded raspy, and she stoked everything below his waist.

“Yes, we could say that, too.”

“What do you think?” she asked him, still holding his gaze.

“I think that, right now, we need to do what you suggested and walk around the lake. Otherwise, we might…”

“We might what?” she asked.

“We might end up doing something we’ll later regret.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

While holding hands, Zoey and Chance walked around the lake. When she’d first seen it while on her horse, she’d had a flash of a dream. However, since then, nothing. But that wasn’t what was on her mind right now. Her thoughts dwelled on what had happened before they’d left the cabin. Never had she been kissed like that before. It was as if both her lips and tongue had become his, and he was capable of managing and pleasuring both. He’d done so in such a way that had her questioning the very fundamental values she strongly believed in. She never had a man make her do that.

“It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?” he said, capturing her attention.

She switched her gaze from the lake to him and thought he was beautiful, although typically, a man wasn’t defined that way. She’d already decided he was tall, hot, and handsome. Nothing had changed. “Yes, it is. If this is where my parents spent most of their time when they came to visit my grandparents, I can see why.” He was still holding her hand, and she felt comfortable with him doing so.

They stopped walking when they came back to the boatdock. The wind had risen, and her heart skipped when he reached down and brushed a few strands of hair from her face. “I was wrong. You did understand,” she said.

He lifted a brow. “I understood what?”

“That day when I first came to your ranch and explained what I’d gone through to learn to walk again. I told you how painful my physical therapy was. You nodded as if you understood, but I figured there was no way you could have. I was wrong. You did understand because you’d gone through similar challenges.”

He stared out at the lake before returning his gaze to her. “Yes, I understood, and I admired you for it. You went through it as a child. I was a grown-ass man, yet there were days I didn’t think I could take it. I was in so much pain, I wanted to give up.”

“But you didn’t give up.”

“Like I told you, Mama Laverne wouldn’t let me.”

“You and your family are blessed to have her, Chance.”

“Trust me, although she likes to get in our business more than we like, we know she’s a jewel.”

They began walking again. Silence lingered between them. “There’s something I’d like to know,” he said.

Zoey glanced over at him. “What?”

“Are you involved with some guy back in Baltimore?”

She wondered why he wanted to know that. “No. I haven’t been involved with anyone in well over a year. Conrad and I were together for less than six months when I found out he was cheating on me.”

“For real?” He seemed surprised.

“Yes, for real. He thought he was in his right to do so since we were engaged in a long-distance affair.”

“This Conrad sounds like an ass.”

“He was.”

Chance nodded. “It’s time we head back.”

“Alright.”

He tightened her hand in his. “About that kiss, Zoey. Do we need to talk about it?”

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