Page 51 of Riding the High

LIV

Unless she gets some help from a willing hot sheriff.

F R I E N D S

LIV

Whatever gets you through the day

A sharp knock at the door momentarily scares the shit out of me. I shove Mr. Always Ready behind the pillow and spin around, tossing my phone onto the bed just as the door opens.

Cole walks in. “You unpacked? We’re going to take a boatride. Make sure you bring a sweater. It gets chilly out there just before the sun sets.”

He eyes the cover of my book on the bed.

“Uh-huh,” I say, gulping down my anxiety.

“You okay?” Cole’s eyebrows raise. His navy sleeveless Nike workout shirt shows his muscular upper arms, and hangs low enough under them that I can almost see the outline of his abs and the curious brandedGunder his ribs. It’s hard to spot, encompassed by so much ink, but it looks like the Grosvenor logo from a ranch two counties over where he worked one summer when we were younger. I wonder what sort of crazy shit he got up to there.

I force my eyes to his face. His hat sits backward on his head, and he has a dishtowel slung over his shoulder which somehow makes him look even hotter.

“Yep,” I croak out.

“Maybe you’re quiet because you snuck into my suitcase and fucked with all my shit.” He moves a little closer. “And you’re feeling guilty?”

I laugh and breathe out in a huff. “No idea what you mean.”

“Uh-huh …” Cole eyes rake over me suspiciously. “I’m tossing those Reds boxers into the campfire by the way. I’ll go fucking commando before I wear them.”

I don’t laugh, and Cole looks at me expectantly. I’m pretty sure he can see me sweating at the idea from ten feet away.

“Not even a grin, Vixen?” he asks. Yep, he’s onto me. “Why are you being so weird?”

“What’s thatGon your side,” I ask in an attempt to distract him, but also because I’m curious.

“Nah, that’s not gonna work,” he says playfully. Moving toward me to analyze me better, he tugs one of my curls gently. “You’re not changing the subject, why are you being so weird?”

I sigh and throw my hands in the air, deciding he needs a dose of reality.

“You know, Cole, when a woman is acting strange, it usually means she’s trying to hide something.”

I reach behind the pillow and pull Mr. Always Ready out, so he can get the full view. He looks from it to my book, which I’m sure he can guess is smutty from the woman chained to a bed on the cover, and the title,Sinners’ Paradise. His jaw falls open. Any embarrassment I may feel is suddenly totally worth it.

His mouth snaps shut and he gulps. “Inmycabin?”

“Technically not your cabin,” I say as I drag my suitcase out from under my bed. “I didn’t see the ‘No vibrators’ sign on the door. And please, you’re the furthest thing from a prude.”

Cole folds his arms over his chest. “Here’s an idea … maybenotget yourself off for one weekend?”

I tip my head to the side. “Aww, baby, where’s the fun in that?” I say, stuffing the vibrator into my bag and putting it back under the bed.

“Close your mouth, Cole.” I smile sweetly, patting him on the chest as I walk by.

“Shouldn’t have to put a sign on the door, Vixen,” he says, as if my behavior is shocking. But I didn’t miss the way his throat bobbed or the way he eyed Mr. Always Ready up.

Men. Show them a vibrator and they lose all train of thought.

After dinner, Cole boats the three of us around the inlet of the lake. The homes that back onto it are just as beautiful as the cabin we’re staying in. Most of them are floor-to-ceiling glass, and the last of the day’s light reflects off their windows. Greenand rocky bluffs jut out into the water on either side, and the lake turns into a deep mercury pool as the orange sun sinks over the horizon. I breathe in the fresh air and watch as seagulls roam overhead to land on the beach beyond, which is still busy with visitors enjoying the sunset. But though the landscape is stunning, I can’t take my eyes off Cole as we cruise along the water. He’s in command, operating the motor and steering the boat in his backward hat and sunglasses. He looks gorgeous, and I’m finding it hard to watch anything but him.

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