Page 44 of Between a Rock and a Hard Cowboy

“What do they want?” she asked, figuring as long as he was here he might as well make himself useful.

“They moved up the tree trimming party to tonight.”

“Why?” She didn’t really care if it happened today or next week but she didn’t like change.

“Poppy wrote, and I quote, that she and Ethan thought we could all use a fun distraction,” he read.

Eva groaned again, not planning on moving, possibly until the event tonight. Definitely not until after Linc vacated the premises.

Them having sex was bad enough. Him spending the night, even worse. But she’d be damned if she was going to hop out of bed and play the happy couple over the breakfast table.

“Want me to run downstairs and grab you a coffee before I leave?” he asked.

“Oh my God, yes.”

Coffee didn’t count as breakfast and having someone to get it for her was an opportunity she wasn’t going to say no to.

Her brain kicked into gear and she backpedaled. “Shit. Wait. No. You can’t. Then everyone will know you spent the night here.”

“And they won’t know that from my truck parked out back all night? Or my walk of shame to get to it this morning?” he asked.

“Ugh!” She knew this was a bad idea. If only her brain had won the battle with her body last night and talked her out of jumping him.

Daring to face him and the day, she opened both eyes and glanced across the room. There he was, in all of his naked glory as he made his way around the bed, gathering discarded clothes—both his and hers—from the floor.

The bare skin of his tight butt cheeks glowed pale in the dim room. That was in stark contrast to the darker skin that stretched over the muscles of his back, proving he worked outdoors shirtless sometimes. Enough that some evidence of his summer tan remained even now in early December.

With well-defined arms he pulled his jeans up over his thick thighs, buttoning them at his narrow waist and she stopped beating herself up over succumbing to her baser needs last night.

It had been practically forever since she’d scratched that particular itch with a man. And Linc, a twenty-something with an exceptional body, had been the perfect physical instrument to deal with her need.

Maybe what they’d done wouldn’t matter. If he didn’t start to act weird about it, then she wouldn’t. They could go back to being acquaintances—who’d seen each other naked. And had to throw a Yule log cocktail party together in his home like a damned married couple from the fifties.

He’d finished dressing while she’d had her internal debate. Her own mental morning-after walk of shame.

He turned to face her, his jacket and keys in his hand. “So, coffee or no?”

She groaned again, immensely unhappy with the answer she knew she had to give in spite of it being the exact opposite of the answer she wanted to give. “No.”

He tipped his head to the side. “Suit yourself. See you later.”

“Maybe,” she returned, not wanting him to think this was going to be a regular thing. Or that she was at his beck and call.

He paused with his hand on the knob. “No. Not maybe. Attendance at all family Christmas functions is mandatory. You don’t go, we forfeit the competition.”

“Oh.” In the midst of all that was happening, she’d forgotten about the damn challenge. She blamed that on post-sex brain fog. “Fine. What time?”

“Four.”

“Four?” In the afternoon? That seemed like an odd time for a tree trimming party.

“That’s what the text said.” He shrugged. “Maybe we’re starting early for Darcy’s sake.”

Okay. She could accept that reasoning. The kid would want to be a part of it all but she also had to get to bed early. It didn’t happen often but Eva had seen the meltdowns that could result when Darcy was overtired. It wasn’t pretty.

“Is there gonna be food?” she asked as he opened the door and let in a blast of cold air.

She’d be happy to hang some balls on some branchesifthey fed her. And of course, provided some adult beverages as well.

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