Page 12 of Sofa King Devotion

“I think Cottonwood’s hometown cutie is getting shy.” She chuckles, but I can hear the worry in her tone. “Do I hear five hundred?”

When someone else bids, I grab the cowboy hat out of my bag. I put it on and grin at Lane, and that’s when I see the smile tug at her lips.

“Six hundred dollars!” Lane shouts without waiting for Mrs. Evie to ask.

When she bids, I take the hat off my head and toss it at her.

“Do I hear seven?” Mrs. Evie cuts in.

Lane shouts again, bidding against herself. “Seven hundred!”

I peel off the flannel shirt and toss it at her, and the crowd begins to cheer. I’m telling them without words that all of this belongs to one woman.

“Lane is bidding eight hundred!” I hear, and to my shock, it’s Mrs. Betty. She’s in the back with the other Stitches, and she nudges Lane. “Say it.”

“Eight hundred!” Lane shouts over the laughter, and now I’m joining in.

This time I go slow when I take off my shirt, and I whip it around my head before I toss it to Lane.

“Nine hundred,” Mrs. Agnes says and nudges Mrs. Betty with her elbow. “For Lane.”

Lane is almost doubled over with laughter as I kick off my boots and toss them down to her.

“Lane is bidding one thousand!” Mrs. Nelson takes my hat from her and puts it on top of her short white hair.

I peel my socks off one by one and toss them at Lane. She catches them and shakes her head like she can’t believe I’m actually doing this.

“Eleven hundred dollars,” Mrs. Evie says from behind me, and I turn around to blink at her. “For Lane, obviously.” She glances at her husband and shrugs, but she doesn’t seem sorry at all.

Reaching to my jeans, I pull the snaps open and push them down my legs. Everyone is cheering and whistling, but I’ve only got eyes for my Lane.

Before I can stop myself, I step forward and drop them in front of her and wink. “It’s all for you, kitten. Only for you.”

Her cheeks burn, but when she bites her bottom lip, it almost brings me to my knees. How long have I waited for her to look at me exactly like that?

“Twelve hundred dollars!” Lane shouts, and my eyes widen.

The only thing I’ve got on are my swim trunks, but she’s not letting me get out of this. With a quick flip of her wrist, she tosses me my cowboy hat and raises an eyebrow in challenge.

“You’re lucky I love you,” I say to her, but I’m not sure she can hear me over the crowd.

I put the cowboy hat in front of my crotch and push down my trunks. When they’re off, I kick them in her direction, and she nearly doubles over with laughter.

I’m standing on the stage bare-assed and smiling at the woman who holds my heart. I’ve never been more exposed, and I think she’s finally seeing the truth. I love her, and I’m ready to let the world know it.

I hear the gavel hit the podium and glance back to see that Rhodes has taken it from Mrs. Evie to end the auction.

“Sold to Miss Lane Thomas!” Rhodes says, and the crowd erupts in cheers. “You can pick up your, um, winnings backstage.”

I keep my eyes on Lane as I slowly walk backward until I reach the curtains. Before I disappear completely, I give her my biggest smile that I know is showing off my dimples. The crowd cheers, and I blow her a kiss, then spin around and toss my hat at her over my shoulder.

The crowd gets a quick peek before I’m gone, but since they helped Lane win me, it seemed only fair they got a shot of Cottonwood’s Ass.

Chapter Nine

LANE

Did he really do that? I can’t stop laughing. I have been dreading this day since I found out that Sawyer was going to be on the auction block, but I don’t think I have laughed that hard in a while. One thing about that man is that he’s never predictable.

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