Page 37 of Undone

We sat in comfortable silence, staring out toward the land in front of us. The ranch was quiet now that the first trail riders had left. I had the other hands help unload the horses and get them brushed down and fed to make things faster. Both Eli and Dustin had staggered to theirrespective homes probably to grab a much-needed beer and then collapse for the evening.

“I’ve been thinking,” Zoe said, drawing me out of my thoughts as she leaned away from me so she could see my face better. “If I don’t get into my program, maybe I could stick around here? Not necessarilyherehere,” she added quickly. “Not here on the ranch. I meant in Poplar Springs.”

I tried not to smile at the way she backtracked. Having her at Lost Valley had been a highlight of the summer, and it pained me to think about her packing up and leaving. I liked the idea of her sticking around. A lot. I’d spent more than a few nights awake in bed, trying to imagine how things would turn out between us if she didn’t have to go.

But she’d arrived dead set on getting into the program, and I didn’t want a few idyllic weeks together to derail her goals. I knew how hard she’d worked and there was no way I was going to be the reason she lost her focus and missed out on the grad program that meant so much to her. I bumped my shoulder against hers.

“What’s this about you not getting in? That’s crazy talk. It’s going to happen, Zo. You achieve everything you set your mind to.”

“No.” She wrinkled her nose adorably and shook her head. “Not everything.”

“Okay, ninety-nine percent of it. Zo, you’re amazing at everything you do. The website and those photos you took are the best I’ve ever seen. It’s going to happen. I have faith in you. I always have.”

“Really?”

She looked up at me with her eyes glowing, like my opinion meant everything to her.

“Really.”

She looked like she was begging to be kissed, her eyes on my mouth and her lips parted in anticipation. I placed my finger beneath her chin and tilted her head up. She leaned over to meet me halfway.

It didn’t matter that it was probably our millionth kiss because every time our lips touched, it felt like the first time. Even just the lightest brushing of our mouths, a tentative kiss stolen in the light of the setting sun was enough to send heat rushing south. I deepened the kiss, tilting my head so that my tongue could sweep along her lips and tease between them. Zoe reached up to cup my cheek, then let her thumb slide along my stubble as we kissed, stroking me like I was her pet.

I breathed her in as we kissed, enjoying the rush of memories. The tang of cider still on her tongue. The sweet scent that was a mixture of the lotion she wore and just…Zoe. I never forgot it, and every time I got a whiff of it, I was simultaneously in the moment with her and back in time, making love under the stars with the unbridled passion of youth.

“I love kissing you,” Zoe murmured against my lips.

“You don’t even know,” I replied, slowly tracing a line of kisses along her neck.

I could feel myself getting more and more excited just from the PG-13 action. I wondered if the porch swing could withstand my full weight thrusting away on top of Zoe. Maybe it would be better to haveheron top, with her legs draped over the sides? I let my hand wander down from the back of her head to the soft curve of her breast. Her T-shirt and bra were thin enough that I could feel her nipple hardening beneath my fingertips. I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of what we were doing. It felt like the porch light was about to flash off and on to tell us to stop.

Zoe dropped her hand to the front of my jeans as we kissed, and I was so focused on what she was going to do next that I didn’t hear the porch door fly open.

“Oh my God,ew!”

Shannon stood frozen in the doorway staring at us with a shocked expression as we jumped apart.

“Would you two get a room?” she said in a half-disgusted, half-joking voice. She turned on her heel and stomped back into the house.

We both stared at the door for a second before bursting out laughing.

“Not a bad idea,” I said as our laughter died down.

“What?” Zoe asked, tilting her head in the way that drove me crazy.

“Getting a room.” I stood up and adjusted myself as discretely as possible. “Shall we?”

I held out my hand and Zoe took it with a gleam in her eye.

“Best idea ever.”

TWENTY-FOUR

ZOE

We walked into the house just as Shannon shouted something I couldn’t quite make out and then slammed her bedroom door making both of us chuckle at her outrage. We didn’t make it past the entryway before Josh had me up against the wall. I grabbed his shoulders and jumped, wrapping my legs around his torso pulling him closer as he leaned against me and rocked his hips back and forth, letting me know how much he wanted me.

Josh smiled at me as if I were precious to him, then he dipped his head down to kiss me. My lips parted on a gasp, and we deepened the kiss. Moaning into his mouth, I thought about how badly I wanted him now and fleetingly wondered whether we’d even make it to his bedroom. Maybe we should move to the sitting room—it was closer.

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