Page 61 of Stormswept Colorado

Ayla smiled and looked down, just like that blushing emoji she’d sent me earlier.

I ran my fingertip along her cheek to her chin. “You must’ve put a spell on me yesterday,” I murmured. “I don’t get like this. I barely slept.”

“You wish this wasn’t happening?”

“Didn’t say that.”

In fact, I’d never felt so alive.

Her gaze fell to the carpet again. “I brought your coat into the bed with me last night. I hope you don’t mind. I made sure Grace didn’t see.”

My cock swelled as I thought of her in bed snuggled into my coat. I growled with frustration, wanting to wrap her up and kiss her breathless.

How was it possible I could feel this wild about a woman who, two days ago, had hated me?

“I don’t have long,” she said. “I snuck away since Emma’s getting her hair done, and Maisie’s occupied with her grandmas.”

“I don’t either. Ollie’s waiting for me at the table.” My body leaned involuntarily toward her, but I heard voices and footsteps nearby. They might see us. Then again, if I didn’t touch her, I might not survive.

I reached out and took her hand, running my thumb over her knuckles.

“I want you to be my date for the wedding,” I blurted out before really thinking it through. Which was not like me. I wasn’tgoing to take it back though. My chin lifted, and I waited for her response.

“Your date?”

“We don’t have to make a public thing out of it, if you don’t want. But people have a tendency to hook up at weddings. I need to know that, if you spend the night with anyone this trip, it’ll be me.”

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d moved on a woman this way. But I hadn’t wanted anyone like this before.

“You think I plan to hook up with some other guy? After what happened between us on the way here?”

I closed my lips on a growl. “I’d prefer not to think about it. But if you do, be forewarned, the guy might happen to disappear into the woods by Monday and never be heard from again. Purely by coincidence.”

With a smirk, she angled her head, lips pressing to my jaw as her hand rested between my pecs. Barely any contact, yet she conveyed so much passion and anticipation in those little gestures that I had to order my cock not to get hard.

“Does that answer your question?” she asked.

My fingers found her hip. “So you’re mine tonight?”

Mine, mine, mine.

She nodded. “Wish we had more than a couple minutes right now.”

“Me too. But now that we havethatout of the way… Maybe we should use these minutes to discuss the stalker situation. I had some thoughts about how we might track down who sent you that email.”

She huffed and dropped her head back, groaning. “Really? I can think of more fun ways to spend two minutes.”

Like two minutes would be enough for anything I had in mind. But besides that. “This is important, Ayla. I want to know you’re safe when your plane takes off tomorrow.”

Because no matter what happened this weekend, it would come to an end all too fast. I couldn’t forget whatelse was going on. My sense of responsibility wouldn’t let me.

Her eyes clouded over. So did her expression. “What do you suggest?”

“You know Emma’s uncle Aiden?”

“Yes, I met him before when I stayed here.”

“Then you know Aiden and his friends are good at investigating problems that require discretion.”

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