Page 25 of Long Past Dawn
She nodded for a long time before she answered. “You could, but there are three rooms downstairs and four upstairs. I like Tex's idea of holding small retreat weekends for women's groups, and I want to explore that more. If I do, I might need those upstairs rooms for the business. You’re welcome to my old room or the smaller one at the end of the hall. I’ve already moved into Heaven’s old room.”
I tickled her side carefully in response. “Oh, sure, suddenly, you own the place and get the room with a bathroom!”
“Hey,” she squealed with laughter, “I earned that bathroom!”
I held her face in my hands and brought her nose to mine. “You sure have, Dawn. You've earned all the rewards coming to you now.”
“Are you one of them, Beau?” she whisper-asked.
“Do you want me to be?” I answered with my lips almost on hers.
“It scares me how much I do.”
“Don’t be afraid, Dawn. Maybe we can fix each other,” I whispered before my lips came down on hers to keep her from saying something I didn’t want to hear.
She tasted of Jack Daniels and the right decisions. She tasted of a time long past dawn when the sunlight had faded, and the stars sang in the sky. She tasted of the future, hope, and redemption.
When she leaned into me, and a soft moan filled her throat, desire coursed through me. Her lips fell open, and she allowed my tongue to waltz in and dance with hers. She was velvet, sin, and heaven. She was the only thing that made my crazy world sane, yet she made me crazy with want, need, and desire. She brought out the protector in me. I would die for her right here on this ridge if it meant she never suffered again.
A moan fell from my lips and straight into her mouth, absorbed and accepted as payment for the pleasure given when she didn’t have to offer me anything. Her tongue was soft, wet, and pushing back against mine in a way that made my Wranglers instantly tight at the thought of how it would feel to have her tongue running the length of me. A louder, longer moan forced its way from my chest and filled the air when she tipped her head to the side, digging deeper for whatever she needed from me.
This was where I wanted to be all night long. I wanted to kiss her forever in the darkness, taking my breath from her. I wanted to forget everything but the promise of a future with her that blocks out the loneliness I’d carried forever. I wanted her.
An electric shock of surprise went through me at the thought. My lips fell away from hers, and our chests heaved in harmony while I held Dawn’s gaze. My hands cradled her face tenderly, but they trembled from the emotions coursing through me.
I want her.
I want her to be mine.
I want her to be mine forever.
Oh my god, when did this happen? When did I fall in love with my best friend?
Dawn’s hands gripped my wrists and hung there, her eyes searching mine for whatever it was she needed from me. The fear in her eyes told me she needed trust. She needed understanding and passion. Most of all, she needed love. Love from someone that would offer her all those things without judgment.
My thumb stroked her cheek while I lowered my forehead to hers. “Let me take you out this weekend? We’ll have a burger at The Wise Anchor and do a little line dancing?”
Her gaze dropped to my lips and refused to meet my eyes. “I don’t feel up to dancing, but thanks anyway. You go and have a good time.”
I raised a brow against hers until she lifted her gaze back to mine. “That defeats the purpose, gorgeous. I don’t want to go if you aren’t going to be with me. How about dinner at The Wise Anchor, a short horseback ride along the ridge, and a blazing campfire to end the night? That way, if you get tired, you’re close to home.”
Dawn stared me down for so long I was afraid she was going to say no and break my heart. I’d wanted to take her out on an actual date for years, but I was always too afraid to change the dynamic between us. The idea of losing her as my best friend was too much to think about over the last year. My other best friend was getting married again, and I would need her. The idea that if Dawn and I became more than best friends and things went wrong, then working together would be awkward. What had changed over the last few months, I didn’t know. That’s not true. I knew what had changed. Me. My heart had finally convinced my brain to be quiet and stop thinking so damn much. Dawn’s hesitation made me wonder if this was nothing but a fool’s errand and I should leave things alone.
“That sounds like a nice evening out,” she finally agreed, and I released a sigh of relief.
“I think so, too.” I stroked her cheek for several minutes before I spoke again. “You know that I’m always going to be here for you, right? Anything you need, Dawn, at any time. I’ll always find a way to get it for you.”
Her gaze immediately dropped to the ground again rather than hold mine. She let out a ragged sigh before she spoke. “I’d like to believe that, Beau, but my track record with people sticking around is about one for hundreds in my lifetime.”
“Who’s the one?” I asked, my head tipped to the side.
“Heaven. She’s the only one who ever stayed. No one in my family wanted anything to do with me, so I walked away.”
“Walked away from what?” Dawn never talked about her family, but I just assumed they lived in a different state, and she didn’t see them often.
“My family is Jehovah’s Witness, Beau. They live in Wyoming, or at least they used to. I haven’t seen them since high school. I don’t want anything to do with them, even if they showed up on my doorstep. Things were bad growing up. I didn’t have a choice, I had to leave, but now I’m truly alone in this world other than the people on these two ranches. I can’t risk doing anything to get kicked out.”
I held her head to my chest and kissed the top of her head. “Shh, you don’t have to worry about that, darlin’. You’re so loved here. Miss Heaven was near tears at the idea you didn’t want to stay on the ranch, and Tex was practically begging you to stay.”
