Page 5 of Fallen Cowboy
I captured her cheeks, shifted her head, and slanted my lips over hers, feeling the shock straight down to my toes. Her hands clutched onto the sides of my shirt, and damn it, I wanted more than just this slow, sweet kiss.
I wanted my tongue mixing with hers with her body flushed against mine.
But for here, for now, this would have to do.
Because this simple kiss rocked my world in ways I never could have imagined.
Chapter 3
~ Anelise ~
Iscrubbed my hands over my face as I stared at the window, the darkness fading into the light hue of black. The sun wasn’t too far from rising and I hadn’t slept.
Not one peep.
Why?
Because that stupid object of my affection kissed me senseless last night and it was nothing more than a soft kiss.
But there was passion. I could feel it.
And I fought every fiber of my being not to attack him. Not to shove him back on the pool table and have my way with him like I so wanted.
My body’s reaction, the taste of his lips, the feel of his body, had me replaying everything over and over in my mind. It had me tossing and turning. It had me needing a release that I was never going to get.
I flung the covers off and walked over to the window, sitting on the bench to watch the final rays burst forth over the land. One of my favorite times was sunrises. I wasn’t always an early riser, but I loved watching the dawning of a new day, the dawning of new promises.
I heard the patter of little feet and let out a sigh.
My daughter was up, which wasn’t out of the norm. She loved the mornings just as much as I did. And more often than naught was up before I was.
She opened the door and poked her head in, smiling. “Mommy.” She ran over to me, jumping onto my lap.
“Did you sleep well, babygirl?” I asked, brushing her hair back. She was always a wild sleeper, and her hair always looked like a rat’s nest in the morning.
“I did! Good ‘reams! I gets to be with horseies today!”
“I know you do. And I know you’re excited. But we have got to remember that they are bigger than us. And we can’t spook them.”
“I members mama! Got to be nice.” She grinned at me, her excitement evident.
I couldn’t deny her that simple pleasure, nor would I. She was going to miss out on enough things as she got older, so the simple things were things I was always going to try to give.
“We do, baby. Let’s get you some breakfast before we go out to see Rainbow. And if you eat all of your meal, you can give her a special treat, okay?”
“Deal!” She jumped off of my lap and raced down to the kitchen, forgetting the pain yesterday from her run in with the table. Which also means she forgot the rule of running in the house.
I shook my head, pulling on a hoodie and my slippers before walking downstairs, smiling at Cook. For as long as I could remember, the woman was in the kitchen, cooking for the family and the ranch hands. Mom and I would always help where we could, but she was a strong-willed woman who often would shoo us out.
“Hey,” I told her, giving her a side hug. “I can get breakfast for us.”
“Are you kidding? Go sit down. There is a handsome man that I saw walking back there. You could go say hi to him?”
Inwardly, I cringed.
I knew who she was referring to, but I was hoping he wasn’t here yet. Or that maybe he was already out in the stables working so I wouldn’t see him.
Of course, that wouldn’t be my luck.
