Page 49 of Freeing the Wild
Cassie adjusts her seatbelt so she can turn to me.
“Awww, are you jealous, Cowboy?”
I side-eye her.She’s got her arms folded across her chest and she’s leaning back against the glass of the passenger-side door with afuck melook on her face.
“Like I said, I was making sure you were safe.”
“Bullshit,” she says, her tone coaxing.“You weren’t just in the area.You came to see me.Youwantedto come see me.”
I turn down the driveway to the ranch and, when I don’t answer, she keeps on pushing.
“I think you think about that night just like I do.”
“It’s a memory, so yeah I’ve thought about it,” I offer, doing my best to just placate her until I can get her into her cabin and close the door safely behind her.
“I think about it a lot.”She snickers as she turns up the radio.“You arereallygood at sex, you know.Where did you learn?”
I let out a deep chuckle as I pull up to her cabin.“Fucking alcohol.”
“You must have studied somewhere.Either that, or you had way too much of it before me.”
“Right.Well, you’re clearly good and drunk.Let’s get you inside.”
I hop out of the truck and make my way to the other side to let her out.
“I am drunk.”She starts laughing as she moves to get out.“Just ignore everything I say tonight, okay, baby?”There’s a newfound twang in her voice, and she tweaks my chin as her boots hit the snowy ground.The moment they do, she stumbles and almost completely eats it.
I don’t hesitate, because it’s freezing and she’s in a t-shirt.I pick her up like I’m about to carry her over the damn threshold as I make the short walk from the truck to her door.She snuggles right into me and sighs as I climb the old wooden steps.
“Haden?”she whispers, her long hair trailing over my forearm.
“Yeah?”I ask, looking down at her as we reach her door.
“This is how we met.”She looks up at me with a soft, pretty smile.Time stands still as I take in the moonlight on her face, and the way her pulse thrums in her throat.She’s so fucking close it physically hurts not to close the space between us and claim her lips with my own.
“You want to kiss me, don’t ya?”she asks in a tone that snaps me right out of my trance.As much as Iwantto kiss her, the only reason she wants to kiss me is because she’s had way too much sangria.She starts to laugh as I grunt but say nothing, pushing her door open and setting her gently down on the sofa.I need to get away from her, but there’s no way I can leave herlike this.Cassie pulls her boots off, making throaty little moans as she does, and kicks them to the corner.She stands with ease now and stalks toward me, and I remain frozen to the floor as she approaches with that samefuck melook from earlier.Only this time she pulls her t-shirt right off over her head.
“This isn’t happening, Cassie,” I warn, averting my gaze.I pick up her shirt and attempt to cover her.
“I know.”She smirks.“Relax.It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.I’m going to get my pajamas on, so you can leave.”
“Like hell.If I leave now, you’re likely to end up going for an evening stroll and landing yourself in the creek.”
“Well then, if you’re staying, you can keep me company.”
She’s backing up and unbuckling her jeans as she turns and saunters down the hall, and I realize this is the universe testing me.Testing me and punishing me for all the one-night stands I’ve had over the years.All the times I was with a woman just once when she wanted more.Now the only woman I’ve wanted in months, I can’t have.Even when she’s tearing off every piece of clothing right in front of me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Haden
“You think you can get changed on your own?”I call through her bedroom door.
“Of course,” she says back.I hear the door to her bathroom close and wait until I hear water running, the faint sound of her humming a song and the sound of an electric toothbrush.After a few more minutes, I think I hear her leave the bathroom and head into the bedroom.
“Still good, Princess?”
“I already said of course,” she slurs.But then something rattles, and there’s a loud bang followed by the sound of her cussing.I knock but she doesn’t answer.I swear I hear her say “uh-oh” and then, “Haden?I’m stuck.Can you help?”
