Page 62 of Return of the Bad Girl (Rock Canyon, Idaho 4)

“I think I liked you better when your mouth was making those little moans against my neck.”

She jerked away from him. “You’re a pig.”

“Wanna get dirty?”

“Hell no,” she said, gathering up her shirt and undergarments and heading toward the front of the building to get dressed. “In fact, the next time I’m feeling horny, I’ll be sure to go elsewhere to get my jollies off.”

Her shoulders stiffened when Gabe called, “I’ll see you at home, princess.”

“Asshole,” she muttered as she slammed the office door.

Why are you pissed at him? He gave you an incredible orgasm—twice, in fact—and you act like he insulted you.

As she climbed into her car, it struck her; she’d been deluding herself when she thought maybe he’d felt something more. The whole time she’d been worried he might be thinking this would lead to a more permanent situation, maybe even a relationship, but the minute it was over, he was all business.

So were you.

Had she wanted him to want more from her than just sex? She’d been telling herself for weeks that he was not the guy she wanted to make a fresh start, yet she was drawn to him and not just because he was her type. She’d seen subtle signs that maybe he wasn’t all that he seemed. That this was the strongest attraction she’d had for a man in years, and now that she’d given in, she couldn’t shake the desire for more.

Lord, was she a hot mess. How the hell was she going to survive living with him, knowing exactly what he could do to a woman?

Chapter Eighteen

“Communication is the key to any healthy relationship . . . which explains why the silent treatment is a woman’s favorite form of torture.”

—Miss Know It All

CAROLINE DROVE HOME to feed the kittens, but once she was done, she didn’t really feel like sticking around and hashing things out with Gabe. She’d calmed down enough to realize she had blown up at him over nothing, let her own issues fuel her crazy, and now not only had she slept with him, but she’d been that girl, the one who wigs out after sex and scares the hell out of a guy.

Looking for something to take the edge off, she grabbed a beer from the fridge and chugged down half of it without taking a breath. Water would’ve probably been better, but despite her reasonable deduction that the awkwardness after sex had been her fault, stealing Gabe’s last beer gave her perverse pleasure.

He was going to be pissed, and she didn’t even care. Actually, she was sort of looking forward to it.

Jumping in the shower, she cleaned herself up and decided to head over to Justin’s family farm for dinner after all. She needed advice, and the only person she felt comfortable enough asking was Val.

Thirty minutes later, she was kicking up dust with her tires down the long dirt road leading to the Silverton farm. Green fields went on for miles, the only trees being closer to the white ranch house, tall green pines to block the wind. As she pulled up next to Val’s truck, nervousness settled in the pit of her stomach. What had she been thinking to drive all the way out here without calling? What if Val told her to take off?

Val would never bail on you. Ever.

But still, Justin’s family was here. How was she going to get Val alone without drawing attention to herself? She might as well wait and call her a little later.

Hand on the gear shift, she was just about to throw her car into reverse when the front door opened, and Val stepped out onto the porch. A few seconds later, Ellie followed, and before she could escape, both of her sisters were standing next to her driver’s side door, staring in at her.

“I thought you couldn’t make it,” Val said.

“I changed my mind,” Caroline said, opening the door. “If the invitation is still open.”

“Of course it’s open,” Ellie said, pulling the car door open wider. “We were just getting ready to eat.”

As Caroline stepped out, a dark smudge on Ellie’s cheek caught her eye, despite the layer of cover-up she’d tried to apply. Reaching out her hand, she touched Ellie’s face. “What happened?”

“I got into a fight with one of my girlfriends at Buck’s,” Ellie said. It was entirely plausible, but Caroline didn’t buy it. Not with the way Ellie’s eyes shifted away. Her baby sister might be a hell of an actress, but she couldn’t fool Caroline.

“Don’t get me started,?

?? Val said, shaking her head. “I’m just thankful she didn’t get arrested, or I might have had to bail her out.”

Caroline didn’t miss Ellie’s pleading eyes and decided to back her sister’s play. For now.

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