Page 117 of The Wildest Ride

He laughed, “It can be. But they’re good kids. Rodeo makes them better.”

Lil raised her glass to that, a half smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. “Hear! Hear!”

AJ drank her in, though he’d gotten drunk on her long ago and lifted his glass in return. “I didn’t come to woo you with shop talk all night, though.”

She chuckled, “Why not? It’s working.”

He didn’t resist the thrill her words set off. “You want to know I’m well-rounded, don’t you?”

“I know you’re well-rounded.”

AJ caught her with a mock stern look, laughter in his eyes. “Lilian Sorrow Island. What would your grandmother say?”

Lil snorted. “Something outrageous.”

“I like her more and more all the time.”

“You two are peas in a pod, alright.”

“Says the woman dirty talking at the dinner table.”

Lil laughed and he realized the sound had become one of his most favorite—its own form of music. He marveled again at the astounding rightness of her. Her mind, her heart, her body—there was no other way to say it—the girl had a try. And try as he might, he knew he’d never find another that fit him quite so well. The hard part, he sensed, would be convincing her of that.

“Do you want dessert?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Too full.”

He smiled. “Perfect. There should be more food where we’re going next.”

She laughed. “As long as you’re comfortable being the father of my food baby.”

Her words teased at a primal urge in him, as ridiculous as they were, and his smile went feral. His next words were a risk, but he’d never been known for his caution. “I’m comfortable being the father of any of your babies...”

For an instant her shoulders stiffened, but then she let out a soft chuckle that sounded only faintly forced. “There won’t be any cowboy babies coming out of me, thank you very much.”

He snorted. “Any baby that comes out of you is arriving with a Stetson and a lasso.”

Entirely relaxed again, she laughed and countered, engaging rather than avoiding, “With my luck, they’ll love banking.”

He shrugged, smile wicked. “Then we’d just have to try again.”

Her eyes widened to two bright gray half-moons in her face, a strange vulnerability clear in them, one that urged him to make the words true right then and there, to prove to her that cowboys could keep promises and stick around and love every minute of it.

Instead, he laughed at her and signalled for the waiter as she took a gulp of her wine.

The place they were going next wasn’t exactly private, but there, at least, he’d be able to satisfy his need to touch her.

Pulling her chair out for her after he’d paid, he slid his hands along her shoulders and down her arms, loving it when she shivered.

Offering her his arm, he led her out to the rental hybrid parked in the lot.

She raised an eyebrow. “Electric?”

He cocked his head to the side. “You got a problem with protecting the earth?”

She lifted her arms, laughing. “I’m all for it. Just didn’t expect it of you.”

“Assumptions hurt, Lil,” he said, mock wounded, before he shrugged. “Of course, this is just a rental. I drive a truck at home.”

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