Page 9 of Faking it with the Cowboy

“Try what?”

“Try kissing me soft and sweet. We need to practice if we want it to look believable.” This close, I could see the darker flecks of blue in her sapphire eyes. Then she lowered her gaze to the blanket. Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks. “You know what? This is a dumb idea. No one’s going to believe—”

I touched my lips to hers, cutting her off. My hand slid around to the back of her head and gently pulled her closer. Time stopped as I skimmed my thumb over her cheek. She tasted like sweet tea and sunshine. Every nerve ending in my body lit up like a sky filled with fireworks on the Fourth of July.

6

JERICHO

This was a mistake. My brain tried to put on the brakes while my heart urged me to step on the gas. Kissing Birch wasn’t supposed to feel like this. Like falling headfirst into a cloud full of butterflies, hearts, and rainbows. A rush of giddiness bubbled up in my chest. I tried to force myself to pull back, but my dormant libido wouldn’t hear of it. Instead, I leaned into the kiss, gripping his shoulder to ground myself so I didn’t spin out of control.

Birch backed away first. His brows arched, then he cleared his throat and tilted his head down. “I think that was okay for a first try.”

Okay? Was he for real? In my opinion, that kiss had just changed everything, but he acted like it meant nothing. “Yeah, it was okay.”

“So after we shared a sweet and soft kiss, then what happened?” His chin tipped up and he briefly met my gaze before pushing himself into a seated position.

“Then we went to dinner?” I suggested, still trying to get a handle on my reaction.

“Or we realized we’d been in love with each other for years.”

My heart pounded so loud and so fast, I had to check my chest to make sure it hadn’t broken free. “And then?”

“Then we went to the bedroom and didn’t leave for two days. I never made it home for that visit, and since then we’ve been seeing each other every chance we get.” He lifted a shoulder like talking about the two of us getting tangled in the sheets didn’t send his nervous system into a spiral.

“I don’t think we need to provide that amount of detail.” Even thinking about it made my cheeks flame. I couldn’t imagine saying it out loud.

“Fair enough. We’ll probably need to hold hands, though.” Birch held out his hand. “Should we practice that too, so it looks natural?”

I slid my palm against his and squeezed, hoping the contact wouldn’t plunge me back into a swirling sea of emotions. “Holding hands won’t be a problem. I’m more worried about how we’re going to look dancing.”

“You want to give it a go?” He got to his feet and pulled me up to stand next to him. “Hold on, I’ll play a little T Swift so Swifty can enjoy the music, too.”

“I can’t believe you have Taylor Swift on your playlist.” Butterflies didn’t just flutter around in my belly, they swarmed through my chest, beating their wings in a wild frenzy. I pressed my arm into my stomach to try to break them up.

“All the guys do. It’s kind of like a contest to see who can get Swifty to dance the longest.” Birch set his phone down on the blanket and turned up the volume.

I recognized the tune as I held out my arms. It was one of my favorites. Birch wrapped his arm around my waist and took my hand in his. We started to sway to the slow beat of “Everything Has Changed.” The theme of the song couldn’t have been more appropriate based on the kiss we’d just shared. I immediately started to notice things about him I hadn’t before: the rigid planes of his chest, the dark stubble on his chin, the tempting curve of his lower lip.

Just when I thought I couldn’t take any more of the conflicting signals, he spun me out and away. I laughed in surprise. “When did you learn new moves?”

“Baby, I’ve got moves you can’t even imagine.” The wide grin told me he was teasing, but the burn that started low in my belly hinted that I might be in trouble.

I wanted to ask what kind of moves he was referring to, but I stopped myself. Flirting and practice kissing were fun, but that’s where things between us would need to stay. Birch and I had just found our way back to the friendship we’d had before. I wasn’t about to risk that.

The song neared the end, and he let his chin fall to my shoulder. His hand skimmed over my lower back, grazing the top curve of my ass. A sharp ache pulsed between my thighs. I nuzzled into him. He slid his boot between my sneakers and we turned in a slow circle.

My fingers dug into his shoulder. I didn’t know what was happening inside me. Being around Birch had never made me feel so out of control. His hand splayed across my back, pulling me close enough that his thigh brushed against my crotch. Tingles exploded at ground zero, sending shockwaves racing through my limbs.

“What are we doing?” I yanked my hand away from his and put both palms on his chest as I struggled to catch my breath.

“I thought you wanted to practice.” His brow furrowed.

I took two steps back, almost tripping over my own feet. His grip on my arm was the only thing that kept me from falling flat on my ass.

“Looks like we’re good. Should we head back before we get caught in that storm?” I nodded at the dark clouds way off in the distance. They probably weren’t even heading in our direction. I’d checked the forecast before I’d left the hotel this morning and the radar didn’t show any kind of bad weather heading our way. Though the clouds would serve as the perfect excuse to get us back to the ranch before I did something I’d regret.

“Don’t worry, we’re not supposed to get more than a few sprinkles.” Birch glanced over his shoulder as he let go of my arm. Based on his reaction, he remembered how much I hated thunderstorms. “When are you driving back? I still want to show you around the barns and introduce you to some of the horses we’ve taken in.”

---