Page 64 of Well Aware

FIFTEEN

Men who stop at yellow lights won’t do that thing you like.

—Beau to Magnolia

BEAU

Lunch was fast and quick, and before too long I found myself back in the barn showing Goss off to Magnolia alone.

Iris was with Denver and Huxley looking at the cows that Denver’s girls were still separating out, babies from mamas.

“What did Holly want to talk to you about?”

I looked at my naughty horse.

“Well, apparently she deigned to share her love with a mustang,” I sighed. “There were a couple of wild mustangs that were sniffing around her. A colt jumped the fence and bred her. Which should be impossible, seeing as she’s pushing eighteen. So Holly shared her thoughts with me, and we decided that we’re going to let it play out. We’re just going to watch her closely.”

“Wow.” She laughed. “Guess you got yourself a new cutting horse?”

“She’s not a cutting horse.” I shook my head. “She pretends real well, but she’s a racer. She won the Kentucky Oaks when she was six. Placed second in a few more races that I allowed her to race in. We retired her after she had a fall that scared the shit out of me. Now she’s just a lazy girl.”

“She’s beautiful,” she said, stroking down her nose. “Why do they say she’s mean?”

“Because she is.” I chuckled. “I’m honestly kind of surprised that she’s allowing you to touch her. She’s usually a bitch to everyone but me. Huxley wasn’t lying.”

“She was nice to Iris, too.”

“Maybe she knows that you’re mine.”

She turned to face me, this person that I couldn’t stop thinking about, no matter how hard I tried.

For eight months, I’d done nothing but replay our encounter that we’d shared in my mind.

Over and over, it played on repeat in my dreams.

There wasn’t a single night that I didn’t wake up thinking about her. About how she would feel around me. About how great that single time we spent together was.

What would’ve happened if we had been able to spend all night together?

“Is that?” she asked.

“Is that what?” I asked, inching closer.

“What I am.” She pressed closer until the only thing separating us were our heavy coats. “Yours?”

My hands found her hips and then she was kissing me.

I poured every single ounce of longing into that kiss, my arms winding around her hips to hold her to me.

Our tongues danced, licking, tasting, and sucking.

By the time I pulled away, forcing my face away from hers despite both hands holding onto my cheeks, we were both panting.

“I want you,” I admitted, staring deep into her eyes.

“Then have me.”

“Here?” My brows rose.