Page 6 of Wild Lies

I had plans, but now all I can think about is what I would like to do with him. An image fills my mind: sweaty bodies as we get lost in each other. In my fantasy, he’s beneath me, my hand on his chest as I roll my hips and take my fill of him. Of course he’s the biggest I’ve ever had, but fantasy me can take every inch.

Dropping my chin to my chest, I mentally berate myself for being no better than a horny teenager. I’m fresh off a breakup, with my sister’s wedding looming over me. Looking at Kade and enjoying his company is all I can handle right now.

When I’m composed enough, I tip back the rest of my whiskey and signal to Titan for another. I don’t know why I’m so tied up by Kade. He’s a stranger and someone that I have no business fantasizing about. And yet, when he inclines his head toward someone across the bar and offers them a smile, jealousy pulsates through my body.

Oh God, I feel like I’m in way over my head, given I’ve only just met this man. And yet, I do nothing to quell the excitement swirling in my gut when he brings his attention back to me.

4

KADE

It feels like I’ve known Chloe for longer than a few hours, like part of me has been waiting for her without even realizing it. We’ve talked about mundane things, like how we take our coffee—her loaded with sugar, mine black with the smallest dash of cream—and what she wants to do with her time in Coldwater. As well as putting the world to rights. There hasn’t been a second of uncomfortable silence between us; instead, when the conversation has lulled, the quiet has been loaded with a tension that feels oh so delicious.

I turn my truck onto the Hartlands’ Ranch driveway, easing off the gas until we’re rolling along. Anything to spend a little more time with her. I don’t want this night to end. The noise of the bar almost made whatever this is feel temporary. But here, in the quiet of my truck, where it’s just the two of us, with her scent wrapping around me and settling into something familiar, I find myself craving more of her company. I just don’t know when or if I’ll get it.

“It’s the cabin furthest from the house,” Chloe says into the quiet of the truck cab.

I nod, following the road in that direction, pulling up outside the cabin with its porch light illuminating the front steps.

In another lame attempt to drag out our time, I say, “We’ve spent all night together, and you haven’t told me what you do for work.”

Chloe shifts in her seat until she’s facing me. “Oh, well.” She looks down at her lap before inhaling deeply. “That’s because I’m currently unemployed.”

I don’t say anything even though I can feel her expectation. Instead, I wait for her to continue.

“I was laid off a few weeks ago, and I’ve been trying to figure out what my next move is.”

“What did you do?”

A smile lights up her face, as bright as if the sun had risen and was shining high in the sky. “I’m a photographer.” It dims, only slightly but still enough for me to notice, as she continues, “I worked for one of the big fashion magazines, but after five years, it’s just not where my passion is. And I don’t think it ever was.”

I nod, understanding rushing through me because I know what it’s like to lose even just a little bit of passion for what you do. That’s what it’s been like for me with the ranch, and I’ve been distancing myself even more so this past year. I love working the ranch and getting involved in the business side of things, but the more I’ve been riding in the rodeo, the more I’ve been questioning if it’s what I really want.

“What do you want to photograph?” I ask, the low hum of the air conditioner the only other sound as my words hang between us.

Chloe picks a piece of lint off her skirt, rolling it between her thumb and forefinger. “I don’t know, if I’m being completely honest. When I was a kid, I wanted to take pictures of the world, but I don’t know if that’s still the case.”

I lean in, wanting to know every tiny detail there is to know about her. “Why not?”

She gives me a soft smile, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. Her gaze is searching, but then she hiccups, and I’m reminded of exactly why I’m driving her home.

“Come on, let’s get you inside.”

Her body visibly relaxes, and she reaches out, resting a dainty hand on my arm. I feel her touch like a hot poker. It’s such a small, intimate act, yet it burns me like a brand.

“Maybe one day I can tell you all about my sad, sorry tale.”

I incline my head before reluctantly killing the engine and climbing out of the cab. The night air is filled with the sound of crickets chirping in the long grass that covers the pasture behind the building. It’s like they’re mocking me for my longing, and I can’t blame them. As much as my soul feels like it knows her, the truth is, I don’t, and she’s not going to be in town long enough for me to change that.

When I reach the passenger side of the truck, I open Chloe’s door and hold my hand out for her to take. Breathlessly, she says, “Thank you.”

I clear my throat and shut the door, watching as she walks toward the cabin. When she stumbles, I dive forward, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back into my chest. Her soft and curvy body fits against mine like she belongs there. Like she was made for me.

For a moment, the world quiets, until all I can register is her—her heat, her vanilla, fruity scent, the way she should be mine.

Calm the fuck down, Kade.

I don’t know why I’m feeling all these feelings for a woman I met less than twenty-four hours ago. It doesn’t make any sense. I’ve never felt this uncontrollable need to protect someone or claim them. Maybe it’s because she keeps looking at me like she sees something I haven’t found in myself yet.