Page 86 of Rain or Shine

His smile falls, but I keep rambling instead of worrying about why he seems annoyed all of a sudden.

“Don’t get me wrong, last night was good. Really, really good. But I know you’re leaving once you’re done with the clubhouse, and I have so much going on with my family. That’s why we agreed to no real attachments. But last night… that has the potential to make things complicated. So let’s not let that happen.”

“What are you suggesting?” He leans forward, and even though the diner smells like bacon and warm bread, all I smell is Shane.

“I had fun, and I’m hoping you did too.”

His eyebrow hitches. “Fun?”

“Well, yeah.” I don’t know what it is about that word that he always gets hung up on, but I ignore it and try to push through before I mess up and tell him I’m never going to get enough of him and wish he’d just stay in Texas. “Everyone already thinks we’re dating, so it’s not like it’s a bad thing if they think we’re messing around, but we need to be more careful.”

“I can grab condoms today.”

“Oh my god.” My eyes widen as a couple of men sitting at the counter turn to look at us over their shoulders. I glare at Shane, dropping my voice to a whisper. “Just because we’re dating doesn’t mean we need the town whispering about what form of protection we are or aren’t using between the sheets. And that’s not what I’m talking about anyway. I’m saying that there’s nothing wrong with what we’re doing. If anything, it felt very, very right.” He grins, and I feel my blood rushing to my cheeks. “But that’s exactly why we need to remember what this is. Temporary. No hurt feelings when it comes to an end.”

Gigi picks that moment to walk up and deliver our coffee and water. Shane doesn’t take his eyes off me, even though she stares at him the entire time she fills his mug.

When she finally leaves us, he breaks his silence. “You’re saying you want to keep it casual?”

“Exactly.” I force a smile, hoping he can’t see how much I hate that word coming out of his mouth. “We can continue to date. Continue to pretend it’s going somewhere. We can even enjoy the perks.” I glance around, and no one hears me this time. “But that’s it. That’s all we can be. I need to know if you think you can handle it.”

Because I know I can’t. One wrong step and I’m going to fall hard and fast, and this man is going to break my heart. I want so much more than what I’m saying, but that’s why I need to establish these boundaries.

The corner of Shane’s mouth tics up. “Don’t worry. I can handle you, cowgirl.”

“Good.” I straighten my shoulders.

“Good.”

Gigi drops off our food, and I let that end our conversation, even though it leaves every bite tasting bitter. Not even the perfectly crisp bacon makes me feel better about the mess we’ve made.

Shane watches the street as he eats, glancing over at me when I moan around bites of food. I’m a noisy eater. It annoys my brothers to no end. Shane must feel the same with how his jaw tightens each time I make a sound.

“Good food.” I smile, holding up a piece of bacon.

Good food?

What am I even saying?

Internally, I roll my eyes and grumble, staying silent while we finish our breakfast. Shane finishes before me, leaning back and glancing at the truck parked outside the window. After a few minutes, he frowns.

“If you’re missing your bike, we could have taken it to breakfast.” I shrug. “I think I’m finally figuring out the I-lean, you-lean concept.”

He chuckles. “I noticed. But you’re still figuring out appropriate riding attire, so I couldn’t risk it.”

“Are you saying we took the truck because of my dress?” I shimmy my shoulders, and his gaze falls to my chest.

To be fair, my breasts look amazing in this dress. It’s one of the reasons I chose it. The white fabric dips in a heart shape that accentuates them perfectly. It tapers in at my waist, then flows out, too short to reach my knees. I paired the dress with my favorite red boots and whiskey-brown hat because even though I preach a casual relationship, I can’t seem to stop testing Shane’s resolve when it comes to his obvious cowgirl obsession.

It seems to be working, since he hasn’t kept his hands off me.

Squeezing my thigh on the ride here. Helping me out of the truck. Holding my hand, my lower back, my waist. The only reason we have so much distance between us right now is that I refused to sit on the same side of the booth as him because I don’t understand why couples do that.

“You’re not climbing on the back of my bike in a dress, even if it’s hot as fuck.”

“You could have asked me to change outfits.”

“And be denied this sexy little thing?” His eyebrow hitches, and my cheeks heat.