The Cowboy's Bride Bet - Holly Rayner Page 0,14

bottom lip between his teeth as the kiss broke, urging me not to stop. But I knew that if I didn’t pull away now, I’d lose the last of my resolve.

With all the stress I was under, the thought of a distraction this delicious was almost too good to pass up, but I’d never been the type to sleep with a guy I’d just met. The fact that I was leaving town the next day and I’d probably never see him again made me positive that this was the perfect way to end our evening together. Not with casual sex in a cheap motel room; just one perfect, earth-shattering kiss that would be burned into my memory as long as I lived.

With my hand on his chest, I took a step back, maintaining the distance between us. “Good night, Connor.” My mouth practically watered as I gazed up at him.

“Good night, Ashleigh.” He took my hand and kissed the back of my knuckles. “Mystery woman.”

Closing the door, I let out a deep sigh. The heavy weight in my chest was replaced with something lighter. In just a couple of hours, I’d become completely infatuated with this man, a cowboy of all things!

I put the chain in place and locked the deadbolt, then walked over and fell face first onto the stiff motel mattress.

God, who in their right mind would be thinking about sex at a time like this? Maybe all the anxiety from the constant threat of death looming over me had finally fried my last brain cell. Logical thought had left the premises, and the only thing my cave woman brain wanted to do was drag that man back to my cave and rip his clothes off.

Good thing I had the self-control to send him packing. I groaned, reaching over to switch the lights off. That would have been nothing but trouble.

I tossed and turned, staring at the illuminated curtains, just waiting for a fedora wearing silhouette to appear, gun in hand. But eventually, I did fall asleep.

I woke up with a jolt, dreams of gunfire still ringing in my ears. I rolled off the edge of the bed, hitting the rough carpet with my knees and elbows. I covered my head with my arms as imaginary glass and debris rained down on me. The memory of the store getting shot up was still fresh in my mind. It was a miracle I’d made it out of there alive, a mistake that Moretti’s thugs would correct if they caught up to me.

Heart still pounding, I stood up and grabbed my room key and my backpack. I reached for the door handle when the dark shadow of a man stepped in front of my window. I rocked back on one foot to step away from the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

My breath froze in my chest.

They know I’m in here.

Heart thrumming in my ears, I knew that my only shot was to climb through the slat above the shower and pray his buddy wasn’t covering the back.

This is it, I thought. My time is up, and I’m going to die a thousand miles from home in Greenwater, Texas. The cops will find me riddled with bullets in a dingy motel room, and my parents will never know why this happened to me.

“Ashleigh?” Connor’s voice called from the other side of the door. “Sorry to bug you. I forgot to give you back your jacket.”

I exhaled an exasperated sigh of relief, putting one hand on my chest as I opened the door.

“Jeez, Connor,” I breathed, tears rushing to my eyes. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“Hey.” Connor’s brow darkened with concern as I snatched the jacket out of his hands. “You look like someone just walked all over your grave.”

I shook my head, not meeting his gaze. “You just startled me, is all,” I muttered.

“Ashleigh…” He shot me a stern look that made me straighten up. “Is someone out to hurt you?”

“You shouldn’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answers to.” I hugged myself, my eyes glued to my feet.

“All right.” He stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him. “I’m going to ask you one more time. Who are you running from? And don’t give me some nonsense about how you’re on some ‘finding yourself’ road trip.”

“Excuse me!” I hardened my resolve. “What gives you the right to barge in here demanding answers? You don’t even know me.”

“I don’t need to.” He pointed at the door. “It’s