The Cowboy's Bride Bet - Holly Rayner Page 0,41

and reached out to pull him inside by the bottom of his T-shirt. There’s no way he could be this oblivious.

He crossed the threshold, and I closed the door behind him, standing up on my tiptoes to kiss him again. Connor ran his fingers through my hair as I clung to him, our bodies pressing tightly together as I devoured his kiss. His hands drifted down my body, grasping my hips with a ferocity that made me nervous.

“Would it be…” I stepped back, pulling the bottom of my shirt down. “Is it all right if we take this kind of slow?”

“Oh.” He took a deep breath, nodding agreeably even as his brow furrowed. “Uh, of course. No expectations, remember?”

“No expectations.” I smiled, putting my hands on his chest. “You can tell me to slow down, too. If I get carried away…”

“I don’t see that happening.” His eyes danced down the length of my body with a ravenous longing.

There was no question that I wanted him, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that neither of us was thinking straight, and allowing my libido to make decisions didn’t seem like a great way to get clarity. Still, the feeling of his muscular torso through that skintight white T-shirt had me struggling to maintain my tether to reality.

If he doesn’t leave now, I might not be able to control myself.

Chapter 14

Connor

This woman was a walking contradiction, but I would be nothing if not respectful of her boundaries. Even if it took every ounce of willpower at my disposal.

“I’m going to go… turn in for the night.” I cleared my throat. “I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.”

“Oh.” Ashleigh composed herself. “Yeah, sounds good. Good night again.”

The cold night air sweeping over me helped as I walked back to the house for the second time. And I saw a cold shower in my near future.

The following day, things went mostly back to normal. Ashleigh didn’t make a move, so I didn’t make a move. We focused on our work, and on the occasion that we did kiss, I made sure to hold back, letting her set the pace.

At dinner, she gave me the go-ahead to call my parents. It wasn’t something I’d been looking forward to, but if this marriage was going to serve its purpose, everyone would need to believe it was real. The thing I wasn’t quite ready to admit to was that I was starting to believe it myself.

After Ashleigh and I did the dishes, she retired to the guesthouse, and I called my parents’ landline.

It rang once…

What have I gotten myself into with this girl? I’m getting married to someone who is completely open about her plans to leave. My feelings for her are confusing as hell already.

What was it going to feel like when it was time for her to move on? I was usually the heartbreaker in every relationship, and I preferred it that way.

It rang twice…

What does it even matter?

I reminded myself how I didn’t actually want to get married. I needed this so that I could keep my grandad’s car. Ashleigh needed this so that she could be safe and eventually move on with her life. It didn’t need to be anything more than that. I knew this was precisely what we both needed—so why did I feel like this?

“Hello, Brinks residence,” my mom answered.

“Hey, Mama.” I paced in the kitchen as I talked. “I’m sorry for callin’ so late.”

“Oh, it’s barely nine.” She scoffed. “Your father and I aren’t that old. We were just talking about you. Are you going to be bringing Ashleigh to the barbecue again this weekend?”

“Actually, I think we might have other plans.” I chuckled.

“Oh, really?” Her frown was almost audible.

“Yeah.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I… sort of… asked her to marry me.”

“You did what?” Mom’s voice went up two octaves. “Eugene! Eugene, get in here!”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, grimacing as the phone on her end clattered to the floor. I could hear her voice muffled as she attempted to cover the receiver, relaying what I’d just said.

“I told you so!” Dad responded in the background. “Didn’t I tell you he had that look?”

“Well, I thought we raised him to have more sense than us.” Mom sounded like she was speaking through clenched teeth.

“I thought you’d be happy.” I spoke a little louder since she wasn’t holding the phone to her ear. “You’ve been after me to settle down for years.”

“That’s true.” She huffed. “I