his coat and hat, and was out the door into the storm.
She swallowed, tears threatening the back of her eyes.
Trent pulled her down onto his lap and snuggled his nose into her neck. “He likes you. They all do. This is what family feels like, Hallie.”
Her heart swelled with so much longing, she could barely breathe. This ranching life was too dangerous. The men got hurt so much they knew how to stitch each other up. She wanted Trent, and she wanted to be with him, but having his love and losing it would be too much. However, right now she had this moment, and she had him. She swung her leg to his other side and straddled him, careful of his injured wrist. Then she kissed him.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Trent was on fire for the little minx. She straddled him, her mouth soft and sweet with a taste of his good whiskey. There was a certain desperation in her kiss, in her touch, but she was careful of the bandage on his face.
He let her play, his hand resting at her hip. The whiskey in his blood warmed him but the woman on his lap shot fire right through him. The flames licked and teased, torturing him until it hurt not to take over.
Even so, he contented himself with kissing her back.
Until she bit his bottom lip.
Electric sparks zipped through his mouth, straight south, catching him by surprise. His blue-eyed woman had a vixen in her, and he leaned back to stare. “You bit me.”
Her smile was catlike. “Don’t tell me one little bite from me hurt you. Want me to call Ford back and see if he can stitch you up?”
Amusement warred with the arousal rushing through him. Cute and sassy—now if she got sweet again, he’d lose his mind. Those were only three of the many facets of this woman, and an entire lifetime of being with her wouldn’t show him all of them. He just knew it. “Brats who bite should prepare for the consequences,” he murmured.
Interest swept across her face. “You’re wounded, cowboy. You shouldn’t make threats.”
He stood in one smooth motion, his hands at her butt, her legs wrapped around his hips. “A couple of stitches won’t slow me down, city girl. You might want to keep that in mind.” To his surprise, his Kentucky twang emerged faintly. He had to watch himself with her.
She leaned in and pressed a sweet kiss against his lips. “I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
He leaned back, easily carrying her weight. Yep. That was humor in those eyes. It wasn’t as if she’d broken the skin, and he liked a little nip once in a while. “You might want to remember that I have teeth as well, and I’d bet mine are sharper than yours.” He leaned in, satisfied when her breath caught. “And I won’t bite your lip.”
With her thighs against his hips, she still looked rather daring. “Really? Where exactly do you want to bite me?”
He let one of his dark eyebrows rise. “You’re feeling rather brave tonight, aren’t you?”
She shrugged, a small smile playing over her bow-shaped mouth. “I guess. You’re leaving tomorrow, and when you get back, things will be different. My car will be fixed, and hopefully I’ll be out of trouble. If you’re not in jail, that is.”
It sounded as if she planned to leave him. Interesting. “Since you don’t have anywhere to go, why don’t you stay in town? Then I can date you properly.” He had no clue how to take things slow with her. She was the one. The only one who’d dug right into his chest and planted herself there. But if she needed slow, he’d give it to her. What he wouldn’t do was give her up.
She shook her head. “You don’t understand. I like you, too. Usually.” She said the last quietly.
He couldn’t help but smile. “Usually works just fine for me.” He wasn’t the world’s most likable guy, and he did get bossy, which she probably didn’t like. He also probably wasn’t going to change. His hands clenched into her rear end on their own, and her soft gasp almost had him doing it again. “What’s on your mind?”
She held still, her eyes deepening to the darkest of sapphires. “I don’t want to talk. Let’s go back to kissing.”
Tempting. Definitely tempting. “Oh, we’ll go back to the kissing, but first, you’re going to tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”
She frowned, looking adorable. “Maybe