Summer Love_ A Steamy Small Town Romance Anthology - Piper Rayne Page 0,161

bet that’s not true, though I would have been sorry if I ruined them. They were nice boots, if impractical.”

“Why not?” He propped himself up on his elbows despite the protestations of his lower back. He now had a second chance with Sierra, but he sensed he had to play it cool and easy. “Why can’t we have a nice dinner and see where this goes?”

“Because you’re leaving and I’m staying. This can go nowhere.”

“Does everything have to go somewhere? Can’t we just have fun?” Yup, play it cool. He had to ease her into this. She was not looking for anything more serious, which was ironic since he was usually the one running away as fast as his two feet could move. He sensed she’d be worth it. He could be patient.

She paused, her hands stilling on his ribs as she pondered his words. “I don’t do fun. I don’t have time for that. Not usually.”

She was clearly conflicted and he found he wanted to know why. No, he needed to know. His gaze bore into hers, holding her hostage. “Just one dinner. Don’t you want to see if the heat is there without the alcohol?”

A long pause, then she said quietly, “Yes.”

Her hands remained on his lower back, the touch an agonizing pleasure that was making his position face-down on the table really uncomfortable. Hearing her admit her attraction to him, when he’d expected her to deny it without the fog of alcohol, was doing incredible things to his libido. It was all he could do to not roll over and start the date right now. He wondered if anyone else had ever had that kind of reaction during a massage and why there wasn’t a hole in the table south of his face to accommodate it. Somehow, he hoped he was the only asshole to respond like that to her.

He forced himself to listen to the godawful music that made him want to claw his ears off and think about anything other than her sweet scent and the touch of her hands. After a moment, when he did nothing else but lie on the table, she dug back into her work, attacking his knots with renewed vigor. Sadly, even the pain didn’t deflate his interest.

After several long, agonizing minutes that did loosen some of the spasms, she trailed her hands up his back a few times to soothe the muscles.

“Roll over so I can work on your front.”

If only she meant to satisfy the new craving in his body . . . But she was being the consummate professional. More’s the pity.

He groaned. “Yeah, I think I’ll stay where I am for now. Unless you want to see more of me than you already have.”

She scoffed. “Colt, trust me. You have nothing I haven’t already seen. Now roll over so I can work on your legs and stretch you out a bit more.”

He gave a strained laugh. “You asked for it.”

Yeah, maybe he should have stayed on his stomach, though before she averted her eyes, he saw the appreciation in them and the male inside him preened.

That Saturday night, Sierra tried on several outfits before settling on a long denim skirt, a peasant blouse, and a pair of cowboy boots. She had no idea what to wear for a date with a country music star and she was damned sure she had nothing in her closet that would suit. He would have to deal with who she was.

Maybe she was being unfair. Colt never seemed to put on airs the few times she’d met him, except for his fancy boots. She was just nervous. There was something between them, more than sexual heat, though she was more than willing to explore part of their attraction. But she wasn’t ready to pull up stakes and live the travelling life, not even for love. She’d been there, done that, watched her mother do the same thing. Love was unreliable and if she followed him, soon she’d be stranded in some strange place, with nothing to her name and no way to support herself. She’d be her mother all over again and she’d be damned if she’d allow that.

She’d spent far too much time building her life here in Granite Junction, becoming a small business owner, gaining a reputation. Now, she was poised for more growth, right on the cusp of being ready to expand to her real dream of a full spa at the guest ranch at Redemption Ranch.