that line a long time. Being with her now, like this, freed something inside him. Something he hadn’t realized he’d kept locked down along with his real feelings. “Get used to it.”
The horses shifted restlessly beside them. He reluctantly released Liz and followed her lead, taking his horse’s reins and walking behind Liz and her horse to the stables. Her ass looked good in a saddle and swaying as she walked.
God, he had it bad.
“Declan should have dinner ready soon. Hungry?”
She glanced over her shoulder, a sweet, sexy smile on her lips as her eyes dipped and traveled down him and back up, leaving a blazing trail of heat. “Yep.”
He’d always liked her. He thought he knew everything about her, but he’d never seen her like this. “This side of you fascinates me.”
She stopped her horse by its stall and glanced at him. “What side?”
“You seem so . . . open.”
“I don’t have to hide the way I feel about you.”
And he didn’t have to stop himself from noticing things about her. Like the long column of her neck where he wanted to kiss her. The way she cocked her hip when she stared at him. The temptation of her pink bowed lips. “It’s sexy as hell.”
“It’s just me, Tate. You just never noticed.”
“I can’t stop noticing now.”
Her sweet smile widened. “I like you flirting and all sweet on me. It’s nice.” She’d waited a long time for him to see what was right in front of his face.
They unsaddled the horses and brushed them down in companionable silence, working hard to get the job done. With the horses settled in their stalls, fed and watered, he held his hand out to her. She took it, sliding her fingers through his. They walked up to the house, exchanging silly smiles and shoulder bumps along the way. This all still felt new and a little weird at times but fun and exciting and like an adventure to someplace you couldn’t wait to see and experience.
They walked in the front door and caught Declan pulling a casserole out of the oven.
Tate reluctantly let go of Liz at the breakfast bar and headed for the fridge. “Hey, man, what can I do?” He pulled two beers from the fridge, set his on the counter, unscrewed the cap from Liz’s, and handed it to her. He uncapped his, clinked the neck of his bottle to hers, then took a deep sip. After the dusty ride, he needed the cold wash of liquid down his throat.
Liz took a deep sip and sighed. “That’s good.”
Declan set the casserole on a hot pad on the counter. “Can you set the table?”
“I’ll do it,” Liz offered.
Tate put his hand on her shoulder to get her to sit on the stool at the counter. “Drink your beer. We got this.”
Liz sat, but didn’t let it go. “You know I’ve eaten dinner here with you all many times and always helped with the meal.”
“Not tonight.” Tate wanted to do something nice for her. Let her relax and just enjoy the time they had together.
Declan winked at her. “He’s trying to impress you.”
Tate rolled his eyes. “Yeah, with my mad place setting skills.”
Liz laughed and it hit him in the gut and tied it in knots.
Tate walked past her with the plates, utensils, and napkins stacked in his hands.
Liz did that sexy once-over of him again. “He is impressive.”
God, how that inflated his ego and made him want to strip her bare and make love to her all night.
Declan shook his head. “Gross.” He slid the garlic bread into the oven, then turned back to Liz. “You guys are going to be just as annoyingly happy as Drake and Adria, aren’t you?”
Tate really hoped so. “Get used to it.” It seemed they all had to take a little time to settle into the changes between him and Liz.
“I love lasagna.” Liz changed the subject.
“Tate brought it home after you guys took everything back to Almost Homemade after the farmers market. Since it’s my night to cook, he asked me to pop this in the oven and make some garlic bread and a salad.”
Liz turned on the stool to face him. “You did?”
“It’s your favorite meal. Simple enough to make what you like when I could grab most of it from the shop.”
Appreciation shone in her eyes as she picked up her beer and looked at it then saluted him with it. “Thank you for being so considerate.”