her discarded clothes. They watched the sky a little while longer until she fell asleep in his arms. She wasn’t sure what time he had gone to sleep because she was sure he was still wide awake when she started dozing off. The sun cresting over the mountainous valley awakened her was. “Oh my goodness,” she nearly squealed. Shane mumbled something as he rubbed his eyes and sat up. It didn’t take long for awareness to be etched on his face. The man was too good at waking up without hesitation. She gathered that had a lot to do with his former career. Sleeping soundly could get a man killed in his line of work.
“I’m going to be late,” she fidgeted around the truck, looking for the hairclip that Shane had pulled from her hair last night. He liked her hair loose and flowing. He seemed to like running his fingers through it. She liked it when he did it too. There was something comforting and relaxing about having him stroke his big fingers through her hair. Suddenly she had acute awareness of what else those big fingers had stroked just hours earlier.
“Relax,” he said. “You’ll be on time. It’s not even seven o’clock yet.” Shane had a point; the sun was rising earlier so it wasn’t really as late as it felt. But, she also knew what she needed to do before she could open the store. She had to take her shower, change her clothes, and take the new pieces down to the store. She would have taken those down last night, but she was out on a date with the sexiest man in her Arizonan world.
“I have to set up the new pieces in the store this morning,” she told him as she scrambled to get down from the truck. He placed one big hand on her ankle and pulled her backwards. She yelped. “What are you doing you crazy man!?”
He simply laughed. “Saving you from getting down in the dirt barefooted. In case you forgot, you left your shoes in my truck…and, there might be some scorpions waking up down there as well.”
“Oh,” she nodded. “You have a point. Unfortunately, you threw my shirt down there.”
He shrugged. “I’ll shake it out after I get you in the truck.”
“I am not putting that thing back on until it’s spent a few rounds in the washing machine. I hope you have an extra shirt in your duffle bag there because you’re not getting this one back.” He wasn’t going to get it back ever. She liked the way it felt on her body, it was like being wrapped in Shane Maxwell and she wanted to take this baby home and sleep in it every night.
He jumped down off the truck before walking over to her side and stretching his arms out for her. She smiled at him, willingly reaching out to him and letting him lift her out of the truck and into his arms. After he set her down inside she put her shoes back on while he wrapped the blankets up. When he started the engine she assumed he was taking her home, but he hadn’t—at least not to her home.
“Um…” she looked at him, puzzled. She really did have to get back to the store. Then again, maybe he didn’t want to deal with the waste in gas on making several trips. He needed to get ready for the day ahead of them too.
“I’m going to show you my place,” he took her hand in his. “Then I’m going to shower. Then I’ll take you back to your store.”
She followed him willingly. His home was beautiful. He had land, space that she wished she had herself, and the actual ranch style structure was gorgeous. He kept it groomed on the outside and meticulously neat on the inside. “Do you spend a lot of time here?” She laughed.
“I run a tight ship,” he said. “I like things in their place.”
“See, we could never live together. I always hang my underwear in the bathroom to dry and that would probably drive you crazy.” She wasn’t sure why she had mentioned living together. Several dates and a phenomenal orgasm did not equate to moving in status.
“I’ve seen your underwear,” he grinned. “And trust me; having those hanging around the bathroom wouldn’t bother me.”
“Really?” She asked skeptically. “I think it would drive you crazy.”
He shook his head no. “Knowing what you like to wear under your clothes, having your