to help,” I tell him.
“Is that right?” he says and folds his arms, matching my stance. “Now why would you want to do that?”
“I don’t know… I just…”
She frowns and my stomach tightens. “Because it’s something she knows,” I say, sensing she’s doing this more for herself than for us. I slap Colin on the back. “And we need all the help we can get.” I should probably be keeping my distance from her, but for some odd reason, this is important to her, although for the life of me, I can’t understand why. My gaze roams her face. Who was she, and what did she do, before coming here? I shouldn’t want to know, shouldn’t get any more involved than I already am. I can’t forget her days here are numbered.
Then why are you, dude?
She beams up at me, then stifles a yawn. “I can work on the choreography tonight.” She crinkles her nose. “Does it have to be a Britney Spears song?”
“I only picked it because I did a Google search and it seemed popular,” Colin says.
“A Google search, huh?” Alyson says and turns to gives me a grin. “I think we’re going to get along just fine.”
Colin looks at her like he has no idea what she’s talking about, but shrugs and says, “I’m not stuck on this song. If you have something better, I’d love to hear it. I just want to make my girl happy.”
“That’s sweet,” she says, a small smile on her mouth as her eyes glaze over. That’s an awful dreamy look for a girl who says she’s not interested in a relationship or marriage.
“Sweet enough to give me a damn toothache,” I say and shake my head.
Her eyes light up. “Speaking of sweet, I think I have the perfect song,” she says, blinking her focus back, and for the first time since I’ve met her, confidence radiates in her eyes. It looks good on her. “When do you guys meet again?”
“Next Sunday night,” Colin supplies and gives me a look that suggests it will be a miracle if she’s here much past that, and I have to agree. “The wedding is in a month.”
She taps her chin and looks around. “With what I saw here, we’re going to need a ton of practice.”
“Hey, I take offense to that,” I say and pull myself up to my full height.
She pokes my chest, and I wish she hadn’t. The warmth of her touch seeps into my skin, and I step closer, crowd her as Colin walks away to shut things down for the night.
“You, my friend, shouldn’t take offense,” she says.
“Oh, we’re friends now?”
“All I’m saying is helping a neighbor is what people around these parts do, and since I’m now a farmer, and you’re my neighbor…”
I lean toward her, crowd her, and note her fast intake of breath. I’m playing with fire here, and I damn well know it. “How are you going to help me, Alyson?”
She blinks up at me, a hint of color moving into her cheeks. “We can start with a few private dance lessons, to get you up to speed.”
Damn if I don’t know how I want those lessons to end.
“I’m not a professional,” she says, plucking at her shirt. “But after years of lessons, I can show you all the moves.”
My heart pounds double time. If she weren’t so sweet, innocent, and naive, I’d think she was talking about something else entirely. Then again, I caught her checking me out a time or two. Pretty sure she caught me, too. Maybe Colin is right. Maybe I should have some fun with the new girl while she’s here. We both made it clear we’re not looking for anything, but the electricity between us is palpable.
“About earlier,” I begin. Obviously she saw the ring box. It’s not that I keep it there as a reminder or that I’m walloying in self-pity. No, it’s a family heirloom. I tried to give it back to Mom, but she told me to keep it. “I didn’t mean to go on the defense like that. It’s just—”
She holds her hand up to stop me. “None of my business.” With her chin tipped, she exhales softly, and her sweet breath washes over me. The pink flush on her cheeks deepens. “I have a tendency to put my foot in it.”
“As long as you don’t put it in the manure, you’re good.”
She chuckles, and it strokes my dick.
Down, boy.
“Truce?” she says, with a cock of her