Evie:See you soon.
Evie hopped out of her bed and rushed to the bathroom to brush her teeth and freshen up. She had ten minutes to figure out how to seduce a cowboy.
* * *
Evie never knew how long ten minutes could stretch on. She found herself sitting on the stone bench just outside Zach’s front door. She wrapped the plaid wool shawl Blaire had packed for her tighter around her shoulders and tried to ignore the cool wind blowing across the cul-de-sac. The anticipation that lit a fire under her ass and had her practically running from Miss Leona’s house was just enough to keep her warm, when she saw headlights make their way up Pleasant Lane. She could hear the dogs barking inside Jesse’s house as she approached, but they quieted just as quickly, probably hushed by Jesse himself.
It was silly, but just seeing Zach behind the wheel as he pulled his truck to a stop made Evie’s heart beat faster. Her body warmed all over again. When he got out of his truck she stood, her body coiled and ready to pounce.
“Evening, ma’am,” he said, touching the brim of his hat.
Evie rolled her eyes even though heat rushed between her legs at the sight of his smile and nicely pressed suit. “Get over here.” She’d been in his arms that afternoon, but that didn’t stop her from soaking up every bit of him as he pulled her close. She fell into the shadow of his hat brim, burying her cheek against his neck as both their faces were hidden from the porch light. She breathed him in, expecting a faint hint of the way he’d exerted himself in the ring, but all she got was the scent of fresh soap. He must have showered before he changed. He pulled back, then lightly touched her cheek with the rough pad of his thumb.
“You’re spoiling me,” he said. Evie couldn’t help but watch his full lips when he talked.
“How so?”
“There’s a beautiful woman waiting for me on my porch. There’s not much more I can ask for,” he replied, and then that smug smirk was back. When she woke up in the hospital, part of her wondered how it was possible for his intense good looks to distract her from his over-the-top cockiness, but now she understood. It was all a front, and if she played along she knew she’d reap the rewards of tangling with a cowboy like Zach Pleasant. She smiled to herself and took a step back, loving the way his hands slid down the length of her arms as she moved.
“You really want me to leave, don’t you?” she teased.
“Hell, nah.”
“Then stop talking and kiss me.” She followed his gaze as his eyes roamed over her face, settling on her lips. She needed to send Shanny a thank-you note for the lip balm. She wasn’t confident of much these days, but she knew her lips were kissably soft.
Zach’s arms slid around her waist, and as she pressed her hands against his chest, Evie prepared herself to be kissed senseless. Instead, the way he pressed his lips to hers was light and gentle, a whisper of the different ways things could be between them. Another kiss, just as sweet as he turned his head just a bit. Evie felt the breath leaving her lungs. She didn’t breathe again until he pulled away. She watched his face as she sighed, making a sound dangerously close to a moan.
He had no right to be so handsome. Still, she could see the emotions dancing across his features. She was tempted to smooth away the worry that touched the corners of his dark brown eyes. She wanted to touch his lips, remind him that they still had time. That for now, she wasn’t going anywhere, but she kept her hands right where they were, on his perfectly sculpted chest.
“What is it?” She could feel his muscles dance under her fingers through the fabric of his dress shirt.
“Nothing. I’ve just missed you. That’s all. You leave a note for Vega?” he asked, lifting the spell between them, just a little bit.
“She heard me leave my room and came to check on me.”
“And she didn’t stop you?”
“She just told me to make sure you had protection and not to overexert myself. The doctor has to clear me for sex.”
“Hey, listen. We don’t have to do anything. We can just—”
“I know. That’s what I want. I just want to spend time with you. Not that I don’t want to try forward-and reverse-cowgirl with you. That’s not the only reason I came over. I mean it is, but—you know what I mean.”
“Let’s go inside and see what we can do about keeping your heart rate in a safe range.” Zach eased by her, pulling his keys from his pocket. She stopped him, though, with a hand on his elbow before he could open the door.
“Wait. Before I come in, who’s Katie?”
“Katie. Do you have a last name?”
“I found my diary from the summer, when I broke my arm.” Evie looked down as she traced the scar on her skin. “You kissed some girl named Katie? I was pretty pissed about it.”
“Woow. Katie Brown.” He shook his head, then took off his cowboy hat as if it and the memory were too much to handle at once. “Yes. I kissed Katie Brown that summer. She had a meeting at her house, announcing it to her friends and—fuck, what was that girl’s name—Nora Berks told anyone who would listen.”
“Sounds dramatic.”
“Are you jealous?”
“Of a girl that you kissed when we were in high school? No. I was just looking for some clarity. I had a lot to say in those diaries. A lot of nothing, but some good stuff too.”