Page 30 of The Texas Ranger: Saddled Up
“I spent the night with someone who gets me. Oh boy did he get me.”
No, that wouldn’t work. She deleted that message also.
“I could never spend my time with a man who’s a mommy’s boy. Or a man who is a runner-up in the smallest penis contest…I found someone who is perfect in every sense of the word.”
Before she could hit send, the door opened and she dropped her phone onto the bed.
Bear had returned. He carried a cup with furling steam rolling out and a bottle of pain medicine, she took two.
Although it hurt to even hold her head up at an angle so she could look up at him, if she lowered her chin she’d be eye level with a part of him that she’d been curious about since day one. Aasia knew he wouldn’t be a winner in a small peniscontest. She felt him through his jeans last night and he was built, and sexy as hell.
“What happened? Did we…you know?” Her pulse stuttered. She needed to make sure the dream was actually a dream and not reality.
“Yeah, we did and it was amazing.” His eyes turned brighter and his grin was sandwiched between dimples.
“We did?” Her voice rose as she tried to piece together the events of last night. “
“Nothing beyond a bit of flirtation and some hot and heavy kissing. I tucked you in and you fell asleep. You slept in the same house as a handful of ranch hands and didn’t get lucky.” He winked.
“Oh…”
“Just so we’re clear, if we had sex, you would remember. I’m not into taking advantage of drunk women. You were in no condition last night to do anything but get a good night’s sleep. I slept on the couch. I slept like shit.” He rolled his head and kneaded his shoulders.
“I’m sorry for taking your bed.”
“Hell, I had a beautiful woman in my bed and I didn’t get lucky either.” That drawl. The unmistakable accent that caused an uproar of heat between her legs.
She pushed back the cover, squealed, then hurried and pulled it back over her partially nude body.
“My skirt…it’s gone.” She skimmed the floor. “I assume that’s it.” She pointed at the denim blob on the floor.
“Yeah, that’s it. Wouldn’t be mine.”
“You undressed me?” she squeaked.
“Relax. I didn’t. You were fully dressed when I left last night.” When she narrowed her gaze, he chuckled. “Honestly. Unless there’s a clothes thief fairy in this room, you must have gotten hot and took the skirt off.”
She dropped her face into her palm. When she looked back up, he was still smiling. “I should thank you. I mean, for bringing me here.” She sat up straighter, pushing through the dull pain in her head.
He sat down on the edge of the bed. “We couldn’t have Pedora grounding you. I want to see you again.”
“I know it must seem juvenile to be worried about her seeing me drunk. I respect Pedora.” What Aasia couldn’t say to Bear was that she felt like she needed to walk on eggshells to make sure she didn’t offend the people where she lived. She lived in fear that they would abandon her. Years of therapy had made her fully aware that she had abandonment issues. However, self-reflection made her realize she had to grow a backbone. The time of stepping aside and staying quiet had passed.
“I respect that you respect her. And it wasn’t a problem.”
She took a long sip of the coffee and almost spat it out. “What in God’s name is in this cup? That’s not coffee.”
“Coffee strong enough to make a sloth move faster. Perfect for those pesky hangovers.”
She set the cup back down. The kitten clawed its way up the blanket and jumped onto her lap. “Looks like I have a new friend.” She scratched his head, being rewarded with an eruption of deep purrs.
“Lucky cat,” he said. “He got a name yet?”
“No, not yet.” She picked the kitten up and looked up into his eyes. “He needs something unique. Something like Bear.” She shifted her gaze onto him, hoping he sensed her curiosity.
“That makes a lot of sense. Lots of hair. Always hungry. Loves to lay in your lap.”
A warm flush washed over her. She cleared her throat. “You certainly have a way with words. Anyway, again, I’m sorry I took your bed.”
