Page 94 of Bad Decisions & Back Roads

“I know.”Her smile softened.“Raincheck?Tonight, I’ve got it.”

I settled onto the couch with an old sci-fi movie I’d seen so many times I could quote half the dialogue in my sleep.The warmth of the room, the beer, the exhaustion pressing behind my eyes—it all dragged me under fast.

At some point, she joined me.

A gentle hand slid into my hair.“Come here.”

Half-asleep, I let her guide my head into her lap.Her fingers worked slowly over my scalp, nails scraping just enough to send a heavy wave of relief through me.Every tight muscle in my body loosened one notch at a time.

“Thank you for everything you did today,” she whispered.

The only thing my brain could produce was a gravelly, “Feels good.”

She laughed softly under her breath, and the sound vibrated through her thighs into my cheek.

I drifted out hard after that.

When I woke again, the TV was still flashing blue light across the room, some alien spaceship exploding while the volume played low.My neck was twisted at an angle guaranteed to hurt tomorrow.I pushed myself upright, blinking through sleep.

I started to ask if her legs were numb, but then I noticed her head tipped against the couch cushion.Out cold.A strand of hair had fallen across her mouth.One hand still rested loosely against my shoulder like she’d fallen asleep making sure I stayed there.

Carefully, I slid an arm beneath her knees and another around her back.She made a sleepy little sound and curled closer against me as I carried her down the hall.I got her onto the bed, eased off her shoes, then stripped out of my jeans and shirt before climbing in beside her.The mattress dipped as I pulled her against my chest.

She sighed in her sleep and tucked into me.

For the first time in weeks, the constant pressure in my ribs eased.Both my girls were under one roof.

Nobody was alone.Nobody was out there getting hurt.I didn’t have to wonder if Gia was about to get attacked or be on an emergency call, wrestling a thousand pounds of dangerous horseflesh with a personal vendetta against veterinarians.

For one night, she was here.Safe.

ChapterThirty-Two

GIA

I blinkedawake into the dark, disoriented.An arm wrapped around my waist like he planned to keep me there.

I rolled over and found Timothy watching me.In the faint amber glow of the nightlight in the corner, he was wide awake as if he’d been studying me for a while.

“What time is it?”I whispered.

“’Bout four-thirty.”His voice came out rough with sleep.

“I should go.Gotta check on Misty.”The lie of it was obvious when I slid closer instead, pressing my face against the warm plane of his chest.

A low chuckle rumbled through him.“I should get up and shower.Missed my run this morning, but I usually go up to the dairy barn before Sofia gets up.I should help get the milking started.”

He brushed a slow kiss against my cheek before shifting to sit on the edge of the bed.The sheets dragged down his back, all bare skin and muscle in the dim light.

I pushed myself up onto my elbows, watching him.“You need some help with that shower?”

He shot me a sidelong glance over his shoulder, his mouth curling slow and sinful.“Thinkin’ I might.”

I followed him into a tiled bathroom that stopped me short in the doorway.I’d expected something sparse and practical.Instead, the room was warm and lived-in.Soft recessed lights glowed against pale stone tile.A deep soaking tub sat beneath a fogged window, and the walk-in shower was big enough to fit three people comfortably.

The long counter was cluttered in a way that made my chest tighten unexpectedly—his razor tossed beside a half-empty tube of toothpaste, a watch abandoned near the sink, a pile of opened mail, and a can of shaving cream with the cap off.I turned slowly, taking it all in while water thundered against tile.

Behind me, Timothy hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his boxer briefs and shoved them down without ceremony.He glanced back over his shoulder, eyes dark with challenge.