Page 36 of Disarming The Rancher

Well, damn. She couldn’t argue his point. One minute they were lip-locked and practically on fire and the next reality set in and one of them saw reason. To say the situation was complicated was a lot like saying Texas summers were hot.

“Just because we want different things doesn’t mean we can’t spend time together now,” she said.

“Doesn’t it?” His eyebrow shot up as he led her up the stairs.

It was infuriating how right he was.

“We already agreed no more kissing. Again,” she said on a sigh. All the reasons they couldn’t figure out a way to date flew out the window when his thick lips pressed to hers. He had the perfect mouth and when he broke into a wide smile, there was a show of perfectly straight, white teeth.

“Probably for the best,” he stated with no conviction.

It shouldn’t make her smile that he seemed just as affected by the decision. It did anyway.

At the top of the stairs, he walked her down a long hallway. Most of the doors were closed. There were two open at the end, side by side, with one across the hallway.

“How many bedrooms are there in this place?” Raleigh asked, not bothering to hide her shock.

“Too many for one man, I promise you that,” Brax said. “Yours is here.”

“Are you staying next door?” she asked. Hers was the very last one.

“That’s the plan,” he said.

She stood in front of the door, unable to force her legs to move. They should probably say goodnight, but she didn’t want this night to end.

“So,” they both started at the same time.

Both laughed.

“Ladies first,” Brax said, faking a tip of an imaginary hat.

“You’re probably tired. So, feel free to say no. It’s just, I won’t be here for long and I didn’t realize how much I missed Lone Star Pass until I came back.” The words practically tumbled out of her mouth. She stopped long enough to take a breath and try to slow her racing pulse. “I miss it here. The law will figure this out and we’ll be gone on a moment’s notice. I was just thinking if you’re not too tired yet…well…I’m really enjoying your company.”

There. She’d come out with it. He could do with it what he pleased.

“I don’t need a whole lot of sleep, so that’s not a problem for me, but I saw you clamp down on no less than three yawns during dinner.” He caught her gaze and held it like he needed to see for himself she wasn’t too tired. “Are you sure about this?”

“Never been more certain of anything in my life,” she said. “What do you say?”

“As long as you’re always honest with me,” he said. “No secrets between us. I feel something for you that I haven’t felt in a long time but that doesn’t mean we have to act on it.”

“Open communication between friends,” she said. “And, Brax, I can use a friend like you right now. Someone who is honest and honorable.”

He waved her comment off.

“It’s true,” she insisted.

He didn’t answer verbally. Instead, he walked right past her and inside the room.

This made her happy.

Two steps inside the bedroom and she froze. “Wow. Okay, hold on. Why is there a sitting room in here?”

“The en-suite bathroom is the best. You should check it out,” he said with mischief in his eye that she promised herself she would ignore.

“Did you come to this place a lot growing up? This is my first time anywhere but the kitchen,” she admitted.

“No. None of us did. The Marshall liked his privacy,” he said.