Page 64 of Roping My Rival

His fingers slide through my hair, and he hooks one of his legs over mine, pinning me to him.

“Dane,” my name from his lips is breathy against mine. His fingers tug at my hair, forcing me to pull away slightly. Squeezing my eyes closed, I hope it hides how desperate I am to just have him hold me for a while. “What’s wrong?”

I don’t want to speak because I don’t trust my voice. Instead, I release a trembling breath and bury my face against his neck. Warren’s hands go to my back again, soothing me like he did before and right now, that’s all I want.

After several moments, his fingertips gently brushing my spine, it’s Warren who speaks. “I’m not complaining, Dane, but you’re kinda heavy, and I need to pee.”

“Sorry,” I mutter. Rolling off him, I stand to head towards my bed, and he grabs my arm.

“Don’t. Stay in mine?”

“Okay.”

“Be right back.”

Warren disappears into the tiny bathroom, and after the door closes, I whoosh all the air out of my lungs. Sleeping next to Warren Burke and feeling his touch are all I crave right now.

Sliding under the covers, I wait for his return with an alarming neediness. I can’t be this addicted to him. Not with Henry around, and not with me being responsible for Darla. I already lost one tie-down competition, and while it wasn’t the biggest payout, every dollar matters. I can’t let myself be distracted by…fucking feelings I’ve kept stomped down for years.

The bathroom door opens, and Warren is stripping out of his pajama pants to slide in behind me. After pulling me against him, he feathers a kiss against my neck.

“Is this all you need tonight?”

“Yeah.” I want to say more. I want to tell him how something as simple as sharing a bed with a warm body makes me feel less alone. How much he settles me.

“Goodnight, Dane.”

“Goodnight.”

Taking his hand and pulling his arm tight across my chest, I lie awake for a while. New worries swirl in my brain now.

All of them around Warren.

“I’m so happy to get back to my bed for a few nights. The camper should be fixed for our next run, though. That will make it easier for us. Sometimes finding places for the horses overnight is a royal pain.”

Warren’s fingers tap the steering wheel as he drives. Our last rodeo on this road trip was our best. We won the team roping event by a decent margin, and I shook out my previous nerves and beat him in tie down…again. It’s been a long trip, but several thousand dollars go a long way.

“Yeah, that might be nice.”

“Oh, it will be. That thing is a sweet setup. Nice bed too. Better than any other hotels.”

“Right.”

The closer we get to Kissing Ridge, the more nervous I get. I left my truck at Warren’s, so I shouldn’t be coming home to damage this time. I called Darla yesterday to tell her I’d see her soon, and she was her usual sunshine self.

The only unknown is where Henry will show his face next and how much I can give him to keep him away.

“Hey, you said you were depositing our winnings in the joint account, right?”

“Yep! I love depositing cheques by phone.” Warren laughs, and I force a smile. “The last rodeo said it’s an e-transfer and it should be there by tomorrow. If you need to take what you need before that, go ahead. I rarely do anything with rodeo money until the season is over, so it doesn’t matter to me.”

I know he’s not saying that to be a jerk, but it still makes me angry to hear how easily he talks about money. I should be happy that he doesn’t need it, and I don’t have to wait.

“Okay. I’ll check on Darla and see if she needs anything.”

Warren smiles and glances at me. “She has a great big brother. Does she have any favourite things? Is there something she always asks for?”

This time, I laugh for real. “That girl is addicted to Rolos. When we were kids, she used to save her allowance and buy as many as she could at once. My mom would just roll her eyes and tell her not to eat them all before dinner.”