Pulling back, she looks up at me and smiles. “I was wondering where your cockiness went.”
“Right here, honey.” I grab her hand and put it on my crotch. “Been here the whole time.”
The gesture is lewd, borderline inappropriate. But Ava just keeps smiling, cupping me through my jeans.
“Coffee at my place next time?” she asks.
“Only if you tell me your last name.”
Her lips twitch. “Another thing I haven’t given you.”
“Tell me.”
“Bartlett.”
I meet her eyes. “Ava Bartlett. That suits you.”
“Thanks. I recently went back to my maiden name.”
“Good for you.”
“Thanks. So remember—my place next.”
I’ve half a mind to throw her in the back seat of my truck and have her finish what she started. But my brother is still in the house, and I really need to get to work.
So I lean in and give her a quick kiss on the mouth. “Long as I get to eat you again for breakfast, I’m game.”
CHAPTER18
Sawyer
SILVER LINING
“You should ask her out.”
Dropping my saddle onto its rack, I lift my arm to push back the hat on my head. Then I wipe my forehead on my sleeve, soaking the fabric with sweat.
I’m drenched partly from work. Partly from the raging case of blue balls I’ve had all day.
I glare at Duke. “I think you should mind your own goddamn business.”
“Just sayin’.” He hoists his saddle onto the rack beside mine. “She digs you, dude. You dig her. Go pick her up and show her a good time.”
“Ava Bartlett?” Wyatt strides into the tack room and meets my eyes. “Yeah, you should definitely ask her out. Sally is obsessed with her.”
“So is our boy here.” Duke smiles as he pulls off his gloves and tucks them into his back pocket. “I definitely interrupted something fun this morning.”
“Shut up.” I pull my hat all the way off my head and use my arm to wipe my forehead again. Despite the chilly winter temps, I’m still sweating like a pig. “Seriously, y’all need to learn how to knock.”
“She was smiling ear to ear.” Duke gives Wyatt a meaningful glance. “Apparently, they were hugging it out.”
“Aw, yeah!” Ryder strolls into the room, the ridiculous fringe on his leather chaps making a slapping noise I can hear from several feet away. “I heard you got laid this morning, man. Good for you.”
I stare at Duke. “What the fuck did you tell them?”
“Nothin’.” The bastard shrugs. “I told you everyone thought you’d died. When they asked where you were, I just said that you were alive andverywell.”
I might have started work later than usual, but it was still a long-ass day on the ranch. Because I was late, I ended up mucking stalls in the barn alongside Duke, and then Mollie and I helped Sally administer vaccines all through lunch. We only met up with the herd a few hours ago, where Cash, Wyatt, and Ryder were working cattle.
