I wasn't going to go another day without understanding how Beau felt about me, and how he felt about this entire situation.
No more pretending.
It was time to rip the Band-Aid off.
I jumped up and snatched my hat, placing it and rolling my shoulders. I scowled as I stormed out of my room, straight across the house and past the kitchen, earning a couple curious glances from Boone and Winnie.
“Where the hell are you going all tensed up?” Winnie called.
“To deal with aman,” I seethed.
The closer I got to his office, the angrier I got. Why in the hell had we been dancing around each other for so long? Was I not good enough for him? Was that it?
The office door was open. Beau was sitting at his desk staring at his computer like he was looking at a thousand ghosts. He looked up, his eyes widening as I stepped inside, shut the door behind me, and twisted the lock.
“We need to talk,” I snapped.
I expected him to argue, but all he did was nod, blowing out a long breath. “I think we do as well.”
At some point, he’d put on his mask. He mostly saved it for the rodeo, but occasionally would put it on around the ranch. I marched across the office and planted my palms on the desk, leaning forward to look him deep in his eyes. My heart skipped a beat the closer I got, every part of me craving him.
God, what was it about Beau? What was it about him that drove me so crazy?
“What are we doing?” I asked.
“We're talking.”
I snorted.Dammit.“You know that's not what I mean. What arewedoing?”
The corner of his mouth tugged. “You're gonna have to be more specific.”
“Quit playing with me,” I snapped. I closed my eyes for a second, searching for patience, and when I opened them, he was standing too.
He leaned in, his face just a couple of inches from mine.
“I am not good enough for you,” he whispered. “I don't think I'm good enough for Sky. And yet I can't get either one of you out of my head. I've been dreaming about you for years, but I haven't done anything about it until now.”
“Until now?”
He leaned forward, closing the distance between us. Shock rolled through me as his mouth pressed against mine, and I found myself tumbling into a kiss for the second time today.
This kiss was different. While the kiss with Sky was loaded with everything new and bright and beautiful, this kiss carried the weight of years of yearning. Years of dreaming that we'd one day cross this line, that we would find a way together. This was a kiss that I've been wanting since I was a teenager. It was a kiss with someone that knew me almost as well as I knew myself.
My fingers curled into the smooth linen of his button-down, and I yanked him forward. Our kiss deepened, a soft groan leaving me.
He cupped my face, letting out the softest whimper.
I loved a tough man who wasn’t afraid to whimper.
As we drew back, we were breathless, and a fire was lit that would surely burn us all.
“I need more,” I whispered.
“I want more,” he answered. “Anything you want.Anything, Priscilla.”
I searched his sweet brown eyes. My head was spinning.
We needed to think about this. We needed to think througheverything. What about Sky? What about what would happen if we hooked up and it didn't work out? What then?
