Well hell.
Now she couldn’t feel her legs. And Fiona and her client didn’t help. Not with their soft sighs and “oh mys.”
When she finally remembered how to breathe, Kaydee did some smiling of her own and held his gaze. “Good to know.”
Although she had a lot of experience running her fingers through his silky hair and gripping tight while he kissed her long and deep and not so sweet, this time she kept her ministration on the professional side and assessed him with a critical eye.
Yep. He was gorgeous.
Leo had the right hair texture and amount of forehead to wear a short or long style. Since she loved his sexy, badass look, she decided to only trim a few inches off the bottom and shape the rest, being sure to leave enough for her to grip in the future.
Wetting his hair with her spray bottle, she tried not to think about the trust he’d just given her, but she failed. He was ready to shed his past, to shake off the very thing born from his self-induced purgatory, and he wantedherhelp.
The momentousness of it all hit Kaydee like a ton of bricks, and she had to blink away a sudden onslaught of tears.
Big, firm hands curled around her hips and squeezed. “You okay?”
Shoot. He was too astute. He noticed. And his concern only increased the burning behind her eyelids. She blinked again and nodded. Talking was out of the question at the moment, due to her hot throat, swollen with emotions best left unvoiced. Especially since they weren’t alone. He was making her feel things and want things that were starting to seem like a good idea.
“Is now a bad time to ask you to come to At-Ease for brunch this Sunday?”
Her eyes went wide again, and she stopped cutting. “You want me to come to your ranch?”
“Yeah.” He smiled, that sexy damn smile. “I’d like you to meet my friends and to show you around.”
Her heart tried to jump into her swollen throat but kind of bounced instead. He wanted to share the things that meant the most to him…with her. The amazing man was wearing her down, knocking away all her barriers. Making it near impossible for her not to fall for him. “Yes. I’d like that.”
She hoped to God she wasn’t making a mistake.
…
Ever since the night of the haircut clinic, when Leo not only asked her to cut his hair, he asked her to visit his ranch, butterflies resided in Kaydee’s stomach. And now it was Sunday, and he was driving them through Joyful, a town with quaint little shops lining each side of the main street, and those darn butterflies were going batshit crazy.
She’d been to Joyful before with Fiona. They’d heard about a gluten-free and vegan café in the paper and wanted to give it a try. The V-Spot was every bit as good as boasted. They’d enjoyed their lunch and had tentative plans to come down again next month.
But as Leo drove past the café, her mind wasn’t on food. It was on the ranch and his army buddies, and the fact that he wanted to share them with her. Share his world. He was shedding his past and…God, she couldn’t be more proud of him. Warmth funneled through her chest. She felt privileged, honored if she had any kind of part in it. That was a good thing. Agreatthing. So was the overnight bag he asked her to bring.
She brushed imaginary lint off the skirt of her sundress and concentrated on the color. It was a gorgeous shade of blue that reminded her of Leo’s eyes. It calmed her.
Still, this was a huge step. One that excited and terrified her. She’d never gotten this far in a relationship. She usually bailed before this point. But she didn’t want to bail this time.
The thought of it made her stomach ache almost as much as her chest. So, no. She wasn’t going anywhere. She wasn’t leaving. Not Leo. She loved being with him. He made her smile. Made her heart race. Made her body quiver with so much pleasure she sometimes forgot how to breathe.
That wasn’t something she wanted to stop. Ever.
He reached over and covered her hand to halt her movements. She hadn’t realized she was still brushing her skirt. His touch was warm and firm, and his strength seeped into her body like a much-needed spring thawing.
“You’re thinking too loud,” he said. “There’s no need to stress. It’s going to be fine.You’regoing to do fine.”
She blew out a breath. “I just want your friends to like me.”
Dammit. It felt like she was a teenager in a new school all over again.
He turned onto a country road and slowed down. “Kaydee.” His hold tightened on her hand and continued to do so until she met his gaze. “They’re not going to like you. They’re going to love you like…” He paused and blinked as a dazed look came into his eyes. Then he blinked again, and they cleared. “Like crazy.”
She smiled. “Okay. Good. I’m so happy you asked me to come. I just don’t want to screw it up.”
“You could never do that.” He brought one of her hands to his lips and kissed it.
