“You’re not asking me—I’m telling you.” I get to my feet, too. “I may be young, but I know what I want.”
He stares down at me for a long beat. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why would you take that kind of risk for a redneck rancher like me?”
“Because I knew you were someone special the first time we met. And the more time we spend together, the more confident I am that what we have is real. And it’s worth taking a chance on.”
He hesitates for a beat before pulling me to him and wrapping me up in a hug that feels like heaven. “You make it hard to say no. You always have.”
I chuckle and rest my cheek against his chest. “I’m nothing if not determined.”
“You’re pretty damn amazing, too.” With gentle fingers, he lifts my chin. “And beautiful and smart and sexy.” He lowers his lips to mine in a slow, sweet kiss that almost makes me forget we’re in the barn until one of the animals gives a low grunt. “I think she’s telling us to get a room,” Dean says with a laugh.
“Probably.”
He steals one more quick kiss. “Have dinner with me tonight.”
My belly does a giddy flip-flop. “Really? In public?”
“Yeah. Let’s head into town and see what kind of trouble we can get into.”
“Oh. There’s trouble to be found in Mason Creek? I had no idea.”
A wide grin spreads across his handsome face. “There’s always trouble when you’re around, babe. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
chapter 21
DEAN
“Charlotte’s on to us,” Tessa says as she climbs into the passenger seat of my truck and buckles up. “More than she already is, I mean. She couldn’t keep from smiling when I told her I wouldn’t be eating at the ranch tonight.”
“Ben looked at me funny, too.” Probably just a matter of time before Kaden gets wind and comes looking. “You sure you’re all right with coming out?”
“Are you kidding me? I’ve hated every second of keeping us quiet.”
I have, too, mostly because I don’t want to lose my job. But the deeper we get into this relationship and the bigger her place in my life becomes, where I earn a living seems less important as long as I’ve got her by my side.
We park outside Sauce It Up just before seven o’clock, and my gut tightens at the sight of Levi’s truck parked a couple of spots away. Having a relatively new budding romance himself, I’d like to think he’ll be cool about seeing Tessa and me together, but he and Kaden are close.
“I can already smell the garlic bread.” Tessa beams as we fall into step beside one another on the way to the entrance. “Don’t worry. I’ll chew some gum before I kiss you goodnight.”
I give a light snort as I hold the door open. “I’ll have the same breath, babe.”
“Even better.” She wrinkles her nose and tickles my stomach as she passes by and starts for an open table near the front. “I should probably warn you that I’m not one of those girls who eats like a bird on a date. Especially when it comes to pasta.”
“I figured that out in Boulder.” Holding a chair out for her, I wink.
She laughs. “Oh, that’s right. Well, in that case, you knew what you were getting yourself into tonight.”
Uh-huh, and on more accounts than just the food.
Taking the seat nearest her with my back to the wall, I spot Levi and Camille toward the rear of the restaurant. He’s turned away, but she waves as soon as she sees me, and of course, Levi looks back to see who’s arrived.
He grins… until he notices Tessa. Then he lifts a single eyebrow in question, to which Camille promptly swats at his arm.
“We’ve been spotted,” I mutter, taking two menus from the center of the table and handing one to Tessa.
