Chapter Seventeen
JULIETTE HEARD SEELEY’S truck outside and hurried into the bedroom to take one last look at herself in the mirror. She’d never been this nervous about a date. Not that she’d been on all that many, but she’d been on enough to feel the difference. She was excited to spend time alone with Seeley. She couldn’t stop thinking about how quickly they’d gotten swept up in each other behind the barn and how badly she’d wanted to do more. But that anticipation was mixed with worries about Lucas, and she was trying to find a balance. Even if only for tonight.
She gave herself a quick once-over. She didn’t own many dresses, but she’d chosen her favorite: a gauzy seafoam-green sleeveless dress. It had a deep V neck and gathered at her waist, with tiny buttons running from the center to the hem just above her knees. She was a little worried she might be overdressed, but she wanted to look pretty for Seeley. She’d paired it with cute Western boots and pulled the sides of her hair up, leaving it loose in the back, with a few tendrils in the front.
The doorbell chimed, sending her heart into overdrive. With a deep breath, she headed out of the bedroom and answered the door. Seeley stood on her porch, devastatingly handsome in a gray-blue short-sleeved button-down, tattoos snaking out from beneath the sleeves.
“Hi.” She sounded as nervous as she felt.
His gaze slid appreciatively down the length of her, making her even more nervous. “Damn, darlin’. I feel like a horse kicked me in the chest. You are too beautiful for words.”
She covered her racing heart with her hand. “I think that horse might’ve kicked me, too.”
A low husky laugh tumbled from his lips, and he leaned in and kissed her, bringing a wave of his deliciously rugged scent.
“I was worried I might be overdressed.”
“You look great. That dress reminds me of the frilly white skirt you were wearing the first time we met. You were the prettiest girl I’d ever seen then, and now you are the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.”
You remember what I was wearing? “You always knew just how to sweet-talk me.”
“As I recall, it was my dirty talk that lit your fire.”
She had a feeling her heart would be racing all night. She grabbed her purse, and as they headed for his truck, she gasped in disbelief. In her driveway sat the faded black-and-silver truck Seeley had driven the summer they were together. “You still have Tiny’s old truck.”
“Yeah. She’s not going anywhere.”
He opened the passenger door and helped her in. She watched him walk around the front of the truck, feeling like a giddy teenager all over again. A giddy teenager with a son who may or may not have been a jerk to Seeley when he dropped him off at his friend’s house , she reminded herself.
“How was Lucas?” she asked as they drove away from her house. “He didn’t give you any attitude, did he?”
“Nah. He was fine, and he’s a careful driver.”
“Probably extra careful since he was driving your truck,” she said.
“Probably.” He glanced at her. “He did say he liked driving with me because I don’t use a fake brake or grab the dashboard.”
She laughed. “I might have done that a few times.”
“My mom used to do the same thing. He asked if I’d take him driving again.”
“Really? That’s great. But don’t feel any pressure to do it.”
“I’d like to, if you don’t mind. I’ll take any time I can get with him.”
Happiness bubbled up inside her.
“He said he has riding practice three times a week. Barring an emergency at the ranch, I can pick him up Wednesdays and Fridays after practice and take him out driving. If he wants to do a few hours of driving on Saturdays, I can make that work, too. I have church on Tuesdays, and I try to go riding with the guys when I can on Sundays.”
“Are you sure that’s not too much of a commitment? I don’t want you to feel trapped.”
He reached across the seat and took her hand. “I can’t think of a better way to spend my time than getting to know our son.”
“I love that you want to, but I worry that spending too much time together might be harder than you think. You’re not used to a teenager’s attitude, and what if it’s too much for him?”
“I can handle his attitude, but you’re right. I don’t want to overwhelm him. How about if we take it one day at a time? See how it goes Wednesday, and go from there?”
“That sounds like a better idea.”
“Great. I forgot to mention earlier that when we were talking about the ranch and my family, I invited him to come over when he’s ready. I told him there was no pressure, and I know it might take some time, but it’s an open invitation for both of you.”
“Thanks, but how did Lucas respond?” She was surprised by how much they’d talked while she was gone. Lucas must have felt safe with him, because he was excellent at shutting down if he was upset.
“He asked a lot of questions, but he didn’t say much about coming over. We’ll play it by ear.”
“Okay.” Thankful things went well, she tucked those thoughts away as they drove out of Weston. “Where are we going?”
He squeezed her hand. “You’ll see.”
They chatted as he drove into Hope Valley, and when he turned into Redemption Ranch, an anticipatory thrill ran through her. “Are you wining and dining me at your place?” That sounded perfect to her.
“No. I have something a little more fun in mind.”
He parked at his house, and as he helped her out of the truck, his dogs scampered off the porch to greet them, their tails and tongues wagging. They petted them, getting lavished with sloppy dog kisses that made Juliette laugh.
Seeley whistled. “Enough.” Sadie and Pickles went to his side, while Mighty pushed his snout between Juliette’s legs. “Hey, that’s my girl.” He redirected Mighty. “Sorry about that.”
My girl sent a shiver of delight through her. “It’s okay.”
Seeley grabbed a flashlight from the glove compartment of his truck and took her hand, leading her around the house.
“Where exactly are we going?” she asked.
“You’ll see.”
The dogs trotted beside them, but Seeley stopped in the backyard and petted them again. “I love you guys, but you can’t come with me this time.” He straightened to his full height and in a stern voice said, “ Porch ,” and pointed toward the house. The pups doubled back toward the house.
“That’s impressive.”
“Show them love and teach them right from wrong, and they’ll listen most of the time. Like kids, I’d imagine.”
“Most of the time,” she agreed. “Unless they’re mad and they disappear to a dangerous ravine.”
“He’s a good kid,” Seeley said as they walked across the wooden bridge.
He turned on the flashlight, and they made their way into the woods. Seeley held branches to the side and helped her over fallen tree trunks and rocks, like he had all those years ago, when they’d ventured into the same woods to be alone.
“This is where we went on our first date,” she said. “When you told me about how your grandfather used to take you camping, and you and your brothers would chase each other around a boulder and play boss of the boulder and moonlight tag.”
“I think you’re mistaken. This is the place I took my first and only serious girlfriend.”
She smiled as he guided her around two trees and tried to process what he’d said about her being his only serious girlfriend. That couldn’t be true, could it?
“I wanted so badly to share the most meaningful parts of my life with her, and that night, I learned exactly how sheltered of a life she’d led,” he said. “She’d never played boss of the boulder or moonlight tag.”
“You taught me to play that night.” She remembered how much fun they’d had, running wild in the woods, laughing, hiding, and climbing that big boulder, and how she’d ended up in his arms, which was where she always wanted to be.
He lifted the flashlight to the boulder where they’d played. “Let’s see if you’ve gotten any better at it.”
Her heart skipped. “You want to play boss of the boulder and moonlight tag?”
“Darlin’, you went from being an overprotected teenager to being a mother when you were just a kid yourself, skipping right over the carefree times you were due.” He cocked a grin. “Unless you’ve outgrown the need for fun, that’s exactly what I want to do. But with you in that gorgeous dress, we should probably skip boss of the boulder.”
“Moonlight tag it is, then,” she said excitedly. “Turn off your flashlight and count to fifty. I’ll hide.”
He turned around and started counting. She let out a giddy shriek and ran through the dark, searching for a hiding place. She ran through groups of trees, circling spiny bushes, and zigzagging, trying to confuse him with her footsteps as he counted out, “Thirty-five, thirty-six…”
She tiptoed through the darkness and hid behind a tree beside the boulder, holding her breath as he called out, “Fifty!” She listened to leaves rustling with his steps, her pulse sprinting.
“Where for art thou, Juliette?” he called out.
She clamped her mouth shut to keep from laughing.
“Oh, Juli ette ,” he said in a singsong voice, closing in on her. “It’s your Ro meo .”
She tiptoed in the other direction, and a twig snapped beneath her boot. She stilled, squeezing her eyes shut and holding her breath, listening for his footsteps. She didn’t hear him coming and took another step. As her boot touched the ground, his arm swept around her waist. She shrieked as he hauled her against him, both of them laughing.
She squealed again, turning in his arms. “I let you win, Whiskey.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I did! Who wouldn’t want a handsome cowboy catching them?”
“You’d better only want this cowboy catching you,” he growled.
“I see you’re just as possessive as you used to be.”
“Only over you, darlin’.” His mouth covered hers in a kiss of laughter and lust and everything in between. He drew back and ran his finger down her breastbone to the buttons on her dress. “Look at you, so beautifully tempting.”
“Kiss me.”
He kissed her deeper, more devouringly, and slid his hands down to her butt, crushing her against his enticingly hard body. “ Jesus , Jule,” he said. “We’ve got to stop, or I’m going to ravage you right here and now.” He gave her a chaste kiss. “Close those pretty blue eyes of yours and count to twenty-five.”
“You mean fifty?”
He flashed a coy grin. “I don’t need that long.” He swatted her ass and jogged into the darkness.
They played a few more rounds, laughing like kids when they caught each other and getting lost in ravenous kisses between turns. As they were now. His kisses went from urgent and possessive to exquisitely slow and sinfully sensual. Every slide of their tongues sent a wave of heat through her, and she moaned. He made the sexiest guttural noise she’d ever heard.
“I’m really trying to be a gentleman, but you in this dress, making those noises. You’re killing me, darlin’.”
“Maybe I don’t want you to be a gentleman.”
“You don’t, huh?” He ran his thumb along her lower lip. “Do you know how many nights I fantasized about this sexy mouth?” Her pulse quickened, her breaths coming faster as he kissed the swell of her breasts. “And these beautiful tits?”
Craving his dirty talk like an addict, she panted out, “ Tell me .”
“Too fucking many nights, with my cock in my hand, thinking about kissing you.” He kissed her feathery light as he opened the top buttons of her dress and ran his finger between her breasts. “Touching you.” He unhooked the front clasp of her bra and pushed a cup aside, palming her breast, his thumb teasing her nipple. “Tasting you.” He lowered his mouth, sucking her nipple to the roof of it.
“Ohgod—”
He teased her with his teeth and tongue. A needy whimper tumbled from her lips, and he took her in a punishingly intense kiss that sent spirals of desire coursing through her. They groped and pawed, and she went up on her toes, kissing him harder. His hand snaked under her dress, into her underwear. “Damn, baby. So wet for me. Your pussy misses me.”
He pushed his fingers inside her, zeroing in on that secret spot that had her crying out. He silenced her with a tantalizingly demanding kiss, his talented fingers stroking, his thumb teasing her where she needed it most, taking her right up to the verge of combusting. She clung to him, chasing that high as he tore his mouth away, and sealed his teeth over her neck, sucking so hard , she cried out, spiraling into oblivion. He captured her cries in a ravenous kiss as she rode out her pleasure. As she started coming down from the peak, he sent her soaring again, kissing her until she went soft against him, trying to catch her breath.
He rubbed his scruff along her cheek, and she reached for the button on his jeans. He touched her hand, stopping her. “Not yet, darlin’. I promised to wine and dine you, and I’m a man of my word.”
She could do little more than stare at him as he fixed her bra and buttoned her dress, reveling in the way he took care of her.
He slid his finger under her chin, lifting her face, and kissed her. “Moonlight tag just became my favorite game.”
“Mine, too.”
He took her hand and turned on the flashlight. “Let’s go, beautiful. I’ve got a surprise in store for you.”