Chapter 39
Beau
I scooped her up into my arms, her bare skin sticky against mine, and carried her into the bathroom. Neither of us spoke as I stepped into the shower with her, letting the hot water cascade over us.
She turned to face me, her green eyes heavy with exhaustion.
Without a word, I grabbed the soap and lathered it between my hands before running my palms gently down her arms. I worked slowly, dragging my hands over her shoulders, down her back, across the curve of her hips, tracing the outlines of her body like I was committing every inch to memory.
She took the soap next, doing the same to me—silent, deliberate, like we were washing away everything except this moment.
Once we were rinsed, I shut off the water and stepped out first, grabbing a towel and wrapping her in it. I rubbed the towel over her hair and down her shoulders, patting her skin dry with a care that surprised even me.
“Come on, Cowgirl,” I murmured, steering her out of the bathroom and toward the bed.
Her steps were slow, like her legs still hadn’t fully recovered. When we reached the edge of the mattress, I stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Sit,” I said quietly.
She lowered onto the edge of the bed without hesitation. I grabbed a clean shirt from my bag—a worn, soft black tee—and crouched in front of her.
“Arms up.”
She lifted her arms, and I slipped the shirt over her head, smoothing the fabric down her sides. The shirt fell below her thighs, drowning her petite frame in my scent, and something primal inside me stirred at the sight.
I stood and tugged back the covers. “Come on, Cowgirl. Let’s get you to bed.”
She slid under the sheets, curling up on her side as I slid in beside her. I expected her to turn her back to me, to create space now that the heat between us had cooled—but she didn’t. Instead, she shifted closer until her head rested against my chest and her hand splayed against my ribs.
“I guess I’m not going back to my room,” she whispered against my skin.
“Naw,” I murmured, brushing my thumb along her cheek until she tilted her face up to mine. Our eyes locked in the dim light of the room, and I lowered my head until our noses touched. “Never lettin’ you go.”
She sighed softly and nestled closer, and I wrapped my arm tightly around her.
Her breathing slowed as sleep pulled her under, but I stayed awake, my lips resting against the top of her head, heart beating a little steadier.
“You guys almost didn’t make it,” Harleigh said as Fable and I rushed onto the plane.
I’d switched my flight last minute so we could be on the same one back to Dallas. Dalton had my truck and my keys insisting on driving it down instead.
More time with her was all the excuse I needed.I wasn’t one to lie, but this? This was something I’d keep to myself.
“We slept in and—”
Fable playfully punched Harleigh as she laughed, and we all slid into the same row—Fable in the middle, Harleigh by the window.
“Beau, have you seen the world rankings yet?” Harleigh leaned over.
“Not yet.”
“Holy shit.” She tossed her phone at me, and I caught it, scanning the article.
First. I was officially ranked first in the world championship standings. My chest tightened, pride and adrenaline mixing in my veins.
“Wow,” Fable murmured, reading over my shoulder. “That’s amazing. Congrats.”
Grinning, I leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Thanks, baby.”
She flushed, and I lowered my voice. “Is this okay? Too public?”
She glanced at me, then shook her head softly. “No, it’s fine. Just . . . gonna take some time to get used to.”
I squeezed her thigh, a silent promise that I’d give her all the time she needed.
Fable pulled out her phone, slid in her headphones, and tapped on a show. I watched the faint reflection of the screen in her green eyes as she got lost. She had this little furrow between her brows when she focused too hard, and I memorized it because I wanted to know everything she loved.
As the hum of the plane settled into a steady rhythm, she shifted beside me, her head falling softly onto my shoulder. My chest tightened from the weight of something I hadn’t realized I’d been missing.
I understood my dad in a way I never thought I would.
All those years, the sacrifices he made, the distance—maybe it wasn’t about bull riding.
Maybe it was about holding onto the one thing that gave him purpose when everything else slipped away.
As I sat there with Fable leaning into me, her warmth soaking into my skin, I knew I couldn’t live that way.
I wouldn’t trade this. Not for anything.
Carefully, I reached up, brushing a rogue strand of hair from her face. My fingers lingered against her cheek longer than they should’ve.
She was mine.