Chapter 10 #2
She shook her head. He was only teasing her like usual, and she couldn’t take anything he was saying too literally. “Well, don’t get your hopes up too high. I don’t fall in love.”
“You’ve never been in love?” He tossed his hat on the bed and then began to shed his coat.
“If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been a little busy over the past year dealing with my sister’s love life. I didn’t have time to worry about love for myself.”
“So, besides Mr. Gray, you never were serious about anyone?” He draped his coat over the bedpost and then started to lower one of his suspenders. What was he doing? Getting undressed?
“I just recently turned twenty, Beckett. It’s not like I’ve had years and years—like you have.”
“True.” He dropped the second suspender so that both were hanging down his trousers.
He’d slept in his clothing during the past couple of days of traveling, so she hadn’t needed to worry about the awkwardness of him undressing around her. But now . . .
A strange heat crept into her face. She moved to the closest window and peered outside past the curtains, pretending to be interested in the few remaining porters and passengers on the platform.
“What about you?” She had to think about something else besides the fact that he was changing his clothing. “Have you ever been in love?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
He was silent.
She shot a glance his way, and he was pulling his shirt up over his head, revealing his solid abdomen. It was every bit as tanned, muscular, and hard today as it had been that day when he’d been washing up at the pump.
As he finished peeling off his shirt, his gaze shifted to her, and he caught her staring.
She made a show of pushing aside the curtain and pressing her face to the window.
The train car was quiet behind her. Was he smirking? He probably was.
She huffed, then turned to face him, determined to prove that he couldn’t unnerve her by his brazenness.
He was staring at her and was most definitely smirking.
She had to remember that the best way to annoy an arrogant man like Beckett was to pretend she didn’t notice his amazing physique. “Well?” She crossed her arms.
“Well . . . what?”
“Why haven’t you ever been in love?” It was definitely difficult to keep her eyes from straying to his bare chest, but she focused on his hair, which was messy from his finger-combing.
He shrugged, then bent down and dug through his bag. “Reckon I was waiting for the right woman to come along. You.”
She snorted.
He paused in his riffling and cast a glance toward her. His eyes were twinkling, even if his smirk had faded. “I know the woman I want when I see her.”
“Is that right?” She couldn’t keep the sarcasm from her tone.
“Yep. Been waiting my whole life just for you, darlin’.”
She knew he was spouting nonsense because he didn’t want to talk about it. “Fine, Cowboy. Let’s go with that story.”
With a chuckle, he pulled out a clean shirt and pair of trousers. Then he straightened and began to tug the button at the fly of his pants.
Oh my. It was one thing for him to go shirtless around her. It was another thing altogether for him to reveal more.
“Beckett Thorpe,” she said firmly. “Don’t you dare undo your trousers in my presence.”
His fingers on the button stalled. “What are you aiming to do about it if I do?”
“I’ll kick you out of the train car.”
“Really?” His brow rose. “How you aiming to accomplish that?”
She sighed and then glanced around the train car for a curtain or anything they could use to section off an area to give them each privacy when they needed it. Her gaze snagged on a door across from the bed, which was open a crack and revealed a sink and mirror.
Of course a train car as luxurious as theirs would come with its own private privy. She pointed toward it. “Go in the privy when you change.”
“It’s too small. Besides, what’s wrong with doing it out here?” His eyes held that teasing glint that usually annoyed her. But for some reason, at the moment it didn’t irk her the same way.
“Because I want to enjoy my trip and not have to worry about turning around at any moment and being traumatized by seeing your unclad body.”
He guffawed. “Reckon it’s a privilege to see all this.” He waved a hand at his naked upper torso.
“You’re uncivilized.” She glared at him, but it was hard to do because she wanted to smile instead.
He started crossing toward the privy. “I know you like looking at me a whole heap. Just admit it.”
“I will do no such thing.” He was completely right. She did like looking at him in this state of undress. In fact, she wouldn’t mind making a new hobby out of it. But married or not, she wasn’t giving him the satisfaction of knowing it.
As he stepped into the privy and closed the door behind him, she sank into the nearest plush chair.
The train whistled again, and the wheels creaked against the rails.
So far, her journey with Beckett had been surprisingly bearable and even fun.
He was easier to be with than she’d thought, and he’d been really nice to her today.
Not only had he insisted on having the private car for her, but he’d also purchased more new items for her in one day than she’d probably ever had in her lifetime.
She could admit she liked this side of Beckett. He was a generous and considerate man. He was proving to be much different than her father. Maybe this marriage to him would be more bearable than she’d thought.