Chapter 3
CHLOE
Oh God, he’s coming over. My body feels like it’s ablaze, and I’m far too aware of my pebbled nipples as they painfully press into the padding of my bra. The bass from the jukebox throbs through the floorboards, finding its way under my skin and colliding with the rush of my pulse.
When I looked up and met his gaze for the second time today, before Greg decided to be an ass, I knew exactly who the watchful cowboy was.
And I’ve been in a state of aroused confusion ever since.
I don’t know if it was my mind playing tricks on me or not, but for a second, it felt like maybe he felt something too when we locked eyes.
Earlier on the ranch, the heat of his stare wasn’t as intense as it is now, but I still feel that electric buzz rushing through me. Like he’s the lighter fluid to my internal fire, and my body warms from being the center of his attention.
As if the connection I feel toward him wasn’t enough, he had to go and stand up for me just now, which is probably the hottest thing a man has ever done. I shift in my seat to ease the ache between my legs as he comes to a stop in front of me.
His mouth moves, but I don’t hear a word he says, and when he bends his knees, bringing his eyes in line with mine, I follow his movement.
He lifts a hand like he’s considering touching me before it falls to his side.
A groove forms between his brows, and I barely resist the urge to reach out and smooth my thumb over it.
I don’t think I’ve ever met a man as strikingly handsome as him.
His blue eyes are watchful as I take in his high cheekbones, square jaw covered in scruff, and his straight nose.
My fingers itch to play with the hair that brushes his collar.
When my focus dips to the full lips framed by his neatly kept mustache, I swallow thickly.
What would it feel like to have his lips on mine?
“Are you okay, buttercup?” His voice penetrates the fog, and I blink as the full volume of the loud and rowdy bar comes back into focus.
Jesus, what is wrong with me?
Flicking my hair over my shoulder with one hand, I turn in my seat and reach for the empty glass in front of me. “I’m fine, thank you.”
I dart what I hope is a covert look over at him as he stands taller.
It takes every ounce of self-control to keep my eyes from popping out of my head as I take in the dark blue T-shirt that’s fitted to his body like a second skin, and the tight blue jeans.
I tilt my head when I catch sight of the shiny buckle with a rearing horse and mountains behind it and a small W and H on either side.
He doesn’t say anything, but I can feel the weight of his stare on me as I look straight ahead at the back of the bar.
Where have my manners gone?
Clearly I left them behind in Seattle. I came here to survive a wedding, not lose myself in a stranger, but that doesn’t excuse bad manners, so I turn my attention back to him, the corner of my mouth curving into a soft smile. “You didn’t have to do that, but I appreciate it.”
My knight in shining armor shrugs—like coming to someone’s rescue is a regular thing for him. “It’s no big deal. You didn’t want his attention, and I don’t think a guy like that is up for listening to what you want.”
He’s not wrong, but I could have handled Greg myself.
Curiosity swirls inside my chest and I ask, “Are you?” before my eyes widen and I press my lips together as if I could capture the question and make it not exist.
He leans against the bar, being careful not to crowd me.
But I still feel his warmth enveloping me in a way that tells me he’s here and I’m safe, but if I want him gone, he’ll go.
His scent—something masculine mixed with the clean fragrance of laundry detergent—soothes the chaos of the last few weeks inside me.
Running a hand through his hair, he looks up at me from under his lashes and replies, “In certain circumstances, yes.”
The heat in his eyes sends a flood of warmth through me and straight to my core.
I want to ask him what circumstances would warrant him not listening to me, but I think we both know that it would involve a night filled with orgasms. Besides, I don’t want to ask him and give him expectations that I will not be fulfilling. At least not tonight.
As if he can sense my regret at having led the conversation in this direction, he slides onto the bar stool beside me, holding out his large hand. God, they’re so big. “My name’s Kade Wilde. It’s nice to meet you, officially.”
“Chloe. It’s nice to meet you too, Kade.” His calloused hand swallows mine as I slide it into his. Something shifts in the air the second our skin touches, and a jolt rushes through my body.
Kade gives my hand a brief shake before dropping it, and I wonder if he felt it too. That strange energy that’s still lingering even though he’s not touching me. I rub the palm he shook with the other, hoping to ease the tingling.
I wasn’t planning on drinking tonight, but after the meal I was served at the diner I found, I think I can have something stronger to settle this odd feeling I just can’t seem to shake. It’s a mix between lust and a heightened awareness of a man I don’t know.
Signaling to the bartender, I wait for him to reach me. “Can I get a neat whiskey, please?”
“Sure. You good with any brand?”
I nod, not sure I have it in me to formulate a spoken response.
The bartender doesn’t seem to mind; instead, he turns to Kade and asks, “Do you want anything?”
Kade shakes his head and leans back in his seat. “Nah, I’m good, Titan.”
Neither of us speaks once Titan has left. We’re just two strangers sitting next to each other at a bar. Nothing more. But I feel him there like I’ve never felt another person before, not even my ex. The air between us feels like it might break if I breathe too hard.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Kade rests his palms on the bar and pushes himself up. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Chloe.”
He’s leaving?
Confusion has me blinking up at him.
I shouldn’t want him to stay, but I do. God, I do.
“You don’t have to go. Unless you want to, of course.” Stop talking. “I could do with the company and…” I bite my tongue, putting a stop to the stream of nonsense before I can divulge my entire sorry story of a life to what is essentially a stranger.
Kade eyes me up, like he’s considering making a break for it. Weighing up whether he really wants to deal with the “crazy lady” sitting in front of him.
For reasons I cannot fathom—but am grateful for nonetheless—he drops onto the stool and picks up a napkin, twisting it in his hands.
“Okay, I’ll stay.” He pauses, turning to look at me before asking, “What are you in town for, Chloe?”
I like the way my name sounds on his lips and how it feels like a gentle caress in his deep baritone.
Held under his spell, I’m only vaguely aware of Titan placing my drink in front of me before he walks off.
My sister and her husband-to-be, Oliver, have comped the wedding party drinks tonight.
It would explain why Ollie’s frat bro of a groomsman thought it would be a good time to shoot his shot with me again. He must be a glutton for rejection.
Exhaling heavily, I take a sip of the whiskey, lamenting in the burn as it travels down my throat. When I feel the warmth settle into the pit of my stomach, I answer Kade’s question. “My baby sister—technically my only sister—is getting married the day after tomorrow.”
“At the Hartlands’ Ranch,” he replies, filling in the blank.
“Yup.” I pause, searching for the right words before settling on, “I’m sorry about this morning. I just picked the first place that came up on the GPS when I said the name.” I swirl my glass, watching as the amber liquid almost reaches the rim.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about.”
I shift in my seat, turning my body toward him. “That guy you were with seemed pretty upset about it.”
Kade chuckles, mirroring my position so that his legs sit on either side of mine. Excitement flutters in my stomach, and a sense of safety blankets me before I drag my eyes away. Something about that simple move feels meant to be.
“That’s my brother, Wyatt, and anything to do with the Harts upsets him. He’s”—he pauses, looking for the right word—“delicate.”
Now it’s my turn to laugh, because the guy I just saw and the one at the ranch looked anything but delicate. “I’ll take your word for that.”
The laughter dies on my tongue as I meet Kade’s eyes. There’s a gleam in them, one that calls to me like a siren to a sailor. Suddenly, it feels like we’re the only two people in the room, and the longer we go without saying a word, the more charged and suffocating the air becomes.
Without breaking eye contact, Kade leans in as if he’s aware of just how loud it is, even if I’m not. “How long are you in town for?”
“Twelve days,” I reply, my tone almost breathless. For my sister’s wedding. Which I am expected to be at with my now ex. I can’t wait for the disapproving looks and snide remarks when I show up all alone.
He licks his bottom lip, and I follow the movement of his tongue, fascinated.
Twelve whole days. I can step back into the girl I used to be for twelve days. Right? The one who kept her mouth shut and did anything to keep the peace. For Rachel, I can.
“And what do you plan on doing during your stay?”
I had plans, but now all I can think about is what I would like to do with him.
An image fills my mind: sweaty bodies as we get lost in each other.
In my fantasy, he’s beneath me, my hand on his chest as I roll my hips and take my fill of him.
Of course he’s the biggest I’ve ever had, but fantasy me can take every inch.
Dropping my chin to my chest, I mentally berate myself for being no better than a horny teenager. I’m fresh off a breakup, with my sister’s wedding looming over me. Looking at Kade and enjoying his company is all I can handle right now.
When I’m composed enough, I tip back the rest of my whiskey and signal to Titan for another.
I don’t know why I’m so tied up by Kade.
He’s a stranger and someone that I have no business fantasizing about.
And yet, when he inclines his head toward someone across the bar and offers them a smile, jealousy pulsates through my body.
Oh God, I feel like I’m in way over my head, given I’ve only just met this man. And yet, I do nothing to quell the excitement swirling in my gut when he brings his attention back to me.