Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 28062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28062 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
I wait until we’re seated before I get started. I open my mouth, and Tucker reaches for my hand so I slam my mouth shut. His thumb is drawing circles across my skin, and my whole body reacts to his touch. I gesture to our hands. “We should probably talk about this.”
Before he can say anything, I continue, “I know why you’re doing this, but I’m afraid it’s going to confuse Ace.”
He turns toward me. “What do you mean?”
Ugh, I don’t want to say it. “You know what I mean.”
He reaches over and puts his other hand on my bare knee. I’m not going to survive this.
He squeezes. “Why do you think I’m doing this?”
I resist rolling my eyes at him. “Uh, because you are tired of women hitting on you.”
He laughs out loud. “Okay, and why do you think me holding your hand is going to confuse Ace?”
“Tucker, this is what I was wanting to tell you, but it’s never been the right time. Ace told your friend at the rodeo that I’m your girlfriend.”
“Okay.” He nods.
He doesn’t seem upset about it, but I still feel myself getting defensive. “I didn’t tell him that. He thought you wouldn’t want your friend flirting with me—”
He nods. “Ace is right. I don’t.”
I lean back. “But why?”
I’m waiting for Tucker to get uncomfortable. He’s normally a man of few words, and he definitely doesn’t talk about emotions or anything like that, so I fully expect him to bottle this all up. But he doesn’t seem fazed at all. As a matter of fact, he seems completely comfortable having this conversation now. “Well, first of all, Rick is a player.”
I wait for him to continue. Is that all this is? Is he just trying to protect me? What about now and all the possessive things he’s said to me? There’s more to it than what he’s saying, but should I call him on his bullshit?
I think I will. “So you’re just protecting me? If Rick wasn’t a player, you’d be all right if he asked me out? That would be okay with you?”
His face twists up in anger. He pulls off his glasses and squints as the sun hits him in his eyes. “Look at me when I say this, Dolly.”
When our eyes meet, he gruffly responds, “I don’t want you to have any doubts here, so take it all in. Hell, take notes if you need to. You will not be going on any dates with Rick, Bob, Joe, or any other guy that is interested.”
I jut my chin at him. “Well, I’m going to hold off telling you that I’m an adult and can do what I want until you tell me why.”
He leans in. “Because you’re mine.”
CHAPTER 11
TUCKER
She looks so surprised, and I don’t get it. I thought I’d made it plain with my intentions but maybe not. “What’s that look? You have to know I’m attracted to you.”
Her eyes widen, and I don’t stop. “Hell, honey, I was so hard last night with your hands on me, you had to know I wanted you.”
Her cheeks turn red, and she shushes me. “Tucker Yates, keep your voice low. Do you want everyone to think that we… that I…”
I laugh. “What? That you slept at my house and in my bed with me last night? Why, yes, I do want everyone to know that.”
She gasps. “Tucker!”
I pull her hand toward me and hold it in my lap. “You can’t be surprised by this.”
She shrugs. “So you want to sleep with me… but not sleep… you want to have sex with me.”
I growl. “Fuck, baby, you keep talking like that and I’m going to take you back to the car.”
She’s shaking her head, and I can already tell I’m not going to like what she has to say, so I keep talking. “I don’t want to sleep with you. I mean, I do, of course I do, but…”
I let my voice trail off.
“But what?” she insists.
I nod. It’s time. “We both know we can’t just sleep together.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “We can’t?”
“Honey, you’ve been like a mother to Ace. You’re the closest thing to a mother he’s got.”
She nods her head. “I love him like he is my son.”
I swear, that right there does me in. It’s like a hit to the chest, and I know I’m making the right decision. I want Dolly so badly that I’d wondered if sex and attraction was making me have poor judgment. And I knew she loved Ace, but hearing her say it without any hesitancy at all makes me even more sure about what I need to do.
“And he loves you… so we can’t just sleep together.”
Her silence is not reassuring.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I don’t want to lose Ace.”
I squeeze her hand. “You could never lose Ace. You won’t. You can’t. He loves you, too. I would never try to keep you two apart.”