Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
I didn’t care. Sammy could dance with whomever she wanted. I hoped she had a good time. And if she wanted me gone, that was fine too. I’d finish my beer and leave. I had seen Tim there, and I knew Callie and Jeff were planning on going. She could get back to the ranch easily enough. She wasn’t my responsibility.
She wasn’t my anything.
Except I couldn’t leave. I found myself back inside, standing in the shadows, watching her. Getting angrier as man after man claimed her for a dance. As she laughed and talked, her hair catching the light, her skirt flaring around her, giving me a glimpse of her smooth thighs. I knew how it felt to touch those thighs. How it felt to hold her close. Taste her mouth. Taste her.
Someone walked into the barn, and I glanced over. Tom Hopkins stood in the entrance, looking around. I narrowed my eyes at the sight of him. He was a known womanizer, a sleazy ass, and not well-liked by many. He had just ended his second marriage, and rumor had it he was on the lookout for number three. He stopped at the edge of the crowd, and I saw him zero in on Sammy. He watched her, licking his lips as if he’d spied the tastiest morsel and was dying to bite into it. He began to move toward her, and suddenly, I snapped.
No fucking way was that happening. I was sick of watching her dance with other men, and he certainly wasn’t getting close, never mind touching her.
I strode forward, covering the distance between Sammy and me quickly. He had just begun to speak to her when I stepped between them.
“I think you promised the next dance to me, darlin’,” I said and yanked her away, leaving the people around her shocked.
On the dance floor, I pulled her into my arms and began to move. She held herself stiffly.
“What are you doing?”
“Dancing.”
“You said you couldn’t dance.”
“I said I didn’t, not that I couldn’t. My momma made sure I knew how to dance.” I swung her around. “If you relax a little, you might enjoy it.”
She sighed, her shoulders loosening.
“That’s it, Lady. Move with me,” I murmured.
“Why is everyone staring?” she asked.
“Because I never dance. They aren’t sure what to make of it.”
“Why are you dancing?” she asked, looking up at me.
“I didn’t want that slimeball touching you.”
She blinked. “Who?”
“The guy asking you to dance. He’s a piece of work, and I didn’t want him near you.” She frowned, and I hastily added, “Rachel would have wanted me to intervene.”
To my horror, tears filled her eyes. “That’s why?” she whispered.
“What else?” I asked, confused.
She pushed back, brushing under her eyes. “You are such a jackass, Luke.” She hurried away, heading toward the door. I followed her, dodging the people crowding between us. Outside, I saw her disappear around the corner, and I hurried to catch up with her.
I grabbed her arm, spinning her around. “What’s wrong?”
She slapped my chest, furious. “You are!”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I want to go home. Take me back to the ranch.”
“Not until you tell me what’s going on.”
“Are you that blind? You’ve ruined my night, and I just want to go back to the ranch. I’m done.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I did this for you,” she sobbed. “I bought this dress, I did my hair… I wanted you to see me, but instead, you just ignored me.”
I ran my finger down her damp cheek. “Stop with this,” I begged. I couldn’t stand to see her cry.
“I can’t–I can’t do this anymore. Just take me back to the ranch, Luke.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. I pushed her against the wall of the barn, caging her in. “You think I’m ignoring you? I’m in hell not being able to touch you the way I want. You think I don’t see how beautiful you are? How sexy? Do you know how hard it was to see you dancing with all those other guys? To know they got to touch you and that I can’t?”
“Why can’t you?” she cried. “What’s stopping you?”
Our eyes met and locked in the dim light. “Because I’m afraid once I start, I won’t be able to stop.” I drew in a ragged breath. “You drive me crazy, Sammy. I want you with every fiber of my being.”
“Then have me,” she begged.
I covered her mouth with mine, kissing her, letting all the passion and desire I’d been feeling for her sink into that kiss. She flung her arms around my neck, gripping my skin. I plunged my tongue inside her sweet mouth, exploring and frantic. I slipped my hands under her ass, hoisting her up, and she wrapped her legs around my waist. I dragged my mouth across her cheek to her ear. “I fucking want you every second of every day, Sammy. I can’t stand not being able to touch you.”