“Well, it wasn’t here. Can we drop it?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Good. I’m starved.” She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him, then said, “If it matters, as good as it was with him, it’s so much better with you and I’m not just saying that to soothe your ego. If the sex wasn’t electric between us, I wouldn’t waste my time.”
That did help a little. He allowed a smile and surprised her by hoisting her onto his hips. She smiled as she hooked her legs around his torso. “We have time for a quickie,” he said and she laughed, assuming he wasn’t serious, but right now he was already hard and ready. To illustrate that point, he pressed her against the wall and pushed his erection against her. “See? I’m ready if you are.”
“Tempting,” she groaned but shook her head. “I’m not about to formally meet your family with sex hair. Cool your jets, country boy.”
He let her down with a reluctant sigh and attempted to shift his boner into a less obvious position. “All right, princess. But all bets are off as soon as we get back.”
She cast him a devilish grin. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“I don’t.” That’s right, baby. I’m going to ruin you for other men. “C’mon, let’s get over there before Adeline sends a search party,” he growled, wanting nothing more than to blow off dinner so he could feast on CoCo, but he’d never do that to Warren and Adeline. But just as CoCo was about to open the front door, he jerked her into his arms for a searing kiss that left them both breathless. “Something to tide me over until dinner is over,” he said, burning holes into her with his need to touch her.
She nodded, her lips glistening, her eyes wide, and then he turned her loose. When her gait was slightly tipsy, his ego swelled in proportion to his eager cock. Yeah, nice to see that that road traveled both ways.
He loved Adeline and Warren with all his heart but right about now, he wanted to skip dinner and go straight to dessert.
17
“OH, LOOK AT YOU,” Adeline gushed, ushering them into the kitchen with effusive hugs for them both. “You are so beautiful. Rian, you better scoop up this pretty thing before someone else with more sense does.”
CoCo blushed and wondered how uncomfortable that made Rian, but when she snuck a glance at him she saw something that shocked her—contemplation—as if Adeline’s advice had struck a nerve, and her stomach trembled at the thought. No, neither of them was looking for a relationship. This was just good times and she was fine with that. Besides, it wasn’t as if either of their lifestyles was conducive to having a permanent plus one. For starters, Rian would hate her friends. He certainly didn’t have anything nice to say about Stella, not that CoCo blamed him, but it would make things awkward when she wanted to party with them. “Smells amazing,” she said, hoping to redirect the older woman.
“Oh! Yes, steaks and mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, that’s what we make around here, stuff that will stick to your ribs. Good country food. And the steaks are from our own cattle. Nothing fresher than that.”
“Have you ever had fresh milk?” Rian asked.
She surprised him with an eager nod. “We had a farmer who would deliver fresh eggs and milk every day in exchange for a new pair of shoes every six months. The farmer had a taste for fine shoes when he went out but he couldn’t afford my dad’s shoes so my dad worked out a barter with him. It suited them both.”
“That sounds like a good ol’ country arrangement between good folk,” Adeline said, approving just as Warren walked in.
The older man was spry, in good shape and hearty like most men who worked with their hands for a living. She sensed his innate integrity and felt immensely grateful to this man for giving the Dalton boys a reason to hope when they needed it the most. Unexpected tears sprang from an unknown place and she had to push them back with a sunny smile as she introduced herself. “I’m CoCo Abelli. Thank you so much for allowing me to stay while things are worked out with my father. It means so much to have a safe place to hide.”