She seethed as she realized the source of his knowledge. “I’m going to kill my grandmother.”
“She’s only trying to help because she loves you.”
“Is that so? Because I really don’t see any difference between the way she tries to control me and the way Parker did it.”
The second the words left her lips, she realized she’d said too much.
“Is that what he did?” The muscles worked along Cord’s jaw as if he were chewing Parker to pieces. “He controlled you?”
“Maybe he did, or maybe he didn’t.” She clamped her mouth shut, refusing to reveal more.
“Parker has no right to make you do anything.”
“Oh? Does the same go for you? Because it seems like that’s exactly what you’re doing. You’re trying to control whether I decide to be with Parker or not.”
Cord jerked his hat off, and pushed his fingers through his hair, sending it in crazy directions, but somehow looking even more delectable. “You can’t go back to Parker.”
“Why not?”
“Because I—” He choked on whatever he was going to say, his face turning as red as the clay on the river bank. “Because I care about you.”
His sapphire eyes zoomed in on hers, piercing her soul like a laser. The entire outdoors suddenly felt too small, as if there was nowhere to hide. Heat enveloped her whole body.
“I care about you, too,” she said, feeling more confused than ever.
Cord dismounted and gestured toward a fallen tree trunk beside the water. “Come sit with me.”
“We don’t have time. The rodeo—”
“The rodeo isn’t as important as this.” His fingers wiggled toward her, drawing her to him.
Even as she slid down from Shadow’s back, she felt uneasy. “I don’t know, Cord. I feel like Parker controlled me with words. He got into my head. And you…”
“I what?” His face was stony.
“You control me with my body. Those kisses… I can’t get them out of my mind.”
His lip curled up on one side, a dimple forming beside it. “What if I promise not to kiss you?”
“Even holding my hand does it,” she complained.
The other side of his mouth mirrored the first, eyes crinkling in the corners. “I’m happy to hear that.”
“I can’t think when you touch me.” She planted her fists on her hips, glaring up at him.
“Thinking is highly overrated,” he rasped, his hand lifting slowly toward her face.
Her eyes closed of their own accord, and she held her breath, waiting for the white-hot sear of his fingers on her skin. But it never came. She opened her eyes and saw his face, inches away, the desire in his eyes as fierce as her own.
He straightened and turned away, his chest heaving with rapid breaths. “We’re going to talk, and nothing else. I’m not going to kiss you. I’m not even going to hold your hand.” The anguish in his voice sounded as if he’d pronounced his own death.
“Never mind all that,” Jess hurried to assure him, flapping her hand to cool her face. “I kind of agree about thinking being overrated. In fact, I wouldn’t mind a kiss right now.”
“No.” He stomped over and sat on the log, looking very much like a pouting school boy. “We’re just going to talk. I don’t want you analyzing this later and deciding I was controlling you with your body.”
“Forget I said that.” She padded along the damp path by the stream and plopped down beside him.
With a grunt, he bounced sideways, making more space between them. “Stop tempting me, Jess. I only have so much willpower where you’re concerned.”