Seducing the Bachelor (The Bachelor Auction Returns Book 3)
Page 18
His hands settled on her waist “That was the dumb ass in me talking,” he said. “The minute I walked out of the house that morning, determined to clear my head and complete my six months, all I could think about was walking back in.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t know if I could, Talon. Stay in one place. Be the man you think I am. Be a partner. Build a life with you. I have no idea how to do those things.”
“You just have to commit to try,” she said tearily.
He held her tightly, squeezing out her breath, and she felt his body tremble.
“I’m going to do more than try, Talon, but I’m going to make mistakes. Shut you out sometimes.”
“I don’t care,” she whispered. “I just want you. I’ll make mistakes, too, but it doesn’t matter because they will be our mistakes, and I forgive you in advance.”
He smoothed the tears off her cheeks with his thumbs. And then he kissed her even though they were on Main Street with traffic and half the diner staring at them.
Talon stood on tiptoes to deepen the kiss and press more tightly against him and lost herself in his mouth.
He leaned his forehead against hers, his breathing ragged.
“I had pictured this with me being more civilized and romantic and not mauling you in public,” he said ruefully. “And I was too nervous to stop for flowers.”
She sighed, hands smoothing over his arms, his shoulders, his back. “It’s perfect.” She breathed. “You are so perfect.”
“Hold on to that thought when I fuck up,” he said. “And go all silent and moody, and build my walls.”
She just gazed up at him, stars in her eyes; hardly able to formulate a thought other than he was back and in her arms. She didn’t even know if he was back to stay or only on a weekend leave. He’d said six months minimum away, but that didn’t matter now. He’d come back to her. He’d come back home.
“So you’re happy to see me answers my first question. And now for the second. What do you think of the truck?”
“Hmmmm.” She was too preoccupied with brushing her palms against his shorn head and down his body. “The truck looks great with you against it, but the cowboys in there think it’s too girlie.”
“I hope so because I got it for you.”
“What? Why?”
“The blue reminded me of your eyes.”
She looked at him doubtfully. “That’s crazy.”
“Maybe. You’re right. Your eyes are much more beautiful.”
“Colt,” she said breathlessly.
“You can’t drive to Bozeman for school every day in your Subaru. It won’t last through September.”
“Oh.” Her face fell. “I’m not going.”
“Why?”
“I just…” She twisted her fingers together.
He covered her hand. “You’re going to school. I busted ass to get back here before the term started, but we can talk about it later,” he said. “Today.”
There were so many questions to ask, but she could see most of the staff peering at them through the window. Even Gene had gotten off his usual barstool and was staring at them.
Colt looked at back at them. “I hate an audience.”
“I love them.”
“Should we give them something to look at?”
Talon flushed. “Maybe not.” She clung to his hand, not willing to let him go. “Want something to eat?”
“Yes.” His golden gaze was positively wicked and burned up and down her body.
“I should be off in another hour or so.”
“I waited this long. I can wait another hour.”
She swallowed hard. “You’re here,” she whispered. “You’re really here.”
He opened the door of the diner for her, but they didn’t even get through the door before Deanna was waving her away. “Get out of here. Gina and I can handle this.”
“But…” Talon began.
“Just go. You can return the favor some other day.”
They turned around and, once outside, Colt handed her the truck’s keys.
“Can I catch a lift?”
She looked down at the keys. “Colt, it’s too expensive of a gift.”
“You’re my girl, right.”
She liked the sound of that.
“And I have it on good authority that real men don’t drive blue trucks.”
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The early afternoon sun slanted in through the windows, highlighting the muscles that chorded along Colt’s back. While he slept, she traced the lines of the tree branches of his tattoos that stretched across his upper back. She loved the way his eyelashes were so long and feathery. The only hint of softness in his face and body.
“Like what you see?” he asked, eyes still closed.
“I love what I see.” She leaned over him, reveling in the sensation of his skin against her nipples.
He rolled to his side so they were facing. “I’ve never done this before, Talon,” Colt said. “A relationship, but I want you to know that I’m all-in. I want to do whatever it takes.”
She traced her finger along his eyebrow and down his straight nose. “Me, too. All in. I want us to be a family.”
“The thing both of us never had.” He cupped the back of her head and pulled her in for a kiss. He touched the necklace and rubbed the stone between his thumb and forefinger. “You and Parker have become my whole world,” he said softly, his golden eyes warmly searched hers.
“For me, too.”
There was so much to talk about. So much to learn but, for now, Talon was happy just to be with him, to have the promise of a future together. Even though Colt seemed determined to push her out the door to school to the program in Bozeman. He’d even had her call the school to see if she could still accept her placement since he’d argued she wouldn’t have to relocate the first year and they could decide if they should all move temporarily to Pullman, Washington in a year or she could come home on weekends, but they’d be a family so she wouldn’t be deciding or doing anything alone anymore, and Talon could definitely get on board with that.
She leaned over him, draping her body over his, still needing to feel him so close and the pendant nestled between them. That reminded her.
“There was a woman who came in the diner the other day. She was really curious about the necklace. Who gave it to me? Where they got it?”
His hand tangled in her hair.
“She asked if it had an inscription and an artist signature so I got freaked out.”
“Why?”
“I thought she’d accuse me of stealing it, and I had no proof that you gave it to me or where it came from. You asked me to keep it safe for you, and I got scared.”
He continued to stroke his hands lightly on her skin, but his strokes became a little more sensual in intent, and Talon found herself melting again.
“But what if she’s related to you in some way?”
“Who cares? I’ve got you. And in an hour, we’ll have Parker back so we have to be quick.”
Talon sighed, losing herself in his kiss. She smiled.
“I told her my…hope you don’t mind”—she blushed a little—“boyfriend gave it to me.”
“Boyfriend?” He echoed, one eyebrow arched up, and he rolled her over and pinned her. “I think I’m going to change that description pretty damned fast.”
“Promises.” Talon teased.
He braced both arms on either side of her. “And I warned you I never promise something I’m not one hundred percent sure I can deliver.”
The End
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About the Author
Sinclair Jayne has loved reading romance novels since she discovered Barbara Cartland historical romances when she was in sixth grade. By seventh grade, she was haunting the library shelves looking to fall in love over and over again with the heroes born from the imaginations of her favorite authors. After teaching writing classes and workshops to adults and teens for many years in Seattle and Portland, she returned to her first love of reading romances and became an editor for Tule Publishing last year.
Sinclair lives in Oregon’s wine country where she and her family own a small vineyard of Pinot Noir and where she dreams of being able to write at a desk like Jane Austen instead of in parking lots waiting for her kids to finish one of their 12,000 extracurricular activities. …
Find her on Twitter@SinclairJayne1
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