The patron on the other side of Cam got up. “Have a seat.” Cam patted the stool. “I’ll even buy you dinner. Call it a gift of peace.”
“I didn’t come here to eat.” She gave the half full bottle a little shake.
“I have a feeling you’ll be drinking another.” He waved over Mickey. “Could you bring us a couple slices of pizza?”
“Sure thing.”
“I’ve always heard drinking away your misery only makes things tougher in the morning,” Cam said after he grabbed his wallet from his back pocket, pulled out money and placed it on the polished bar.
She slid onto the stool and swiveled to face him. “What makes you think I’m drinking away misery and not just having a good time?” She held his gaze.
“It wasn’t the drinking that gave it away, but the dancing sure spoke volumes. A woman doesn’t dance like that unless she has something to prove.”
She brought the beer to her lips and sipped, forgetting the risk. She was also having a hard time remembering that she was angry with him. “You might just be onto something, doc, but don’t knock it unless you’ve tried it.” She wagged her brows.
“We all get rejected once and a while.”
“Thank you for reminding me. Mickey, bring me a shot.”
“Beer and whiskey don’t mix. Maybe you should rethink the shot, at least until you get some food into your stomach.”
She blew out a long breath and tapped her bottle with her fingernail. “Anything else?”
“Not good for the liver and kidneys either.”
“I appreciate you looking out for my health, doc, but I already have a doctor who does that for me.” She picked up the shot glass, downed the whiskey in one drink, squinting as the fire burned its way down into her stomach.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re hell bent on getting wasted and it doesn’t have much to do with Jace and his lack of taste?”
Mickey set their plates of pizza in front of them and Cam handed over the money. “Keep the change, my friend.”
Although Moon wasn’t hungry, she decided Cam was right about needing food in her stomach. She picked at a pepperoni covered in gooey cheese and popped one into her mouth. Realizing Cam’s eyes were on her, she gave him a curious look. “Are you planning on watching me eat?”
He chuckled. “I have a question. How’d you end up with the name Moon? Is it a nickname?” He bit into his slice and chewed.
“My parents had a romantic rendezvous under the moon and stars and a surprise nine months later.” She wagged her brows. “So, any jokes or humor about the name, let’s go ahead and get them out of the way.”
“I like the name. It’s different.” He chomped more of his pizza.
She took a bite and swallowed it with a drink of her beer. “Oh, I think I could have lived with the name, but Moon Beam is a little much.” She laughed. “Couldn’t they have come up with a better middle name?”
At the same time, they both reached for a napkin and their hands brushed. She shot back, awestruck by the sudden rush of tingles that spread up her arm and nestled quite sweetly in her breasts.
She opened her mouth, not sure what she’d say, but needing to stop the flow of energy between them. “Cam—”
“Come on, Moon. I love this song.” Jennifer draped over Moon’s shoulder. “Hey there, doc. You coming too?”
“No, thank you,” he said.
“Well, you coming, girl?”
“Give me a second,” Moon said.
Jennifer shrugged and shimmied toward the dance floor.
Moon slipped from the stool, stumbled slightly, but caught herself. Leaning in until she was within inches of his face, she swore she saw anticipation fill his eyes. She smiled. “Do you dance, doc?”
“I’m afraid I’m only on my first beer. It takes a few more to get this booty shaking.”
“Too bad. I think I might like to see that booty shake. Change your mind you’ll know where to find me.” She winked and sashayed her way back to the dance floor.
CHAPTER THREE
Cam finished his pizza and swiveled on his stool, spotting Moon now standing by the jukebox. She was leaning over, flipping through the choices of music, her heart-shaped bottom swaying. Her pretty profile was illuminated by the bright light. He’d realized earlier that he’d made the same stupid mistake that Jace did. He’d turned down her request to spend some time with him. Hell, what red-blooded, single man did such a thing?
Yeah, Cam was single. He looked down at his bare finger.
He swept his gaze back to Moon who was dropping coins into the slot. A soft tune floated from the speakers and before he could change his mind, he took off toward her and reached her just as she spun around, coming face to face with him. A slow smile drew up the corners of her beautiful lips. He didn’t say a word as he took her hand, smiling at her surprised expression, then he led her to the dance floor.
“Get a couple more beers in?” she asked.
“Nope.” He drew her against him, their bodies pressing against each other, heat nestling below his waist. “I came to my senses,” he whispered next to her ear. She smelled so good, felt even better. Everything around them faded as they moved against each other to the rhythmic tune of a familiar country song. “I’m a slow learner sometimes.”
She lifted her arms around his neck and drew her face back just enough so that she was looking up at him through the veil of her long lashes. “I don’t hold grudges.”
“Does that mean I’m forgiven for my lack of protocol in the barn?”
“What incident in the barn?” She laid her head on his shoulder and his breath hitched. Her soft curves swayed against his tight muscles, her legs brushing against his thighs, causing a rush of emotions behind his zipper.
Pressing his palm to the small of her back, he breathed in her scent—a lethal concoction of woman and seduction. He slowly walked his fingers up her spine, caressing each vertebrae as he moved, until he reached her neck. Threading his fingers in her hair he tested the satin smoothness of the tresses, before gliding the tips of his fingers along her slender nape and the baby soft hairs on her skin. Slipping his fingers against her scalp as he brushed his lips against the slender line of her neck. His body turned rock solid and he had to remind himself to breathe. “I’m glad I rethought things.”
“I am too. I thought I’d have to dance with the fellow who has the slicked back hair and the tattoo of his mom’s face on his chest.”
He pulled back slightly. “What do you have against a man who loves his mom?”
“Not a thing, but can you imagine being with a man, making love, and having his mom’s face looking straight at you. A mood-stealer. Not that making love to him crossed my mind…but…”
He laughed. “Yeah, point taken.”
Their gazes connected and his throat tightened. He’d never wanted to kiss a woman more in his life. Truth was, he felt like he was back in college when he was the awkward teenager who couldn’t put two words together without announcing that his cock was hard. He was a bit unpolished when it came to attraction. He remembered what his nurse Maria said, “Just be yourself. That’s what a woman wants.”
“The song is ending, cowboy.” Moon stepped back, smiling, her eyes sparkling.
“Moon…?”
“Cam?”
Fuck! What did he want to say? “If you’ll excuse me, I need to run to the restroom and splash my face with cold water, or maybe dive into the ice bucket behind the bar.” He rubbed his hat down his head, resituating it low on his forehead.
Her laugh was the sweetest, most pleasant sound he’d heard in a long time. “I’ll meet you when you’re finished.”
*****
The door opened to the driver’s side of the SUV and Moon propped her heel upon the headrest of the seat. The door closed, a second later the backdoor came open and Cam leaned in, grinning. “I came out of the restroom and you were gone.”
“Not gone. Just waiting.” She shifted in the leather
backseat.
“I see that. You need a ride?” He lifted a brow.
“I do, but not back to Nirvana.” She dropped her foot and sat up, rubbing her hand down the soft seat. “Nice ride, doc. You could feed the homeless for ten years with what you’re paying for this thing, but at least it’s not emitting harmful air pollution.”
There was a long, meaningful silence that fell between them as he seemed to wrap his brain around what was happening. Heat prickled her spine and crawled into her cheeks. She opened her mouth to take back her words, but he raised a hand. “I might have a place in mind, that is if you can bear being in my expensive ride.” The spark in his eye lit all of the secret torches within her. Something lingered there—something that warned her spending any time with Cam could turn out to be very dangerous. The sexual lure between them couldn’t be ignored.
Lust tripled within her and they stayed there, snared in the moment, each realizing they could be crossing a line. “Where’s that, doc?”
“Why don’t you climb into the passenger seat. Easier to show you.” His expression held promise.
With lots of effort because the combination of being tipsy on drink and his virility, she was dizzy when she clumsily settled in the seat. He slipped into the driver’s side and watched her watch him. Seconds turned into an eternity. He leaned closer and her breath caught. Naturally, she closed her eyes and waited…anticipating the moment when his lips lowered on hers.
She felt his shoulder brush hers followed by the rubbing sound of the seat belt strap.
She flicked her eyes open. His face was close, his strong, delicious scent engulfed her, but he wasn’t making a move to kiss her.
“Safety first,” he murmured. He clicked the lock into place then sat back in his seat and brought his own strap around his body.
The engine came alive, much like the purring going on inside of her.
She watched his thick fingers wrap around the steering wheel—fingers that saved lives—hands that could make a woman feel all fuzzy on the inside. She knew because she was the perfect example.
Once they were on the road, she brought her gaze up on his profile. “So tell me. Why would a doctor with your credentials come to Nirvana?”
“Chase asked me to help out a few hours a week.”
“But I hear your new medical practice is keeping you busy.”
He looked at her. “I’m flattered. You’ve been asking about me.”
“No, I’ve been listening. The hands were talking.”
He shrugged. Was he disappointed? “I made some changes in my career, and Nirvana fit into my plans.”
“No down time for doc.”
“Just the way I like things.”
“Oh, so no girlfriend who has given you the ultimatum, work or her?” She lifted her brow, thrumming her fingers casually against her thigh. She was anything but calm on the inside.
“I think you already knew there’s no one in my life, otherwise I wouldn’t have allowed things to get out of hand back on the dance floor.” He turned to look at her a mere second, but it burned a hole right through her.
“So that’s what that was? Things ‘getting out of hand’.”
He brought his hand up to scrub his jaw and the simple action did magical things to her inner thighs.
Yeah. This was far more dangerous than she’d first thought.
“Would you call it something else?” He quirked a thick brow.
She turned her gaze to look out of the window. “Believe it or not, I wasn’t coming onto you.”
He laughed. “Really?”
She caught the sarcasm in his tone. “I don’t come on to every good-looking cowboy that comes my way.”
“Never thought you did. Anyway, I think I could be accused of coming onto you. Felt pretty good too.”
She snapped her chin around, her breath stuck in her lungs. “Now that we have that settled, I like your no-nonsense attitude.”
“Thank you. Considering we’re getting to know one another, I’m curious, how did you land at Nirvana? Don’t take this the wrong way, but the place just doesn’t seem like a ranch where a woman would want to put down roots.”
“Is that completely sexist?” She brought up a brow.
“Not in the slightest. I never once said, or thought, you couldn’t handle yourself, just said I didn’t think you’d want to put down roots.”
“Honestly, I’m a little surprised Chase hired me, but I believe he has a different path he wants to take Nirvana down. Just take a look at the expansions he’s making. Progress sometimes requires big changes. I’d like to think I’m a part of that change.”
“Forward thinking. I like that. There’s something I need to make clear. At the barn—”
“Please no. We’re beyond that.”
“You need to hear this. I wasn’t ‘hiding’ in the stall. I’d fallen asleep and didn’t wake up until you were, well, already neck deep in speaking to Jace.”
She tilted her head. “You were asleep in the horse’s stall?”
He removed his hat and laid it down between them on the seat. “Guilty as charged. I’d been up a while and that bale of hay in the corner felt way too tempting.”
“If you would have told me that sooner I wouldn’t have put you through the wringer.” She crossed her arms. “At least not as much.”
“Ah, and miss all of the fun at being on the end of your anger? It was just too much fun.”
“I take back what I said. You don’t have a no-nonsense attitude. That reeked of drama that you could have prevented from the very beginning.”
He raked his hand over his hair. “I think you must be very grateful that Jace didn’t take the bait.”
She shifted and leaned her shoulder against the door. “Yes, because we all love a little rejection to keep us from becoming too confident.”
“Come on, Moon. Jace isn’t the man for you. Better to realize that before you get naked.”
She nibbled her bottom lip. “You’re right. Things would have been awkward.”
“I like him and all, but I don’t think he’s what you’re looking for.”
“Well, this is getting good. What, pray tell, do you think I’m looking for?”
“Don’t kid yourself that a one-night stand will ever satisfy you enough.”
The temperature rose by ten degrees. “Okay, since we’re being blunt, I’m not looking for a relationship. I’ve been there and done that. It didn’t work out so well for me.”
He glanced at her. “You were married?”
“Yes. Unfortunately. Until I found him cheating then things stopped being so cozy. How about you? Married to a cheater?”
“No. Married to a cancer victim.”
She laid her head back and sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m usually not this thoughtless. I should have a warning tattooed across my forehead.”
He gave a small shrug. “You didn’t know. She’d gone for all of the treatments, but nothing worked, nothing changed fate.”
The sadness in his tone made the soft hairs on her neck stand. “I’m sorry again. I didn’t mean to mention something that brings up bad memories.”
“I’m still learning to open up.”
“Have you noticed that not a lot of staff at Nirvana talk about their past? We’re all pretty much like family, but we tend to keep the outside world out.”
“That’s probably why they’re at Nirvana. We’re all running from something, just some of us don’t get very far.”
“That’s interesting. Does that include you?”
“I’ve definitely run away a few times. My work is my paradise. How about you?”
“Am I running?” She could make up a lot of lies, but she found she didn’t want to with Cam. “Nirvana was my escape. I needed something and I found it.”
“You’ve forgiven your ex?”
She nibbled her lower lip to keep her smile from growing. “Once upon a time I would have paid for his flight off this earth, but now, well, I don’t a
llow him to take up precious residence inside of my heart or mind.”
“Sometimes it’s just not that easy.” She noticed that he squeezed the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white.
“It’s different in your case. Your wife died. My ex cheated, on purpose, twice. Now, here’s a tough question. How is it possible that you’re still single?”
His smile took some of the sadness out of his eyes and some of the color came back to his hands. “I’ll take that as a compliment, I guess.”
“Rest assured, I meant it with good intentions. A reputable doctor in these parts is as great as gold, especially with the cost of good healthcare these days. Imagine having a doctor in bed.” Realizing she’d stumbled again, she rubbed her forehead and dropped her hand to her thigh. “Would you like to drop me off here and I’ll walk home?”
He laughed. It was rich and husky and she loved the sound. “Don’t be hard on yourself, and please don’t feel like you have to walk on egg shells around me. Your bluntness is refreshing, and admittedly, I like the way you think. A doctor in bed, did you say?”
She wasn’t sure what body part throbbed more. Her nipples or her inner thighs. Both were overactive and making thinking logically very difficult. She felt the heat of his stare all the way into the marrow of her bones. Probably her buzzed imagination working overtime just like the rest of her, but just for the moment she wanted to treasure the flirting and hopefully lose some of the baggage she’d gained over the years.
Clearing her throat, she was able to hide her war stricken insides and hoped her voice worked. “It was more theoretical than actual.” She looked through the window into the darkness.
“Was Jace the first man you’ve considered sleeping with since your ex?”
The question caught her right in the center of her stomach. She hoped he didn’t see her flinch. “It was an impulsive action. A big mistake, rather.” Through the reflection in the window she saw Cam’s face. She wondered if he could see how upside down he made her. “So, where are we headed?”
A Perfect Cowboy Daddy (Cowboys of Nirvana Book 7) Page 4
