Sharp Shootin' Cowboy (Hot Cowboy Nights, #3)(49)

She met his eyes with a smile. “Then it’s a good thing there was a marine on hand to rescue me. Why did you do it, Reid?”

“Told you. The odds were stacked against you.”

“I can hold my own,” she argued.

“You didn’t stand a chance, sweetheart. They would have eaten you alive. When I intervened, they were barely getting warmed up.”

The waitress delivered their drinks. “Ready to order?”

“I’m sorry,” Haley answered. “We haven’t had a chance to look at the menu yet.”

“No problem. Take your time. I’ll check back with you in a few.”

His gaze never leaving Haley’s, Reid took a long swallow, relishing the smooth bourbon burn. He wondered again why he had intervened. He’d felt compelled to protect her, and he didn’t understand why. Or why he’d asked her to dinner when his instinct of self-preservation told him to steer clear of her.

She stared down into her glass, idly stirring her drink. “I don’t want to talk about wolves anymore.”

“All right by me,” he said. “I’m game for any topic that doesn’t include politics, religion, or wolves.”

“You’ve changed, Reid.”

“Yeah.” He snorted and took another swig. “I’ve changed all right.”

“How long have you been home?”

“Only a few months.”

“Are you adapting all right? I mean, it’s got to be hard, given how long you were over there.”

“It’s been an adjustment,” he answered tersely.

“What are your plans?”

“Don’t have any. My life pretty much sucks right now, since I don’t know what the hell I want to do with it. For now I’ll just keep doing what I’ve always done.” He gave her a narrow look. “And try to stay out of the politics.”

“So you guide hunters?” she asked.

“It’s a bit more than that. Outfitting is playing babysitter, game warden, and pack mule to people who think they want a wilderness adventure. Most of them are pretty damn clueless, hence the babysitting part. I keep them from getting lost or shooting themselves. Now that game’s scarcer, we’re having to trek a whole lot deeper into the backcountry, so Jared’s put me in charge of Everett’s Extreme Expeditions.”

“Sounds right up your alley,” she laughed.

“Yeah.” He gave a dry laugh. “But the ‘extreme’ living is getting old too. I fantasize about getting away from it all. Just going someplace I can kick back without having to pack a mule, a tent, or a weapon.”

“Like some desert island?”

“Hell no.” He grimaced. “No islands. No place with sand. I’ve had as much of that shit as I can take.”

“So where would you go?”

“Dunno. Maybe when I figure it out, I’ll just go.”

“Just disappear?”

“Mebbe.”

She toyed with her straw again. Slanting a look through her lashes, she asked, “Are you involved with anyone, Reid?”

“No. If I was, I wouldn’t be here with you.”

“But it’s only dinner.”

“Is it?” He glanced down at her naked left hand. “What happened with your professor?”

“Work got in the way.”

“He wasn’t right for you. He wasn’t what you need.”

She gave a derisive snort. “And you think you’re some kind of expert on what I need?”

“Yeah, when you look at me like that.”

She wet her lips. “Like what?”

“Like you want me to f*ck you senseless.”

Her jaw dropped and her hands hit the table. “You arrogant, presumptuous son of a—”

He’d offended her with his bluntness, but he didn’t care. He pushed back in his chair and eyed her levelly. It was time to cut through the bullshit. “I’m too old for games, Haley.”

Her green eyes widened. “You think I’m playing games?”

“Don’t be coy with me. I don’t have the patience or temperament for it anymore. Time has become a priceless commodity to me. I’ve already wasted too damned much of it. If you want me, just say it.”

Her mouth closed. Her gaze dropped to her hands. She looked nervous as hell. For a moment he thought she’d bolt, but she didn’t.

He waited. And watched.

At last she looked up, her gaze searching his. “All right,” she whispered. “I’ll say it. I want you.”





Chapter 16


It had required all her nerve to voice it, but the words were out and not to be taken back.

Reid’s pupils flared, but he said nothing. Just reached for his wallet, threw a wad of bills on the table, and grabbed her by the arm.

Her body thrummed with anticipation as he guided her to his truck. She was breathless and slightly giddy, but had hardly even touched her mojito. Just the thought of being with him again did this to her.

He still didn’t speak until a few minutes later, when he pulled into a shopping mart with a twenty-four-hour pharmacy. “Just need to make one quick stop.”

Her gaze fixed on his ass, so perfectly defined in snug denim, as he walked into the drugstore. She wanted to feel it in her hands while he pumped into her. She chided herself for being so shallow, but Reid had always brought out her baser, animalistic side.