Holly Jolly Cowboy (The Wyoming Cowboy #7)(53)

She’d just covered her bread dough so it could prove when he stepped into the kitchen, Hannibal at his heels. Holly paused in her work, drinking in the sight of him. Why did he get better-looking every time she glanced in his direction? Why did the sight of his scruffy baseball cap perched atop his head fill her with such affection?

He slowly grinned at the sight of her, sending a hot flush roaring through her system. “Hey there.”

“Hi.” God, now she was all tongue-tied like an idiot.

“Sleep well?”

Holly could feel a blush heating her cheeks. After that orgasm? Yeah, she’d slept well. “Like a baby. Hungry?”

“Always.” He moved toward the bar and sat in his regular stool. When she moved close, setting down a plate with a thick sandwich on it, he grabbed her by the waist and dragged her into his lap. Adam buried his face against her neck, holding her tight. “Mm. You smell good.”

She practically squirmed with pleasure at his words. “Thanks,” she teased. “It’s this newfangled thing called soap.”

“Soap. Huh.” He didn’t rise to her bait. “You’ll have to show me how to use it sometime.”

And of course, now she was picturing running her hands all over his suds-covered body, exploring his muscles with a washcloth, and Holly had to bite back a moan. He kept one arm wrapped around her waist as he picked up half his sandwich and took a big bite. She watched him eat, and when he offered her a bite, she shook her head. “Busy day?”

“They’re all busy,” he said around a mouthful of turkey. He shrugged. “Just gotta get used to it until Carson and Jason come back.”

She patted the arm around her waist. “They’ll be back soon enough and then you won’t have to suffer with my cooking anymore.” She said the words in a light voice, but funny enough, it didn’t feel light, saying that. It felt weird. Strange. A little sad. Her stay as housekeeper and cook was half over and she wasn’t ready for it to end. At all.

He snorted even as he took another bite of food. “Your cooking is not suffering. It’s the opposite.”

“Funny, you only ever tipped a dollar in the past.”

Adam set down the rest of his sandwich and buried his face against her neck again. “I said your cooking wasn’t the problem. Didn’t say anything about that sassy attitude of yours.”

And he nipped at her neck, his teeth grazing her skin.

It was probably supposed to be a mock bite, a tease to make her jump into the playful banter head-on. Instead, it sent hot need surging through her body, and Holly let out a soft whimper.

Adam stilled. Slowly, he pressed his mouth to her neck, kissing her. He moved up to her ear, his lips brushing against her earlobe, and then he nipped her there, too. “Have you been thinking about last night?”

She let out a shuddering breath, clutching the hand at her waist. “Yes.”

“Me too.” His voice was low and soft, a caress in her ears. “Thought about you all night and how you came around my fingers. How pretty you were. And I woke up hard and aching because I needed you.”

That might have been the most exciting thing Holly’d ever heard. She sucked in a breath, tilting her head back so he could kiss her ear and neck as much as he wanted. “Did you . . . solve your own problem?”

“You mean, did I jerk off?”

She nodded.

“Yeah. In the shower. Didn’t do much for me, though. I kept thinking about touching you all morning, and I think I might be more worked up now than I was before.” He pressed a kiss to her earlobe, and then ran his tongue along the edge. “Question is, do we want to keep flirting around or do we want to take things to the next level?”

“What do you want to do?” she asked, breathless. She was curious to hear his answer.

“I want what you want,” Adam told her. “If you don’t want to take things further . . . well, I guess I’d rather know sooner than later so I don’t make you uncomfortable.”

He was . . . serious? Did he think she was uncomfortable sitting on his leg, or when he had his hand in her panties yesterday? While she was panting out his name? It was sweet of him to make sure, but Holly wanted to shake him just a little. Didn’t he realize how badly she wanted him?

“You’re asking what I want?” she echoed. “You don’t think that’s obvious?”

“If I thought it was obvious, would I have asked?”

Her mouth twitched with amusement. She couldn’t decide if this was sweet of him or utterly clueless. “What I want,” she began slowly, “is for us to enjoy each other. No more, no less. And I guess my idea of enjoyment is a little more flexible than yours—”

Adam stood up abruptly, thumping her onto her feet.

Holly turned to look at him, and in the next moment, she was over his shoulder, her stomach pressing down on his shoulder.

“Where’s your room?” he asked, turning around slowly.

She burst into laughter. The man was wasting no time. Giggling, she sat up, pulled his cap off his head and tossed it to the ground. “Up the stairs and down the hall.”

“Good.” He headed in the direction that she’d gestured, his hand possessively on her backside, and Holly couldn’t stop laughing. Okay, so much for wondering if he liked her or not. She guessed he did. Smiling, she gave a wiggle and was rewarded with a playful swat across her denim-covered butt. “Behave, you naughty girl.”