Kissin' Tell (Rough Riders #13)(99)

His spent cock retreated and he turned the water spray on them, although it was nearly ice cold.


Georgia faced him, curling her hand around his nape, resting her damp forehead on his chest. Letting his body hold hers up because she felt as solid as a noodle.


Then those rough hands swept up her back, making her shiver anew.


“Had enough water games for today?”


“Uh-huh.”


She didn’t move much as Tell tended to her. Lifting her out of the shower. Toweling off every inch of her body. Spreading her out on his rumpled sheets.


He kissed her with pure sensuality. Soft, wet and slow. “Don’t think for a second you’re not adventurous. That you’re anything less than f*ckin’ perfect.”


And that’s when she fell in love with him.


Chapter Twenty-Five


Georgia Hotchkiss was his girlfriend.


For real.


He grinned at himself in the mirror as he shaved, repeating the phrase out loud. “Georgia Hotchkiss is my girlfriend.”


And if that didn’t beat all.


They’d been damn near inseparable over the last three weeks. Georgia’s job responsibilities had tapered off, leaving her with free time. Time she preferred to spend with him. If she stayed overnight, she’d get up at dawn to help him with chores. Then they’d have the rest of the day together.


She loved exploring the ranch on the back of his ATV. He’d always figured she was a girly girl, but she didn’t mind getting dirty.


He’d taught her how to ride a dirt bike, but his heart had almost stopped when she’d wiped out and skidded across the ground. By the time Tell had removed her helmet and protective gear, she’d regained her breath. She batted at his hands when he insisted on checking for broken bones and bruises. The damn stubborn woman had climbed back on the bike, determined to make the tight corner. Which she did.


Georgia had been so pumped full of adrenaline, she’d f*cked him like a wild cat on the hood of his truck. And that’d been a sight to behold—her beautiful skin glowing as the sun’s last rays kissed her damp flesh. Her lips open as she cried out in passion. Her nails digging into his forearms as he made love to the woman who’d captured his interest like no other. A woman he’d started to need like a drug. She was a painkiller, a mood enhancer, an aphrodisiac all wrapped up in one tiny, potent package.


If Tell really thought about it, he might consider that feeling was love. But never having been in love before, he wasn’t sure.


He scraped another layer of whiskers from his face. Georgia’s skin was so delicate he had to shave twice a day or he’d leave beard burn on her skin. He flashed back to the day last week she’d forbidden him to shave because she wanted to see those marks on the inside of her thighs and her breasts.


She’d been awful damn squirmy at dart league that night. But knocking back shots with Roxanne and Leah dulled the discomfort, because he’d looked over to see her performing a herkie off the end of the bar.


Little Miss Georgia had gotten her butt paddled good for that one.


And she’d loved every minute of it.


Steam fogged up the bathroom mirror and he swiped it clean. Just thinking about her raised his temperature. Sex with Georgia? Beyond spectacular. More exciting, spontaneous, comforting, fun and hot than he’d ever dreamed it could be with one woman. But as much as he lived to get that sexy woman nekkid, the times they spent out of bed were beyond ordinary too. He’d never imagined she’d be so insightful. She didn’t expect him to always slap on a happy face. If he had a shit day, he didn’t have to hide it. But his shit days were few and far between recently. And he credited her for that.


She fit in with his friends. Being part of a couple bridged a gap he hadn’t known existed. Almost like his buddies took him more seriously since he’d settled into a steady relationship. Which was ironic, since he found himself wanting to stay home with her more than going out on the town. Over the years he’d secretly sneered at his cousins and married buddies and their seemingly limited amount of free time. But now he understood why the guys wanted to stay home with their wives.


Even Brandt and Jessie encouraged Tell to bring Georgia over for supper. Her bout of shyness vanished when she held baby Tucker, and she and Jessie chatted like old friends. Tell was fascinated by how babies pulled women together. When he started to imagine a black-haired little boy with Georgia’s pale-blue eyes and his smile, he figured Dalton would whap him in the head for thinking like a girl.


He turned the taps on and sluiced away the shaving cream. As he patted his face dry, he tried to remember how he’d agreed to help chaperone the dance put on by the Sundance High School Booster Club. Right. Georgia. After assisting him with rodeo club fundraisers and helping the cheerleaders, she’d had the great idea to bring together all the school clubs for one fun event. Everyone was excited and Georgia was creating positive buzz.


The only sour note was their parental situations. Georgia’s mother had started pressuring her to work on rebuilding a relationship with her father. Tell couldn’t fault Georgia for her trepidation. Only a person who’d suffered through family dramas understood that forgiveness wasn’t automatically given. Sometimes it wasn’t earned. And sometimes letting go was the best option. Not politically correct, but often necessary.