Playing With Fire (Tangled in Texas, #2)(102)
“Sonofabitch.” He groaned in frustration. “Woman, you know damn well I don’t understand what the hell that means. Was that a yes or a no?”
I smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss. “That was definitely a yes!”
Epilogue
“You sure you don’t need any help?” Cowboy called out from the living room over the low rumblings of our family and friends.
“No, I’ve got it.”
I placed the leftover sheet cake into its box, but before closing it, I swiped one finger across the corner, scooping the white frosting, and popped it into my mouth. A low moan escaped my lips as I sucked the icing off. Delicious.
When I turned to grab a napkin, I realized I wasn’t alone. Cowboy stood in the doorway, his eyes focused on me and one brow raised, as if he caught me red-handed. “Very unladylike,” he reprimanded.
But his smirk told on him.
“And you loved it.”
“Damn straight,” he replied, then continued standing there with his eyes burning with uncontrolled intensity.
For a moment, all I could do was stare back. Even after a year of marriage, it amazed me how his watchfulness still affected me. Warmth crept up my neck, as if my body was a thermometer and heat from his pointed gaze caused my mercury to rise. Then his eyes flickered down to my chest and my swollen nipples hardened.
“W-what are you doing?”
“You mean, besides looking at my beautiful wife?”
I glanced down and caught sight of the bulge in his jeans. Just my luck. His wick was lit. “Yeah, right. We both know what that look of yours leads to.” I crossed my arms over my chest, hoping the disarming gesture would slow his roll. “Put away the weapon of massive proportions,” I told him, lowering my tone to a whisper. “We have guests.”
Cowboy groaned. “This is going to kill me, you know?”
I smiled. “You’ll live.”
He stepped into my space and cinched his arms around my waist. “You sure about that?” he asked, dusting his lips across mine and then nipping gently.
My ragged breath caught in my throat and my pulse raced. The force of attraction between us bonded us together in a way I couldn’t explain and it still blew me away. Cowboy’s high libido was definitely going to be problematic over the next—
“For the love of God, Cowboy!” Bobbie Jo exclaimed from the doorway, holding an empty plate. “You think you could give the poor woman a few weeks before you start trying to sex her up again? She just had a baby, for goodness sakes.”
Maybe Cowboy should have felt deeply ashamed for his behavior, but he just chuckled. “Can I help it if she tastes so sweet?”
The sugary aftertaste still coated my tongue. “Frosting,” I explained to her. “He was just helping me put away the leftover cake.”
“Well, I just came to tell you we’re leaving. I’m sure you’re exhausted and would like to get some rest.” Her eyes cut to Cowboy and narrowed slightly.
Cowboy raised both of his hands in the air and smiled innocently. “Hands off, I swear.”
I rolled my eyes at him and gave her a quick wink. “Don’t worry. I know how to handle this cowboy if he gets too frisky.”
We walked into the living room, where most of our friends and family had gathered quietly in a semicircle around Dan. He must’ve sensed us approach because he turned and grinned wide. “Sure is a hefty little guy, isn’t he?”
Seeing our newborn son sleeping in Dan’s arms made me smile. “He’s beautiful, isn’t he?” Then I cringed at my words. Crap. It slipped out.
Cowboy came up behind me, placed his lips near my ear, and whispered, “Who’s the f*cking doofus who passed the baby to the blind man?”
I elbowed him into silence and motioned to the others standing around Dan. Every one of them were on guard, watching for any little mishap that could possibly occur. I had no doubt our son was perfectly safe and secure.
“He’s healthy and has a good, strong name,” Dan said. “That’s all that matters.”
Everyone smiled at that. When we’d announced we were naming our son Daniel, the old man automatically assumed we’d named our child after him. He had no clue we actually named him after a little boy named Danny who wanted to be a fireman and never got the chance to fulfill his dreams. Or that it was also my father’s middle name. None of us had the heart to correct him.
“Here ya go, little fella,” Dan said softly. “Go back to your mommy.” Then he handed our baby boy to Bobbie Jo.
We all bit our lips to keep from laughing, but no one said anything. Bobbie Jo shrugged and gently laid Daniel in a nearby bassinet, patting him lightly to get him back to sleep. Seconds later, he was out again.
“Thank you for throwing us a welcome home party,” I said, tearing up a little. “It was very sweet of you.”
“No problem,” Bobbie Jo said, offering me a hug. “Any woman who can convince Cowboy to give up his bachelor status deserves a hell of a lot more than a party.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Cowboy cut in. “Just wait ’til the right guy comes along and you find yourself in the same position.”
She smiled and gazed over at Austin playing on the floor with Lily. “Not going to happen,” she said. “There isn’t a man out there who can undo the damage Jeremy caused when it comes to my low opinion of men.”