Redneck Romeo (Rough Riders #15)(16)

“Great in that I don’t have to pay rent, but that’s about it.”


He brushed a hair from her cheek. “And?”


“And living there makes it seem like I never left here.” Somehow the man had backed her against the wall. “Dalton, what are you doing?”


“You have chocolate pudding on your lip and I’m gonna lick it off. And then I’m gonna kiss you. Really kiss you like I’ve been dyin’ to since you showed up today.”


Since when did he… Oh God. A warm, wet tongue slid across her lower lip. He tugged her bottom lip between his teeth and sucked. He slowly released it and crushed his lips to hers.


Dalton’s mouth demanded. Controlled. Teased. He clasped her hands in his, letting the kiss ebb and then building it back up. No body parts were touching beyond the clasp of their hands and their locked mouths.


Rory never remembered him kissing her like this—with such single-minded absorption.


That’s because he’s had lots and lots of practice.


He ended the kiss before she pulled away. He murmured, “I had to do that out here. Because if I did it in my bedroom we might never come out.” He placed a kiss below her ear.


She ignored how her body tingled just from his soft mouth on her skin. Annoyed, she gave him a tiny head-butt. “Wishful thinking, McKay.”


He chuckled. “Guess we’ll see.”


Smug man. “And I hate the beard anyway.”


He stepped back and opened the door.


Rory looked at the sleeping bag on the floor, then at him and poked him in the chest. “I’m beyond the age that doing it in a sleeping bag holds any appeal for me.”


“Oh, I don’t know. Two sleeping bags hooked together out in the middle of nowhere, beneath a big starry sky, will always hold appeal for me.”


“Who are you?” She poked him again. “It’s this damn beard that’s turned you into a mountain man, isn’t it?”


“No.” He kissed her. “I’ve changed. But with you, proof is in the pudding—ha ha—so that’s what you’ll get.”


“More pudding?”


Dalton looked at her—more like he looked through her. His blue eyes held something warm and dark that she’d never seen and her belly cartwheeled.


That’s when she knew he’d honed that boyish charm into a sharper instrument. A much more dangerous tool.


Then the look vanished and he smiled. “Maybe we oughta go finish our pudding.”


They returned to the kitchen. Dalton’s eyes were glued to her mouth as she licked every bite of chocolate from her spork.


“Besides handyman stuff, what are you doing to fill your days?”


“I’ll put in an appearance at the rehab hospital. Then at some point this week I gotta get furniture for this place and a TV. I need something else to fill the void while I’m stuck here.”


Fill the void? Was that why he was being so cute and flirty with her? Because she was the void he intended to fill…in more ways than one?


Enough. You got what you needed, he explained why he left so walk away. Now.


“Well, good luck with that.” She tossed her empty pudding cup on her paper plate and stood to gather the trash.


“Rory. What’s wrong?”


“Nothing. I have to go.”


“Already? Stay.”


She whirled around. “Why? So you can fill a void? I’m just another way to kill time while you’re stuck here?”



Dalton took the garbage from her and flung it on the counter. Then he grabbed her upper arms. “Spend every waking hour that you’re not workin’ with me.”


“What? No. That’s ridiculous. I—”


He cut off her retort with a steamy kiss that made her wonder why she didn’t mouth off to him all the time.


After he thoroughly scrambled her brain, Dalton rested his forehead to hers. “If you would’ve said yes, then I wouldn’t need to buy a damn TV.”


“You are going to drive me crazy with this need to prove you’ve changed, aren’t you?”


“Something worth doin’ is worth doin’ well. And make no mistake, I’m doin’ it right with you this time.” He touched her face with the back of his hand. “Question is: will you let me?”


“Knock yourself out.”


“So flip,” he murmured. “You scared it might work?”


“So confident,” she shot back. “You scared you can’t convince me?”


He laughed.


Rory held up her hands. “Enough for one night. Please. I need to go home.”


Dalton helped her with her coat.


When she spun around to say something, he put his finger across her lips.


“Give me a chance. That’s all I’m asking.”


Chapter Five


Day two in the rehab hospital sucked ass.


Dalton didn’t know why he and his brothers were sitting in an overheated bedroom with a bitter man who didn’t want them there. The one time when he’d made eye contact with Casper, he’d seen that mean gleam—as if the * was remembering the last conversation they’d had three years ago that’d resulted in Dalton leaving.