When she’d come down again, he took her by the hand and pulled her off the desk, and gave her a kiss that tasted like her sex. “Turn around.”
She did as she was told, still panting.
“Lift your hair.” When she did, he pressed a kiss to the back of her neck, and she smiled. “Come to my place tonight,” he said softly, tying the straps of her dress behind her neck for her again.
He hadn’t invited her back since that first night after they’d gotten out of the woods. She felt a little flutter in her chest. “You sure?”
When she turned, he nodded, and kissed her again, and she touched the cut on the corner of his mouth with concern. “Doesn’t hurt,” he said. “Will you stay?”
“Is this because you want me with you, or because you’re afraid Allan’s going to come by and harass me again?”
“Both,” he said. “Plus, I like the way you wake a man up. Ruined me for coffee, remember?”
She laughed. “Let’s stop by my place and get my things first.”
They swung by her salon while she packed a quick overnight bag, and then headed out to the ranch in his car. Once in his cabin, they’d made love again—this time tender, sweet love—before going to sleep in each other’s arms, naked.
ELEVEN
The front door banged open, startling Beth Ann awake.
“Sorry to barge in, Colt,” Miranda sang out, and Beth Ann heard a cord dragging. “But you’re the closest cabin and the closest outlet, and I need to curl my hair before we meet Dane’s parents today, and I—”
Beth Ann sat up, pushing aside a nest of blond hair that had fallen into her face.
Colt sat up, too, and his voice was amused. “Mornin’, Miranda.”
Beth Ann’s best friend stared at the two of them in bed together in horror. Her jaw went slack with surprise, and then she dropped the curling iron in her hand. “Oh.” She scooped it up and then tilted her head, staring at them. “I came over to borrow an outlet. I, uh, didn’t realize Colt had company.”
“Hey, honey,” Beth Ann said softly, her cheeks flushing. “How are you?”
“Holy shit!” Miranda exclaimed, the sight of her friend finally sinking in. “Beth Ann! What the hell? You never said a word to me!”
Beth Ann bit her lip and looked over at Colt.
“Miranda,” he said, “can I get you to turn around so I can get some pants?”
“Oh my God. You’re both naked,” Miranda squeaked. “Oh God, I’m scarred for life. I’ll go to the big lodge—”
“It’s okay,” Colt said. “Just give me two minutes for pants, and then you and Beth Ann can talk—”
Before he could finish, Miranda was back out the door. Colt chuckled and glanced over at Beth Ann. “Didn’t realize she was that skittish.”
“She’s probably in shock,” Beth Ann admitted, hugging Colt’s blankets to her.
“Not half as shocked as she’d be if we told her what we were doing last night.”
Beth Ann flushed.
He grinned, pulled her toward him and kissed her temple, then crawled out of bed over her. She admired his ass as he dressed, pulling on briefs, and then a pair of jeans. He turned as he tugged a shirt over his head, and his hair—that sexy high and tight haircut—was sticking up in tufts from sleep. “You want coffee, darlin’?”
“Coffee sounds good,” she admitted.
He grinned and tossed a shirt at her. “I’ll get some from the lodge and will be back. Don’t go anywhere.”
“You’re my ride,” she pointed out. Plus, she was pretty sure she’d forgotten to pack panties in their haste last night. She tugged on Colt’s T-shirt and a pair of his sweatpants, and opened the door to the cabin to let Miranda in. “It’s safe now, honey. No more naked people.”
Miranda climbed up the steps and reentered with her curling iron. She plugged it into the wall, and then whirled to look at Beth Ann. “Well, I suppose this is a blessing,” she said lightly. “You can fix my hair so I don’t look like an idiot when I meet Dane’s parents for lunch.”
“Are they in town?” Beth Ann asked politely.
“They are,” Miranda said stiffly. “We’re having lunch with them to talk about the wedding and—oh hell, Beth Ann. You’re sleeping with Colt?” Her friend’s voice was scandalized. “You two hate each other. Like cats and dogs hate. Cats and water hate. Brenna and Grant hate.” Her eyes widened. “Is this a hate-sex relationship? Is that what you need after Allan? Someone to make you feel like—”
“Nothing like that,” Beth Ann said hastily. She moved to the curling iron and picked it up, then gestured for Miranda to sit in the sole chair in the cabin. “You bring clips?”
Miranda handed her one as Beth Ann separated a lock of her hair with her fingers. “Don’t change the subject. How did you and Colt get together?”
“It’s kind of complicated.”
“And that’s why you should tell your best friend,” Miranda pointed out. “I should be terribly hurt that you never said a peep to me, but frankly—wow. Now I don’t have to plan my wedding around whether or not you two can be civilized to each other. I can just plan it around whether or not you two need separate rooms or not.”
Beth Ann blushed and wrapped the curling iron around a long, dark lock of Miranda’s thick hair. “Don’t read too much into it yet, honey. We’re still casual.”
Miranda twisted in her seat, jerking at the curling iron. “Oh my God. You guys are just f**k buddies?”
Lord. “We’re dating. I just don’t know if it’ll last. I’m trying not to read too much into it just yet.”
“Because Allan’s going to try and chase him off?”
The thought had crossed Beth Ann’s mind.
Miranda turned again. “Have you thought about Allan? What’s he going to say?”
“He kind of found out the hard way,” Beth Ann said lightly. “He walked in on us.”
Miranda gasped, her hands going to the high collar of her dress. “What? How on earth did that happen?”
“Um.” Beth Ann curled another long strand. “Same way you did.”