“Startin’ with dessert, huh?”
I shrug with a smile. “I’m just in that kind of a mood,” I admit as I eat a piece of cobbler.
Kane takes a step closer, and I look up into his baby-blue eyes. With his thumb, he swipes the corner of my mouth. Then he pops it between his lips, licking off the filling. I swallow hard, watching him, wishing he’d make a move, though knowing it’d be terrible considering he’s taken.
“Mmm…sweet,” he says, temptation coating his tone.
For a brief second, I contemplate standing on my tiptoes and gently sliding my lips across his, and if I had an ounce of courage, I’d do it. Before I can say anything, the door of the warehouse swings open.
I look past Kane, who’s standing awfully close, and meet Harper’s eyes.
“Hey,” she says. Walking closer, she glances back and forth between us, then heads to the kitchen area to set down her purse. I’m so thankful she doesn’t say anything and acts as if she’s not fazed by him being here, though he doesn’t come in here often.
“Well,” he says. The roughness in his tone isn’t lost on me as something swirls between us. Warmth rushes through my body when I meet his eyes again, and I feel as if we’re doing something we shouldn’t. “I gotta get going.”
“Thank you again,” I say breathlessly, drunk by his proximity.
He shoots me a wink, then heads toward the door. “See ya, Harper.”
“Bye,” she says with her back turned. I dig into my food and wait for her to question me. When she talks about work instead, I’m more than relieved. I quickly eat, and then Harper and I tag team the work for the rest of the afternoon. My mind is all over the place, and I try to focus on the task at hand.
The only man I’ve ever crushed on is giving me the attention I’ve wanted for years, but he’s taken. Sometimes life really isn’t fair, but I try not to dwell on that. Honestly, I’ll take what I can get from Kane, even if that means just being friends. But I can’t deny the way he’s always made me feel. He’s my dream man, kind and sexy as sin.
I busy myself with work, and by the time I look up at the clock, it’s nearly seven. Harper and I are exhausted after pulling long hours all week, and I can’t wait to shower and go to bed.
“Let’s clean up and call it a night,” she says after we finish pouring our final batch of soap. “We can start back up in the morning.”
“Sounds good,” I agree with a yawn.
For the next thirty minutes, we pick up our mess and stage our area with supplies so we can get started first thing tomorrow. After she locks up, we walk out together.
“Have a good night,” I tell her with a wave.
“You too!” she says as we go our separate ways.
When I get home, Mom’s sitting on the couch knitting again. Her entire face lights up when she sees me.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d be home tonight,” she says.
This causes me to laugh because it’s her way of asking me where I was. We’re close, and I don’t usually keep things from her, but I also don’t tell her where I am all the time either.
“I stayed on the ranch because my car battery died.”
“At Hadleigh’s?”
I clear my throat. “At Kane’s.”
She gives me a pointed look, the same look I expected Harper to give me today.
“Don’t even. It’s not like that. It was late when I left the shop, and he’s basically the only Bishop who lived close enough for me to get help. And… I slept on his couch.”
Mom’s brow lifts as if she’s not buying it.
“It’s really not like that, I swear. He has a girlfriend who he seems to like very much.”
“Whatever you say, honey. Men can have girlfriends and still be with other people. Your dad was a perfect example of that.” Just by her tone, I know she’s not convinced by my explanation.
“I’d never be a side piece, Mom. I’ve got more respect for myself than that.”
“I’m glad to hear that, sweetie. You deserve to be someone’s queen.”
I’d let Kane put me on a pedestal and worship my body from head to toe, but I keep those details to myself.
CHAPTER SIX
KANE
Today we were slammed, and I dealt with people nonstop. I think I walked fifty thousand steps between dealing with horses and assholes along with asshole horses. Mondays are typically busy, especially during breeding season, but today was a different monster with three roaring heads. It was stressful because everything seemed to go wrong, and we got off schedule. All day we played catch-up, but it meant I was at the barn until nearly eight. I’m not just physically and emotionally exhausted but also mentally. Right now, I just need a vacation, but there’s really no sleep for the wicked, at least not until the end of fall breeding.