His eyes seemed to light up when he talked about the bulls. Maybe I was imagining it, but his expression didn’t look nearly as gruff and grumpy as it had before.
“My dad said you’re starting a new breeding program with a bull the two of you just bought?” I wanted to encourage him to keep talking. Hearing him go on about bulls was much better than being ignored. Plus, I loved listening to his voice. He had a hint of Texas twang in his rich, deep tone. And his hands… they were large and rough… the hands of a real working man who didn’t sit behind a desk all day. Despite his cool attitude toward me, I’d been intrigued by him since I arrived and was almost ready to admit to myself I’d developed a bit of a crush.
Chase’s lips curled into an almost-smile. The simple movement transformed his features. I forgot about the scar and downplayed the frostiness he’d shown me. “Yeah. His name is Hunk of Burning Love. You want to meet him?”
“Sure.” What I really wanted to do was figure out how to coax his lips into a full smile. Though even imagining how it would feel to have all that gorgeousness turned on me set off a series of red flags. Chase wasn’t some college boy I was trying to get to ask me to a dance. He was my dad’s partner and had over a decade of experience on me. Real life experience. That also meant he had much more real lovin’ experience. My cheeks warmed as I wondered what he’d look like without that shirt covering up all his muscles.
“Follow me.” He led the way out of the barn, and I went after him. I’d stopped registering the limp in his walk and instead had started to appreciate how the well-worn denim jeans cupped his backside. The more time I spent around the grumpy cowboy, the more I wanted to him see me as someone other than his business partner’s daughter.
We reached a paddock behind the barn where a huge gray bull lazily chewed on a clump of clover. “This is Hunk of Burning Love? He doesn’t look too scary. How did he get his name?”
Chase looked over at me from under the brim of his cowboy hat. “Don’t let the name fool you. This bull’s nothing but a spitfire. The only thing he lives for is bucking a rider off his back. He’s ended more rodeo careers than several other top bulls combined.”
“Is he the one who…” my question trailed off. Immediately, I regretted opening my big mouth. Chase had finally engaged in an almost civil conversation with me, and I’d just derailed it.
“What other information do you need before you can head back to Dallas?” His entire expression changed. Whatever wall had cracked open a moment ago was back in place.
“I’d love to get a history of the ranch.” He might want me gone, but I wasn’t about to leave without getting what I came for. “Maybe we can set aside some time to chat tomorrow?”
“Why wait? There’s no reason for you to stick around another day if I can answer all your questions tonight, is there?” The hard set of his jaw left little leeway for negotiation.
I wasn’t ready to give up yet. Maybe if I got him away from the ranch, he’d loosen up a little. “I’m not sure we’ll be able to cover it all tonight, but what would you think about heading into town for dinner? My dad said there’s a great steakhouse in downtown Broken Bend. My mouth’s been watering just thinking about it.”
Chase turned toward me, and his gaze fell on my lips.
Something passed between us. Something hot and heavy and full of desperate need. I couldn’t explain the hold he had on me. Maybe it was knowing he was totally forbidden that turned me on. If Kaitlyn were here, she’d say it was his brokenness that appealed to me. I’d always been attracted to lost causes and projects I thought I could save.
I shoved that thought to the back of my brain right away. Chase might have scars on the outside, but he was strong. Whatever it was that drew me to him, I ached to act on it. More than anything else, I wanted to know what it would feel like to run my fingers over the long scar that covered his jaw. I reached up, my hand hovering in the space between us. Then I touched his cheek.
He closed his eyes and turned toward my hand.
The air pressed down on us, charged with tension. I didn’t want to break the silence, didn’t want to say or do anything that might destroy the spell that had fallen over both of us.
Chase put his hand over mine and pressed my palm against his cheek. Then he leaned over and touched his lips to the corner of my mouth. I’d never felt a need like the desire that coursed through my veins at his touch. I pressed into him, turning my head to fully capture his lips.
His palm went to the back of my head and his fingers slid up into my hair. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t make sense of what was happening between us. All I knew was that I wanted more. His tongue pressed against the seam of my lips. He tasted like one of the chocolate chip cookies Brownie had set out as an afternoon snack.
I tilted my head, letting him take the kiss deeper. My fingers curled around the front of his shirt and tugged him closer as I pressed the full length of my body against him.
One moment his hands were gripping the back of my neck, bending me to his will, the next moment they were gone.
I cracked my eyelids open to see him pull back, then turn to face the metal gate. He jerked off his hat, funneled his hands through his short, dark hair, and set his hat back on his head.
“Hell, Whitley. There’s no excuse for taking advantage of you like that. I’m sorry.”
I reached for his arm, but he pulled away before I had a chance to reassure him it was okay. I’d wanted the kiss at least as much as he did, maybe even more. All this time, I thought he’d hated me. It seemed impossible that he could be attracted to me half as much as I was to him.
“Chase, I—”
“Don’t.” He shook his head, unwilling to make eye contact. “You want that steak, I’ll take you into town tonight. On one condition.”
I still hadn’t caught my breath from the kiss we shared. “What’s that?”
“You need to go home tomorrow.”
My heart sank as he walked toward the house, not bothering to look back, his uneven gait even more pronounced than it had been earlier. I tried to process what had just happened. He’d been the one who reached for me, so I hadn’t imagined the attraction between us. I just didn’t know what to do about it.
Jessie came out of the barn and met me halfway up the hill.