Page 43 of Thaw My Heart

“Yes… I was,” I smile, taking steps towards him. Closing the distance he put between us. Heart racing with every step. “But you weren’t,” I smirk, stopping in front of him. Close enough that with one more step, my breasts would be pushed up against him. And damn, I want to. “Yet I recall very clearly how hard your dick⁠—”

He puts a finger to my lips, stopping my words. Startling me at first, but soon the feeling of his rough finger against my mouth and the sound of his deep, warm voice begins to build heat in my core, numbing the chill in my body. The hue of his blue eyes softens as he grazes his eyes along my face. “We’re not talking about it, Sadie. Because if we talk about it, I’m going to end up doing something we’ll both regret. Do you understand?”

I slowly nod, feeling his warm breath on my skin.

“Good,” he pulls his finger away, staring at me for a long second like he’s considering going further. A fraction of a moment before something shifts in his eyes, and he heads for the door.

But I’m not ready for him to leave yet. I was just starting to thaw out that hard exterior he liked to put on. And let’s be honest, getting under Kit’s skin has become a new hobby of mine. One that I found delightfully entertaining. I cross my arms and smile. “So, what you’re saying is that you want to.”

He gives me a pointed look. “You should take a hot bath. Wash all of this nonsense out of you before I decide to throw you back in the river,” he barks.

“Or you could just kiss me, Cowboy.” I graze my bottom lip softly with my teeth. He watches me with a look that says he’s thinking about it. “You know you want to. And it would be much easier than trying to haul me down to the river.”

I’m very familiar with the look in a man’s eyes when they want something, and Kit has been wanting to kiss me for a while now. Of course, he’ll never admit it, but I know it’s something he’s thought about often.

Something he thought about five seconds ago when he held his finger to my mouth.

His eyes drop to the floor. “You don’t want me, Tequila.”

“What?” What does he mean?

“Trust me,” he murmurs. With that, he opens the door, letting in falling snow from the storm, filling the heated room with a cold chill.

Except I did want him.

I wanted him in ways I didn’t quite understand, in ways I probably shouldn’t, considering my past. But something about Kit and this thing between us feels different. He feels safe. Safe enough to want something more with him. I’ve been very clear and honest about my intentions since the start. Too honest.

Does he really feel that way?

“Kit—” I call after him, but he’s already gone.

Perhaps I’ve finally cracked him, because that look on his face is the most honest he’s been with me since the start. It’s the same tortured look he gave me when he told me why he moved back to Aspen Hollow. Whatever happened to him in California still haunts him, and I’m not sure why.

Today is just one shitstorm after another.

First, my aunt and uncle pushing me towards Sadie. Then Sadie almost fucking drowning in the river over a stupid calf, and then finally that damn smirk on her face as she challenged me to kiss her. If only there were a way to prevent her from opening her damn mouth, or some kind of filter that stopped her from saying words that filled my body with tension and warmth.

Whatever she thought she was feeling wasn’t real. Annoyance, disdain, and general loathing. Those were her real feelings. Her hesitation to trust me mirrored my own internal struggles with it, but for her to work on this ranch, she’s going to need to figure out how. If she could just trust me, none of that would’ve even happened.

I pad into the bathroom, turning on the shower when my phone buzzes in my pocket.

“Hey,” I answer, stepping out into the hall.

“Hey, Kit,” Cole’s voice sounds scratchy through the phone. “I just wanted to call and thank you for your quick actions today. Where did you end up finding them?”

“You were right. They headed North towards Pine River. But we coaxed them out easily enough,” I half-lie, and it sits like a rock in my chest. I’ve never lied to my uncle, and it did not feel good.

“Good, good. How’d Sadie do?”

The weight on my chest sinks deeper. “Fine.”

He chuckles. “Well, that’s good to hear. Look, I know it’s Saturday tomorrow, but can you meet me in the morning? I have some things I need to talk to you about.”

Frustration builds in my core. “If this is about our conversation this morning⁠—”

“No, nothing like that. It’s… well, it’s bigger than that.”

“Oh, alright,” I sigh in relief. “I’ll see you, then.”