Pressure Point (Rhinestone Cowgirls Book 3) (14 page)

“Yes, I’m a carnivore. I need meat to replenish.”

He opened the refrigerator and took out a pan of marinating steaks. He held it up and grinned. “My own special marinade.”

He placed it under her nose and she inhaled deeply. “Soy sauce. And garlic?”

“You’re pretty close, but I don’t tell anyone the secret ingredients to my sauces.” He wagged his brows.

She laid her chin in the cup of her clasped hands. “You’re setting the bar high. You make it sound like you have talent.”

“I haven’t gotten any complaints yet.” He stared at her with pensive eyes.

Her bottom tingled. She caught the latent meaning of his words—and so did her body. He set the pan to the side and went back to the fridge, grabbed two longnecks and popped the lids and handed her one. He brought one to his mouth and tipped it, while keeping his gaze on her down the bottle.

She stared at the label and picked at the corner. “Not sure I should do this again.”

“Do what? Drink a beer?”

“Exactly. It didn’t end too well for me last time.” She looked at him through the veil of her lashes.

“Well, we don’t have a trailer hitched to the truck and a horse nearby to steal, or a pond to skinny dip in, so I’d say we’re safe.”

She wasn’t a big drinker, but she could use something to calm her nerves. Taking a drink, she swallowed the ice-cold brew.

He stood on the other side of the small island and she got a good whiff of soap and man. On its own accord, her tongue slipped out and smoothed over her bottom lip. “You’re watching me thoughtfully,” she said.

“You caught me staring—upstairs…”

She still picked at the label on her bottle. “I didn’t realize the door had popped open. That’s the trouble with old places, the wood creaks and shifts.” At least she thought she’d shut it. What if on some subconscious level she left it open? No…she wouldn’t do that…

He shrugged. “My gain.” The twinkle in his eyes danced.

Her cheeks warmed and she took a long drink. Setting the bottle down with a crack, she placed her palms into her lap. “You should have done the right thing and warned me.” She narrowed her gaze.

“I ain’t ashamed to admit that I was a deer in the headlights. But if it makes you feel any better, I saw more the night of the wedding.” He saluted her with the bottle and drank.

Tingles spread from her chest downward into her stomach. “And how should that make me feel better?”

“I told you before. A body like that deserves to be flaunted.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose.” The words fell from her trembling lips. “So stop looking at me like a boy who just got caught looking at a nude magazine.”

He shrugged. “Don’t freak out on me.” He turned and removed the steaks from the marinade and placed them onto another pan.

“I’m not freaking out.” Oh, but yes, she was…on the inside she was nothing but quivering parts.

He opened the door to the oven and put the steaks in. And then, he caught her off guard when he pulled out the other stool and sat next to her, their knees brushing. She swallowed against the growing constriction in her throat. “You saw me naked. I’d say someone has the unfair leverage,” he teased.

She shouldn’t allow him to get to her, but her body went right down the trail willingly. “Yes indeed, I did.” She couldn’t help herself, she slipped her gaze over him.

He drank his beer. She removed her gaze from him and put it on a large cucumber sitting on the island.

He leaned forward, his knee slipped between her legs. Slightly parting them. Every nerve ending on her body came alive, some she didn’t even know she had. “How is it that you get more beautiful every time I see you?”

His deep Texas drawl did wonders to her core. “Because I can never tell if you‘re joking or being truthful, I’ll take this as you teasing me. Something you do regularly.”

“I wouldn’t joke about something like your beauty, sweetheart.” His breath swept across her cheek. Warm with the slight trace of beer.

“I guess that’s the Walters’s charm I’ve heard so much about from Pearl.” She smiled.

“Just being honest. I’ve never been good at mincing my words.” He scratched his jaw and the raspiness vibrated her veins. She shifted on the wooden stool. “And if you don’t stop touching that cucumber, I’ll need to take a break to take care of a certain part that won’t seem to go flaccid.”

She didn’t realize she was rolling her fingers over the vegetable until he brought it to her attention. With a slight squeak, she jerked her hand away and laid it in her lap. Embarrassment flooded her cheeks with a searing warmth. Oh for heaven’s sake! Where were all of her womanly skills of seduction when she needed them? Usually, she was the one who had the upper hand and controlled the situation, but when she was near Nash, he had the control.

Don’t look. Don’t.

She looked at the part he referred to. Oh she was in big trouble.

“Yeah, it’s hard now.”

She jerked her gaze up so quickly that she made herself dizzy. “I-I wasn’t looking.” 
Liar.
The hell she wasn’t.

He grinned. One that could knock her panties off if she wasn’t sitting. “It’s okay, sweetheart.”

“Can we change the subject?” Her voice see-sawed.

“Sure. What would you like to talk about?” He cradled the beer. The bottle looked small in his large hands.

“I wanted to say thank you again for somehow talking John into selling Trojan. I don’t know what you used against him, but it worked.”

“A man like John can always be convinced of changing his mind. Let’s just say, he’s not the only one with friends in town.”

She sighed. “You don’t like him much.”

“I don’t like his type.”

“Rich?” she lifted one brow.

“Obnoxious.” He forced through tight lips.

She raised a shoulder. “You’re right.”

“Then why were you with him? I know you gave some half excuse before, but really, why?” His eyes bore into her.

“When we first started to get to know one another, I enjoyed how he appreciated my thoughts. What things were on my mind. I’d never gotten that before.”

“From anyone?”

She shook her head sending a tendril of hair from the bun. She pushed it behind her ear. “Being the youngest of three sisters I was always treated like the baby. After our mother died it was only natural that Jewels took over the role as surrogate mom. I rebelled against that once I got old enough. Not because I don’t love her, because I do, but because I always felt like I could never be as good as she is. She’s beautiful. Kind. Nurturing. Forgiving. And then there’s Pearl. Who wouldn’t love her? She’s pure, sweet, and lovely.”

“And you’re beautiful, thoughtful and strong-willed. What’s not to like?”

His words disturbed her wall of protection. She met his gaze, her breath caught. “I’ve always been the wild one. When something happened, I got the blame. They treat me like I don’t know as much because I’m too young. It hasn’t changed.”

“You don’t think you’ve done some things that deserve you being labeled as the wild one? Before you answer, think long and hard about what happened with a horse, a blanket, and an hour spent in jail.” He sniffed but he remained smiling.

“Okay, sure. I tend to be reckless at times, but even when I have good intentions it seems to all fall apart.”

“Name something.” He urged.

“The incident with Pugly. It worked, thankfully.”

“Yeah, Pearl’s prized horse and DJ’s donkey now have a beautiful mule.” He laughed.

She wrinkled her nose. “That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m referring to the fact that my matchmaking skills got your brother and my sister together and it’s a pretty hot match if you ask me.”

“True.” He sat back in the stool. “I think we could narrow this down to birth order.”

“Yeah, how do you see that?”

“We lost our mom when we were young too. DJ and Jobe were responsible for keeping me safe and, trust me, they failed many times, but that didn’t keep them from pretending they were role models. We fight like a pack of wolves, but I love them boys. And I know they have my back. Just like Jewels and Pearl. I’m sure they’d do anything in the world for you.”

She nodded. “I know they would.”

“Then take it for what it is. At least you have siblings. Imagine life without them.”

“What do you think of where the Walters R&R is headed? Plans for more expansion?”

He shook his head. “Hell, I hope not. I like the size it is now, Honestly, I don’t have any more time to spare. Being a rancher doesn’t leave much play time. Luckily, we’re hiring more crew to help out.”

“Once, I rode with dad over to your ranch.  I must have been about eight or nine. You were outside. You were wearing a too big cowboy hat and oversized cowboy boots, and nothing else.” She took a drink and swallowed.

“Hell no!” He slapped his hand on his thigh. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Nope, ‘fraid not, cowboy. I guess even then you were trying out the rancher’s blood running through those veins. When I said hi to you, a cheesy smile spread over your face and the next thing I knew, you kicked up dirt on my clothes.”

“Just to let you know, I’ve grown a little since.” His gaze twinkled.

“Oh, I do know.” Realizing the brazenness of her words, she darted her glance away. Why did she get so loose tongued when he was around?

“I love working the land. Nothin’ like dirty hands and sweat soaked skin.” Yeah, she could agree. Her body tingled. “It’s about time us boys started providing a legacy—heirs to take on the place.”

“Yes, you’ve mentioned it several times—kids, family, wife. You truly know what you want.”

He rolled his finger around the rim of his bottle. “How do you think it is that we’ve lived so close and very seldom saw one another?”

She sighed. “Sometimes the closest people to us are the furthest.”

He nodded. “Good point, but you’re not into cowboys, are you?”

“Hey, I dated John. He’s a cowboy.” She laughed.

“No, Nazarene is a wanna-be. He hasn’t worked a hard day in his life. I bet if we asked him to go out and herd his cattle he’d not know which end of a cow was the head and which was the ass. He has enough money and hands that he doesn’t have to worry about any of that shit.”

She couldn’t argue. “Growing up we just saw so many, and dad working all of the time…well, you just kind of lose your taste for a man who works his land and not much else.”

“Can’t argue that.” He grabbed the label she’d torn from her bottle and smoothed it on the table. “Maybe I’ll never find a woman who can get past the long hours.”

She met his gaze. “Come on, Nash. You’re single because you choose to be. Bachelors like you are hard to come by.”

“You’re trippin’. Seriously. I haven’t had a date, a real date, in a long time. It’s not as easy as you portray it to be.”

“What happened with Katy the barista?” This was a sore subject.

He shrugged. “I have no clue. I guess I just don’t see myself with a woman who is bubbly and carries a bible in her purse.”

Em blinked. “She carries a bible in her purse?” He nodded. “She’s purer than I first thought. You might want to grab her up. She’s a keeper.”

“Katy just doesn’t do it for me anymore.”

His glaze warmed and Em didn’t encourage him to explain. “When will the steaks be done?” It was best to change the subject entirely.

He slid off the stool. “I’ll check them.”

While he checked on their meal, Em took the time to gather her emotions that were hanging out all over the place. It irritated her that she could talk openly to Nash, and he listened. It bothered her even more that the time he was near, she couldn’t get past the strong desire to kiss him. He had a nice mouth. A nice chest. Hell, everything was nice.

She remembered the one kiss they’d shared. And although she was inebriated and her senses dulled, it didn’t change the fact that she remembered his taste and the way he made her want things—naughty things.

She forced emotion back into the dark cave inside of her. She didn’t need to get all ooey gooey over Nash, now or ever. She happened to be one woman who didn’t want a rancher as a husband. Just as her father did, they worked too hard, had too many responsibilities. Her sister’s might have decided they could withstand long hours on the land, but Em knew she wasn’t cut out for it.

Em took a long drag from her beer and emptied the bottle. Sliding off the stool, she dropped the empty bottle into the trashcan on the way to the fridge then grabbed another long neck. “Want another?”

“Sure,” Nash said as he stirred a pot.

This time she popped the lids and handed him one. He drank from it and she smiled. He was gorgeous.

“Whatever you got going on the stove, it smells delicious.” She tried peeking over his broad shoulder. “You need any help?”

“How about you go into the living room, have a seat, and I’ll bring in our plates. I hear the crackling of the fire and it’s calling our name.”

Dinner by the fireplace? How did this suddenly turn into romance at its best? She didn’t argue. She did as requested and settled into an overstuffed chair with her beer, watching the flames.