Redneck Romeo (Rough Riders) (10 page)

A fierce look entered his eyes. “If I’d known you were back after breaking your engagement I’d been here six months ago.”

Rory stilled. Dalton hadn’t brought up her broken engagement the other night so she wasn’t sure he’d known about it. “How’d you find out?”

“That you kicked that douche-fucker—who wasn’t good enough to date you, let alone marry you—to the curb? Sierra told me four hours after I left Montana. And I let her have it for keeping such a big fucking secret from me.”

Rory ducked under his arm and put distance between them. “I didn’t know you were so tight with Sierra.”

“I keep in touch with her because she’s the only McKay who never knew me during my growing up years, so she doesn’t hold a fixed opinion about me.”

“So you could keep in touch with her, but not me?” Crap. Why had she said that? “Did Sierra blab all about me?”

Dalton crowded her again. “Only if I asked. So I knew about your engagement. You were seriously gonna marry a guy named Dillon Doland?”

“He goes by Dil. Besides, it’s not the person’s name you fall in love with, but the person.”

He grabbed her upper arms and pulled her closer. “Were you in love with him?”

Given the jealous fire flashing in Dalton’s eyes, she was surprised how easily she manipulated the truth. “We had a lot in common.”

“Did. You. Love. Him.”

“Why does it matter now?”

“Dammit Rory, I can’t stand the thought…” Then Dalton’s hands slid up, framing her face as his mouth took possession of hers.

The kiss started out red-hot and spiraled higher from there. Every slide of his tongue against hers, every tiny suck, every nibble, every time he pulled back he made a low groan and dove into the kiss again. He read her reactions and adjusted accordingly with the perfect combination of passion and temptation. Making her crave more body-to-body contact, more…everything.

He slowed the kiss and backed off. “Didn’t mean to do that here, but I just wanted you to know.”

She rested her backside against the desk because her legs were jelly. “You wanted me to know that you intend to romance the hell out of me?”

“No.”

“Know what then?”

Before he could respond, the door swung open and Hannah walked right in.

Rory was relieved Hannah hadn’t showed up two minutes earlier and caught her and Dalton in a hardcore lip lock.

“Oh, hello,” Hannah said to Dalton’s chest, “I didn’t realize you had a visitor, Rory.”

Like hell you didn’t
.

Dalton said, “I’ll leave and let you get back to work.”

The hungry way Hannah was eyeing Dalton annoyed the piss out of her. Rory set her hand on Dalton’s arm. “We’re still on for lunch, right?”

He didn’t miss a beat. “Of course. Is the Mexican joint still in business?”

“Yes. I’ll meet you there in…fifteen minutes?”

“Works for me.” He gave Hannah the cowboy nod before he walked out.

And lecherous Hannah cranked her head around—much like that chick in
The Exorcist
—to watch his backside as he ambled out.

“Was there something you needed, Hannah?”

“Just checking to see if you ordered additional office supplies for your new temporary position.”

Right. Hannah just wanted to let Rory know she could barge in any time she liked—regardless if she technically wasn’t Rory’s boss for the next few months. “No. I’m covered.”

After Hannah exited the office, Rory spent five minutes brightening her makeup before she drove the mile into town.

Dalton stood when he saw her and kissed her cheek. But he frowned when Rory sat across from him and not next to him.

“Did you get in trouble with your boss lady?”

“No. She’s just a snoopy bitch.”

“I figured as much. I didn’t order you a margarita because I wasn’t sure if you could have a drink at lunch.”

“Better not. Hannah will probably do a breath check on me when I get back.” She scrolled down the menu choices. “I’m so glad I don’t have to answer to her for the next three months while I’m in charge of a special project.”

“What’s the project?”

Rory looked up at him and grinned. “It’s a fulltime project, that’s what matters at this point.”

“Is this project a stepping stone to getting a fulltime position at the WNRC?”

God she hoped not. If anything it’d add interest to her resume so she could escape this job from hell. She hedged. “We’ll see. I gave notice at the Twin Pines. I have to work Saturday night but after that I’m done. One job.”

“Will you know what to do with yourself with only one job?” he teased.

“Probably not.”

“Luckily I’ve got some great ideas on how to keep you entertained.”

I’ll just bet you do
. As Rory was about to point out that she wasn’t a source of entertainment while he killed time in Sundance, the waitress came by.

Rory ordered a pulled pork burrito and Dalton ordered a salad with spicy grilled chicken. “A salad in a Mexican restaurant? Really?”

“I’m not used to eating this much. Between the junk food feast the other night and my mom cooking a triple helping of my favorite meal, which included cake, I’ve gotta watch it.”

“You look more…buff since I saw you last.”

“Logging will bulk you up in a helluva hurry.”

“How is your mom?”

“Really good. She dragged me to a hole-in-the-wall bar last night, where apparently she’s a regular. I got a huge kick outta seeing that side of her.”

“My mom is different since she and Gavin hooked up. Not in a bad way. She’s got that best friend, confidant, lover thing with Gavin. I’m happy for her because she deserves it.”

Dalton took her hand. “But?”

“But nothing. Although there is the teeniest part of me that is jealous.”

“Is that why you decided to settle for Dildo?”

“Dildo?” she repeated.

“Dillon Doland, your ex-fiancé. Dildo for short, from here on out.”

She laughed. Hard. “I forgot how funny you are.”

“I didn’t forget how beautiful you are when you laugh.”

“Dalton. Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” His thumb swept over her knuckles as his gaze roamed her face. “Tell you when Sierra told me you planned to marry someone else that I drowned my sorrows in a fifth of scotch?”

“You did?”

“Yep. For three nights in a row. You might find this hard to believe, but my fightin’ days ended after I left Wyoming. So it’d been a while since I’d picked a fight. But I found the biggest, meanest logger in the bar. You know how the rest of this goes—he beat the fuck outta me.”

Rory’s gut clenched. Not only at the mental image of him being bruised and bloody, but that he’d actually told her the engagement caused him to snap.

Don’t fall for it. He’s playing you.

“Don’t you believe me?”

“I just don’t get why you’re telling me this now.”

“So you know that the supposed fast pace between us and the way I feel about you…ain’t something that just happened in the last three days.”

Talk about being steamrolled. Before she could ask how he felt about her, the waitress delivered chips and salsa.

“Got plans for tonight?”

“Yes, I do.”

His eyes narrowed when she fidgeted. “With who?”

Rory glanced down.

Strong fingers lifted her chin. “With who?” he repeated.

“A couple of girls I met at the community center. We’re all single so we call it our Friday night date.”

Dalton continued to stare at her. “Then you’ll just have to invite me as your date next Friday night. Because, sweetheart, you’re no longer single.”

Her jaw dropped. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope.” He angled forward and flashed his teeth. “I want to make it very clear to everyone that you and I are together.”

“What if I’m not ready for that?” Rory demanded.

“Then get ready. I’ve waited long enough.”

“FYI: I don’t like the pushy bastard McKay side of you.”

Dalton got nose to nose with her. “FYI: Tough shit. I’m not hiding our relationship from anyone.”

“We don’t have a relationship. One lunch date, one dinner date and a bunch of stolen kisses do not a relationship make, Dalton.”

“Fine. Rory, will you go steady with me?”

She scowled at him. “Not funny.”

“You have a set number of dates in mind before we can call this what it really is?”

“What this is, is you having delusions about what we—”

His very loud, very male growl of displeasure stopped the flow of bullshit from her brain to her mouth.

“Don’t pretend this is one-sided.”

She said nothing.

Which seemed to further annoy him. “If you don’t want me in your life at all, say the word. I’ll walk away right now and you won’t see me again.”

Her mouth opened. Closed. She tried to open it again but she’d contracted a case of lockjaw in the past five seconds. She couldn’t force the denial out of her tightly closed lips.

That’s because you can’t deny it.

Christ. She had to be the most masochistic woman on the planet, jumping in the mosh pit with Dalton McKay again.

But Dalton didn’t gloat. He seemed relieved. “Answer the question. How many dates?”

Somehow, Rory tossed out, “Five dates. Real dates.”

“What constitutes a real date?”

“The usual. We meet. We talk.”
Too easy. Add another stipulation.
“And we kiss.”

“I’ll agree with that definition.”

Wait a second. Why was he being so agreeable? And why did she feel she’d stumbled into another trap?

“Our first date was down by the creek the time you asked if we could touch tongues because you didn’t get how French kissing could be fun and not gross.”

“That was not a date! We were ten and twelve years old.”

“Hey, I’m following your criteria.” His voice dropped to a husky murmur. “And we kissed that day, jungle girl. I still remember the taste of your lip gloss. Something sweet and fruity. The flavor was sugar…something.”

“Sugarplum.”

“You still use it?”

“My tastes are a little more refined than a ten-year-old girl’s these days.”

“Pity. Our second date was the night I so charmingly rid you of that pesky virginity. I kissed you then.”

“You’re insane.”

“Our third date was the night in Laramie when I drove you home from the bar and we ended up in bed. I kissed you then too.” His gaze dipped to her chest. “More than just your mouth, if I recall.”

Her face heated from his purely sexual look. “If I recall, I was drunk, so it shouldn’t count.”

“You sobered up damn fast after you threw up all the alcohol. You knew exactly what you were doin’ when you invited me into your bed.”

Why didn’t he have selective memory like most men?

“Then the night I caught up with you at the Twin Pines? Date four.”

Rory shook her head. “No way. That one is reaching.”

“How about the second time we were together in Laramie?”

She remained stoic. “I don’t even want to think about that time, Mr. How-fast-can-I-put-my-pants-on-and-run-out?”

“Not fast enough if I recall correctly. Didn’t you kick me in the balls?”

Rory smirked.

“I’ll disqualify that one. How about two nights ago when you came to my place? That was very date-like and we kissed. So by my count? We’ve reached that magical dating number today. Right now as a matter of fact.” He smiled with utter confidence and charm. “Face it, sugarplum. We are officially in a relationship. Feel free to tell your girlfriends you’ll have a plus one next Friday night for date night.”

The food arrived, cutting off her retort.

While she shoved bites of burrito in her mouth, Dalton kept sneaking looks at her and smiling, a little too…pleased with himself.

She set her fork on her plate. “You’re gonna make me ask about that smirk, aren’t you?”

“Nope. It’s not a smirk; it’s a smile. This is what I look like when I’m happy.” He picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles. “You have no idea how happy I am.”

Oh, how sweet.

Are you out of your fucking mind? He’s not sweet. This man has an agenda, he’s working an angle. And you’re falling for it.

“What’s wrong?”

You. Me. This.
But mostly me because I cannot believe I’m getting sucked in by you again.
“I, ah, think I ate too fast.”

His eyes showed concern. “Do you have antacids? If not I’ve probably got some in my truck.”

See? Sweet. Genuinely sweet. Like the time when you were kids and you jabbed a piece of wood in the bottom of your foot and he carried you to the cabin.

She’d forgotten that. What other good things had she forgotten about Dalton McKay? A lot.