even shower in peace.
Her bedroom door was still closed when he settled on the couch with his food and turned on the TV. He’d almost finished eating and was considering seconds when he heard her door open.
He knew she was moving around just behind him but he stayed focused on the television. If she was going outside she’d have to leave via the kitchen.
“Excuse me,” she said. “Would you mind flipping on the porch light? It’s on your side of the house.”
“No problem.” Holding back a grin, he rose with his plate in hand. “I put the stable lights on for—”
Shelby was naked.
Almost.
All she wore was a blue towel. It wrapped around her breasts, tucked in at the side and ended high on her thighs. Another towel was draped over her arm and she held a bar of soap in one hand, a flashlight in the other. On her feet she wore bright yellow flip-flops.
“It seems I forgot to pack my robe,” she said, glancing down at herself. “I hope you don’t mind. I’m just running out to the barn.”
Trent couldn’t find his voice. He couldn’t look away. Trying to swallow didn’t help. His mouth was too dry. “You were wrong,” he finally muttered. “They weren’t crooked.” He flipped the light switch then walked past her, looking straight ahead, as if he had on blinders. “Go ahead, use the front door if you want.”
“What wasn’t crooked?”
Jesus, why had she followed him into the kitchen? “The rails.” He set his plate and fork in the sink, and for the life of him, couldn’t recall where he kept the dish detergent. “I used a level.”
“Oh. False alarm. Sorry.” She smelled good, standing somewhere behind him. Not that he was about to look. “Oops!”
He turned his head.
She was rearranging the towel. “Almost lost the sucker,” she said, pulling the terrycloth snugger.
Her breasts swelled and plumped over the top with each small tug of the towel. He could barely drag his gaze away.
Talk about playing dirty. She was baiting him. And it was working. All the blood and oxygen had rushed south leaving his brain to fend for itself.
Man, he didn’t want to fold this early in the game.
He caught himself staring again and forced his attention back to the sink.
“Okay, well,” she said, “thanks.”
“Sure.” He heard the kitchen door open and close, and he slowly lifted his head for a clear shot of her out the window.
Only he couldn’t see her. What did she do, turn the wrong way? How could she miss the barn?
The hinges squeaked as the door opened. He barely had a second to lower his chin.
“I need to take some clothes. Or I’ll have to come back in a wet towel,” she said with a soft laugh as she crossed the kitchen.
It took all of a second for him to imagine her wearing nothing but a wet towel plastered to her body. His heart pounding like a Derby winner at the finish line, he ordered himself not to watch her exit, then gave up and looked. She was taking her sweet time, making a show of staying on her side of the duct tape.
The woman’s legs were world class, no argument from him. And if he’d had the slightest doubt she was toying with him, it was gone. Guess it was time to prove he was made of stronger stuff than being a dope for a half-naked woman.
He turned to face her, leaned back against the counter and glanced at Mutt, who was curled up by the door. “Hey, boy.” The dog looked up. Trent nodded at Shelby. “Fetch the towel.”
She froze. Her eyes widened at Mutt, who had no clue what the command meant.
Trent smiled and watched her take off to her room as if she had the hounds of Baskerville on her heels.
SHELBY HEARD A noise and briefly opened one eye. It was still dark out so she buried her face in the pillow.
The pounding persisted.
She burrowed deeper, grabbing the scratchy blanket at her waist and pulling it over her head.
Someone was knocking, she realized, the exact moment the door opened.
“Shelby? It’s five thirty. Rise and shine.”
She peeled back the blanket and squinted at Trent, who’d poked his head in.
“You awake?” he asked.
“What?” She was still groggy. “Get out of my room.”
“This is the second time I’ve knocked. Don’t you go back to sleep.”
The fog cleared. She felt around for something to throw and discovered her exposed butt. Tugging down the blanket, she scrambled into a sitting position. “Get out, or I swear I’ll scream.”
“That’s okay. Everyone’s already up,” he said. “Come on. This is a ranch. We have hungry animals to feed.”
Catching his smirk before he closed the door, she slid her head under the pillow. Who was he fooling? A ranch, her ass. Which reminded her... She knew she was wearing panties but wanted to be sure.
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