Page 22 of Love Me, Cowboy

“Not nearly enough.” Claire wiped her mouth on the sleeve of her dress.

“Want to talk about it?” Something told him the motivation for the alcohol was likely the same as what had sent her in search of pie the night before.

Blinking, Claire seemed to be pondering his question. “You know what I want? I want to get out of here.”

Tyler tipped his head. “You mean leave the party?”

“Yes,” she said with a nod. “Leave the party. The sooner the better.”

Torn between family duty and giving Claire what she wanted, Tyler hesitated. “I think there’s going to be a toast to Bug and Brad soon. We probably shouldn’t miss that.”

“A toast to a doomed marriage. That’s pointless.”

Claire spoke loud enough for fellow partygoers to hear, gaining them some curious stares.

“Maybe cutting out is a good idea.” Taking Claire by the hand, Tyler pulled her around the back of the bar, where he grabbed what was left of a six-pack of Lone Star and stepped through the crowd into the open air.

Pulling the tiny redhead around the side of the house, Tyler stopped next to a dark-green four-wheeler.

“Where are we going?” Claire asked.

“My place,” Tyler said, waiting for her reaction. If she said no, he’d offer something else. Take her to town, or even take her home. He held his breath, hoping she wouldn’t ask to go home.

“I like that idea,” she said, a seductive grin curling her lips. The look hit him in the chest.

Hard.

Handing her the beers, Tyler climb aboard. “You sure you’re okay to hold on?”

Hiking up her dress, Claire threw a black suede boot over the vehicle and clamped her arms around his waist. “Is this good?” she asked, pressing her breasts against his back.

Instead of answering, Tyler put the machine in motion. The quicker they reached his cabin, the better.

* * *

Claire nearly lost her nerve by the time they parked in front of Tyler’s cabin, but the quick beating of his heart beneath her hand gave her courage. Her escort proved himself a gentleman once they made their destination by turning his back so she could dismount the four-wheeler without flashing him the pretty underwear she’d worn.

Which had been a last-minute decision. Just in case. And the case was escorting her to his front door.

Though she’d wanted to grab his attention, this night hadn’t been about seducing Tyler into another one-night stand. She needed to let him know how she felt, and make sure she’d understood him right at the diner. If so, then they’d wasted too much time already.

Once Claire was on her feet, Tyler gave her a tentative smile, took the beers, then offered his hand. She filled it with her own, reveling in his warm grip around her fingers. At his front door, he stopped.

“I need to warn you about something.”

By all that was holy, Claire prayed there wasn’t another woman inside. “Okay.”

“I wasn’t expecting company.”

Claire tensed. “Okay.”

“So I haven’t straightened up in a while.”

Air whooshed out of her lungs. “Oh, thank goodness,” she said.

Tyler laughed. “What did you think I was going to say?”

Telling the truth was out of the question. “I was afraid you had a... snake in there. Or something.”