Briefly, I froze. But the moment his tongue slid into my open mouth, the fever kicked in. My frenzied hands swept up his back, knotting his shirt in my fist, as he kissed me silly. So much for me playing hard to get.
A round of applause sounded, reminding me that not only were we on a horse, but there were others present, watching us make out. I was the first to pull away. Touching my swollen lips with my fingertips, I glanced around at all the smiling faces, wondering if they could all see what I was feeling.
I glanced up at Cowboy. “You’re sure you want me?”
“No, darlin’, I don’t want you,” Cowboy said, making a lump form in my throat and tears burn behind my eyes. “I need you. And only you.” He lifted my hand and kissed it. “I love you, Anna.”
My heart ballooned in my chest, filling with more joy than I could have ever imagined. “I love you, too.”
“Then what would you say if I told you I wanted to marry you and give you that happily ever after you deserve?”
Tears fell from my eyes, landing on my cheeks. “Really? You mean that?”
“Hell, yeah, I mean it! I may not be scaling a wall, slaying a dragon, or even be much of a prince, but I’m damn sure on a white fucking horse, aren’t I?”
“Then I guess I’d say I’m feeling pretty jubilant right about now.”
“Sonofabitch.” He groaned in frustration. “Woman, you know damn well I don’t understand what the hell that means. Was that a yes or a no?”
I smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss. “That was definitely a yes!”
Epilogue
“You sure you don’t need any help?” Cowboy called out from the living room over the low rumblings of our family and friends.
“No, I’ve got it.”
I placed the leftover sheet cake into its box, but before closing it, I swiped one finger across the corner, scooping the white frosting, and popped it into my mouth. A low moan escaped my lips as I sucked the icing off. Delicious.
When I turned to grab a napkin, I realized I wasn’t alone. Cowboy stood in the doorway, his eyes focused on me and one brow raised, as if he caught me red-handed. “Very unladylike,” he reprimanded.
But his smirk told on him.
“And you loved it.”
“Damn straight,” he replied, then continued standing there with his eyes burning with uncontrolled intensity.
For a moment, all I could do was stare back. Even after a year of marriage, it amazed me how his watchfulness still affected me. Warmth crept up my neck, as if my body was a thermometer and heat from his pointed gaze caused my mercury to rise. Then his eyes flickered down to my chest and my swollen nipples hardened.
“W-what are you doing?”
“You mean, besides looking at my beautiful wife?”
I glanced down and caught sight of the bulge in his jeans. Just my luck. His wick was lit. “Yeah, right. We both know what that look of yours leads to.” I crossed my arms over my chest, hoping the disarming gesture would slow his roll. “Put away the weapon of massive proportions,” I told him, lowering my tone to a whisper. “We have guests.”
Cowboy groaned. “This is going to kill me, you know?”
I smiled. “You’ll live.”
He stepped into my space and cinched his arms around my waist. “You sure about that?” he asked, dusting his lips across mine and then nipping gently.
My ragged breath caught in my throat and my pulse raced. The force of attraction between us bonded us together in a way I couldn’t explain and it still blew me away. Cowboy’s high libido was definitely going to be problematic over the next—
“For the love of God, Cowboy!” Bobbie Jo exclaimed from the doorway, holding an empty plate. “You think you could give the poor woman a few weeks before you start trying to sex her up again? She just had a baby, for goodness sakes.”
Maybe Cowboy should have felt deeply ashamed for his behavior, but he just chuckled. “Can I help it if she tastes so sweet?”