feet, still on the ground, running her hands through her hair and already missing his mouth. Both of them were breathing hard, but Colt didn’t move after she pulled away. He sat there, blinking at her like a set of Christmas lights. That kiss was a completely out-of-control wildfire. Time froze as they stared at one another. Their heavy breathing filled the space between them and they struggled not to continue kissing. Graysen should have never met him today. She should have known it would be this intoxicating with him. Colt was dangerous and threatened to obliterate any sense of control she tried to cling to. Her eyes flashed to his and she swallowed hard. “Colt ...” Her voice reflected the emotional hell she was going through. “I ... I can’t!” Her mind raced at a breakneck pace as she stood up quickly and ran out of the stall in the direction of the open barn doors. She had to get away. She couldn’t breathe or think. She was near the barn doors when he called out to her. “Graysen, please.” His voice was soft like a whisper or perhaps a prayer. It was the first time Colt had called her by name. A wave of emotion washed over her as she turned to look at him. Colt’s eyes held a look of desperate need. Conviction pulsed in his voice. “I am going to make you mine before you leave. I am going to make love to you. Not just because I want you, but because if I don’t both of us will regret it for the rest of our lives.” War broke out in Graysen’s soul as Colt’s words registered. Graysen’s heart was screaming, let go and trust him but her head was saying, don’t you dare. Her heart rejoiced and her head slammed shut from fear. She ran out of the barn and into darkness.
Sleep eluded him. A million thoughts raced through Colt’s head at a thousand miles an hour. He kicked off his covers and stretched long on top of the sheets, willing a cool blast of air from the open window. His thudding heart and careening thoughts wouldn’t allow him to relax. He got out of bed and wandered through the cabin, eventually finding himself on the deck. He sat on the steps in the pearlescent glow of the moon falling through the pines. He wanted to hold Graysen in his arms and feel her body pressed into his. Colt wondered if he’d read her wrong. What happened? It was the perfect kiss until it ended. Graysen’s yes had morphed into a no before he knew what had happened. Licking his lips he could still taste her. He knew he didn’t misinterpret her desire. She had kissed him back, and he was holding onto that truth with both hands. Memories of that kiss taunted him until a chilly blast of night air forced him back to reality. He padded back through the house and collapsed on his bed. His thoughts drifted back to his ride with Graysen today. It had been easier to control the direction his thoughts took before he had spent so much time with her, but her body danced in his mind now. Her hands were small and delicate. Her fingers were slender when they brushed his by accident and yet strong and demanding when she grabbed at his hair during their kiss in the barn. Her breasts bounced enticingly when she walked. Envisioning them caused him to groan with frustration. Graysen’s body rubbing against his as they rode together had Colt hanging onto his lust by a thin tether. When he touched her thigh, all he could think about was how easily his hands would grip them. He fantasized lifting them over his shoulders, getting the best possible angle so he could plunge into her deeply and fill her completely. Colt leaned heavily against his pillows. Graysen was just across the ranch in her cabin, all soft and warm in her bed, and he was laying here, his sheets tenting over his throbbing erection. Colt threw his head back, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. Perfect. Just perfect.
***
The false migraine Graysen had used yesterday proved a helpful excuse this morning. She’d been holed up