Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 87067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
They laughed a lot, and the conversation went all over the place, but Cole couldn’t remember enjoying a date more. He found himself watching JB, taking pleasure in the man’s laughter and general friendliness. There were more kisses, but they mostly kept their hands to themselves. Mostly. JB did stroke his chest at one point and Cole held his breath at the touch, shock running through his veins at his powerful response to such a simple thing.
That night, after the monster movie, JB kissed him again at his door and whispered good night. Hands down, best date ever.
Chapter Nineteen
Cole rolled over and grumbled a curse when he’d looked at the time on his phone. He’d overslept and missed his morning with JB. He hadn’t even heard him moving around.
Flopping onto his back again, he lay there for a moment, enjoying the sunlight coming in through the window, his mind going to the intimacy he’d shared with the sexy cowboy. And not just the sexy moments. There was the quiet conversation in the stable. Their date on the boat.
He felt close to JB in a way he hadn’t been with anyone else, not even the one woman he’d dated for six months. It had been his longest relationship, and he still didn’t come close to feeling for her what he already felt for JB after so short a time. He genuinely liked the man. Liked his personality and his fun sense of humor. The attraction was a plus. And that, he felt in spades.
Sitting up, he swung his legs to the side of the bed. His morning wood was pushing at the front of his briefs. Damn shame he hadn’t woken up earlier. Quiet mornings with JB were amazing, but he would have liked another one of those blowjobs. Fuck, that had been incredible. The best one he’d ever experienced, and it had a lot to do with who’d been giving it to him.
But he ignored the hard-on and got up to go into the kitchen.
There was a note on the front of the coffeepot.
Breakfast in the oven.
He opened the oven to find a plate of eggs, sausage, and toast. Smiling, he pulled out the plate and set it on the counter while he got a cup of coffee. He took his food and drink to the computer and checked messages.
Still no news. Cole slumped in the chair, frowning at the screen, his breakfast momentarily forgotten. His friends were working hard to find information on that poison, but it was a lot of data to sift through while also doing their regular jobs. Maybe they hadn’t been able to give his problem much time.
His problem?
But it kind of was with the way he felt about JB. It certainly felt like it was his problem, too.
He wolfed down his breakfast, cleaned his plate, then returned to the bedroom to get dressed. He wore jeans and a black T-shirt, despite the heat he was sure to hit outside. Living on a ranch was dirty work, making light colors a mistake. Dirt didn’t show up on black nearly as much, and he planned to find JB prior to starting his work.
When he was walking to the barn, a familiar blue sedan pulled into the driveway. Dillinger got out of the vehicle and started walking toward the house.
Across the yard by the tool shed, JB stood watching the property developer, his face tightened before he strode toward the driveway.
Cole quickly closed the distance between them and fell into step. JB threw him a brittle smile in greeting but said nothing. It was on the tip of Cole’s tongue to comment that they’d dressed alike today—both in jeans and black shirts—but he didn’t think JB would appreciate it at the moment.
Jesse and Belinda came out of the house and hurried to Dillinger, who offered them a smile and handshakes. His smile disappeared when he saw JB and Cole approaching. He turned away from them and faced JB’s parents.
“Hello. Beautiful weather we’re having, isn’t it?” he asked.
“It’s a perfect spring,” Bel answered as she eyed him. Her voice was polite, but not exactly welcoming. “But we don’t need to worry about small talk. We haven’t changed our minds, so I’m not sure why you wasted a trip out here.”
Dillinger smiled, his charm not wavering in the face of Belinda’s bluntness. The man was a born salesman. “Your neighbors are eager to sell,” Dillinger observed in an exaggerated drawl that seemed completely unnatural. It was like he was trying to affect a southern-ness that wasn’t real. “It seems they’ve had some trouble on their ranch and want to jump on this deal now while they’re getting a good price.”
“What kind of trouble?” Jesse demanded.
The round man with the beady dark-brown eyes scratched his jaw. “Oh, something with his herd, I believe, and some vandals tearing up his fences.”