The Cowboy's Christmas Gift. Donna Alward
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lips touched her temple, not quite a kiss but a deliberate contact—a caress—just the same.
Want spiraled through her. She wanted Duke Duggan. Wanted him to kiss her. Wanted to know what it felt like to have his hands on her. Wanted the rest of the people in the bar to disappear so they could have some privacy. This was crazy. She couldn’t ever remember having this sort of instant reaction to a man. Maybe Kailey was right. Maybe it had been too long a dry spell.
The song went on and her body vibrated with anticipation and need. It was pointless, since in about one minute the song would end, they would part ways and she’d go back to the table and attempt to cool off. With water. Not with more rum. Maybe that was part of the problem....
The final chorus was waning when Duke leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “A few minutes after the song ends, I’m going to make my excuses and leave. I’ll wait in my truck for ten minutes. If you want a drive home, I’ll take you.”
She snapped her head back and looked into his eyes. The fire that burned there made her weak in the knees. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Could it be possible that he was feeling the same connection she was—and asking her to do something about it? “Are you sure? This is complicated....”
His gaze dropped to her lips and then back up to her eyes. “It doesn’t have to be. Just two people cutting loose on a Friday night. Unless I misread the signals...”
She swallowed and shook her head quickly. “No...you didn’t. But...”
“I’m not in the market for a girlfriend,” he assured her, his hand squeezing at her hip. “Knowing that, if you want a drive home, meet me in the parking lot.”
The song ended. Duke stepped back and raised a finger to his hat. “Thanks for the dance, Carrie.”
She had to be out of her mind to even consider taking him up on his offer. Duke walked away, heading straight to the bar where he clapped Quinn on the back and ordered up another drink, looking entirely calm while her whole body was on high alert.
Carrie weaved her way back to the table where Kailey was waiting, virtually bouncing in her chair.
“Oh, my God. You and Duke were smokin’ out there! What the heck?”
“We just danced,” Carrie insisted, though she was still so keyed up she felt as if she might bust out of her skin.
“Just danced my eye. It was like electricity between you. Wow.”
“Shut up, Kailey.” Carrie didn’t know what to do. She was tempted, oh, so tempted by Duke’s unexpected offer. She was a thirty-year-old woman and her sex life was nonexistent. Here was a man, a gorgeous man, propositioning her for...for what? A night of mind-blowing sex? He’d made it clear he didn’t want a relationship. She wished she could be more blasé. She knew these things happened all the time. But they didn’t happen to her. Could she really do it?
It all sounded absolutely perfect except for two nagging thoughts. One, he was her boss. And two, she’d learned a long, long time ago that even the best-sounding ideas came with consequences. It was the consequences she tried to avoid.
A waitress stopped by the table and put down fresh drinks. “From the gentleman at the bar,” she said with a smile.
Carrie looked up. Duke met her gaze evenly and saluted her with his glass, then proceeded to drain his drink and, true to his word, headed for the door.
“What was all that about?” Kailey asked, sipping her soda through a pink straw.
Carrie looked down so Kailey couldn’t see the heat in her cheeks. “Nothing. He just bought us drinks.”
She couldn’t do this, she decided. She’d be crazy. Never in her life had she hooked up for anything casual. It just wasn’t her style. And yet there was something exciting about it, too, something risky and dangerous. Maybe she should stop being so uptight. Maybe a night with Duke was just what she needed to unwind a little bit and chill out?
“And he just walked out the door. Without Quinn.”
Carrie looked up and wasn’t surprised to see Kailey’s eyebrow quirked knowingly. She wasn’t fooling her friend a bit. “So I, uh, might have another drive home,” she said, the nerves twisting around in her stomach again.
“Oh. My. God.” Kailey repeated and leaned forward. “He’s waiting for you, isn’t he?”
“Shh. Not so loud!” Carrie hissed urgently. “I don’t need it broadcast through the bar, you know!”
“Shut up! You’re going to do it? You’re going to go home with him?” Her eyes lit up. “You go, girl! It’s about time!”
“I don’t know,” Carrie said miserably. “I mean, he wasn’t exactly the epitome of friendliness the other day. And then we started talking and dancing and...” She met Kailey’s gaze. “There’s definitely something. But he’s my boss. It would probably be a huge mistake.”
“Sweetie, you could stand to make a mistake now and again.”
“I know. I’m dull.”
“You’re careful, and I get why.” Kailey put a hand on Carrie’s arm. “Look, I think he’s a stand-up guy and so does Quinn. Go. If you change your mind, it’s no big deal. One of us should find out if he’s a good kisser, and he didn’t look twice at me. If he’s dynamite, I can be jealous later.”
“What if he...we...”
Kailey’s blue eyes met Carrie’s, serious now. “Then you take precautions.” Kailey picked up her purse, rooted around for a moment, and then she slipped her hand across the table and tucked something into Carrie’s palm. Carrie knew from the rough edge of the square packet that it was a condom.
For the first time, Carrie wished she was as sexually confident as her friend. She didn’t know how to do this.
“How long is he waiting?” Kailey asked.
Carrie checked her watch. “Another few minutes.” She looked at Kailey. “You’ll be okay?”
“Of course. Don’t worry about me. I’ll probably give Quinn a lift home anyway. Go.”
Before she could change her mind, Carrie got to her feet and chugged back the last of her liquid courage. Then she grabbed her purse, took a big breath and smiled at Kailey. “Wish me luck,” she said, and she saw Kailey’s lips form the words good luck but didn’t hear her over the new song that started up.
Anxiety and excitement threaded through her veins as she wound her way through the bar to the door and stepped outside into the cold air. Maybe he’d gone already...
But there he was, leaning against the fender of his pickup truck, his arms crossed over his chest and his cowboy hat shadowing his eyes.
Then he saw her and he smiled, uncrossing his arms and pushing away from the truck. Carrie’s feet took her one step forward, then another, and another...until she was at the truck and he was holding the door open for her.
She’d actually come.
Duke hadn’t expected her to. Carrie struck him as the buttoned-down type that maybe got out now and again with her girlfriends to cut loose but wasn’t out on the prowl. She was too sweet. Too reserved. Her friend Kailey was more on the vivacious side and good for a laugh. But it wasn’t Kailey he’d danced with. It wasn’t Kailey who’d captured his attention.
It was Carrie, and her sun-streaked hair, big eyes and sad smile. His response to her had been instant and exciting, and before he could think better of it he’d made his proposition. Once outside, though, the cold air had brought him to his senses. He was ten kinds of fool. She wasn’t some girl hanging around a bar on base,