My temperature spikes from two insignificant words. The deep rasp of his voice glides across my balmy skin. How will I manage to maintain my cool if he lets more loose? A shudder I refuse to acknowledge sends a spasm through my muscles.
“Hi, Ford.” Josey gives him a little wave.
He barely spares her a glance, choosing to pinpoint his intensity on me. I’m trapped in his fog. There’s no exit route from this type of unavoidable disaster.
My friend makes a noise of agreement in her throat, walking toward Millie and the pups. I blink and return to my senses. After clearing my overly parched throat, I shuffle forward to be part of the group.
“Hey. Thanks for telling us about this spot.” I flick my gaze to the side, down to a patch of dirt, looking anywhere but at Crawford.
He grunts. “Yeah, it’s all right. Midday isn’t too busy. But in a few hours, the place will be swarming.”
“I didn’t know there was a roam free park in Silo Springs.”
“No reason to unless you’ve got a dog.”
I kick at the ground. “Right, duh. That makes sense.”
“Wowza,” Josey wheezes. “It sure is steamy. I can practically feel the sticky heat clinging to me. Can you sense that…tension in the air?”
“Don’t start.” I glare at her.
She presses a hand to her forehead. “I’ve behaved. How long do you expect me to stay quiet?”
I roll my eyes back to Crawford. “So, how does this work?” Patch is at his hip, still attached to a leash.
He crosses his arms, sinewy biceps bulging under his shirt. “Didn’t you read the rules?”
“Uh, no.” Flames burst across my cheeks. “I guess we were in a hurry.”
“Should I take that as a compliment?” The corner of his mouth tics.
“If you must,” I mutter.
“And on that note—” Josey tugs at the collar of her shirt. “It’s clear you two have some unfinished business. We’ll just be over there, letting the dogs sniff butts or whatever they do.”
Before I can interject, she loops an arm around Millie and grabs Patch’s leash from Crawford. Josey leads their quad-pod toward a hill without a backward glance. I tuck my chin and expel a long breath.
“We need to quit meeting like this.”
“You invited me.” As if he needs the reminder.
Another torch ignites in his smoky eyes. “That I did.”
I feel exposed under his seductive watch. “Do you, uh, come here often?”
If my face wasn’t already the shade of a tomato, that comment would finish the job.
Crawford adjusts the ballcap on his head. “More so lately, whenever the mood strikes. I want to come more often.”
That earns him a snort. “I bet you do.”
“Maybe you can assist in those efforts.”
“I thought we decided not to discuss that again.”
He scrubs a finger over his brow. “I never agreed to keep it clean.”
Good grief this man can turn the filth on and off faster than a switch. The way he acts with Millie, gentle and almost polite, is a drastic difference to how he treats me. I could admit the same about myself. Josey was right—this man brings out an untamed side of me. All I want to do at this moment is climb him like one of the ancient pine trees surrounding us.
I narrow the gap separating us until only a foot remains. The need to reach out to touch him singes my palm. “What’re you proposing?”
“We can be…friends.” The suggestion sounds like the last thing he wants. Not that I blame him. The idea of being strictly platonic with him is less than appetizing.
Why not add a little flavor to spice this platter up? “Not gonna tack on any benefits?”
He growls into his fist. “Watch yourself, Kee.”
That nickname again. I wasn’t sure he’d bother with it after the way we left off. I settle a palm flat on his chest. “What’s in it for me?”
“Your daughter’s happiness, apparently.”
I glare at him, my blood beginning to boil. “You’d use her as leverage?”
“Nah, I’m not that big of an asshole. But if she wants us all to be together, what’s gonna stop you from making it happen? And conveniently, Elsa fits into the dynamic.”
He’s got me there, and I bet my taut expression shows it. I’m on his hook without any leverage. Why did I agree to this again? Cue an internal eye roll. Millie’s pleading has no bounds, an endless stream of whining until I can’t hear anything else. I wasn’t joking about her being relentless. “Using the dogs and Millie against me is a low blow. Even for you.”
“I’m a motivated man.”
“Since when?”
Crawford towers over me. “Snap judgments are beneath you, Keegan.”
I wrench my gaze away, cursing myself in the process. “What are you trying to prove, Ford?”
“Not sure what you mean.”
“You’re done with me. I got mine, so we’re set. Nothing else needs to happen. That much was clear with your remarkable farewell.”
He stands, bringing our bodies into startling alignment. “Tell me that I’m not the only one still thinking about it.”
His hot breath trickles down my neck, burning a path straight to my core. I try not to shiver. “You’re crazy.”
“Maybe. You didn’t seem to mind before.”
“That was different.”
“How?”
“You were a stranger. Just some random guy I ran into a couple times. When you showed up at Bronco Buck, the pieces fell into place. And for one night, that worked for us. Now? It doesn’t make sense. Everything is more complicated.”
“You want to know more about me?”
“Not necessarily, but I won’t stop you if sharing makes you feel better.”
Crawford takes a tiny step back. I’m grateful for the sliver of space so my breasts don’t brush against him with every exhale. “It’s no damn secret that I’m a loner. I’ve been this way for years. Meeting you and Millie lit a fire under my ass. Maybe I don’t wanna be stuck out in the woods all alone anymore.”
Thunder rumbles in my
