baby, it's just guy talk."
She ripped off the robe and stepped into her jeans, slung on
a bra, and pulled her T-shirt over her head. "Guy talk? You really talk
about women like that?"
He hefted out a breath. "We just have this thing. This promise.
Keeping each other from making a mistake."
With one shoe in her hand, she searched for the other.
"A mistake? Treating a woman like a lady is making a mistake?"
His back stiffened. "I treated you like nothing less
than a princess."
"You did. And you had me fooled." Her hands fisted
at her hips. "I know you think of me as a one nighter, and maybe that's
all I am to you. But for you and Dallas to talk about me like I'm a slut…"
She dropped her head. "Maybe that's all I am."
The words were said more to herself than to him.
She wiped a tear from her cheek. "Maybe I was fooling
myself."
"No. Gigi. Wait a minute." He could diffuse this
if he could think of the right things to say.
Spotting her shoe, she reached under the bed and bumped her
head on the footboard. "Bitches and whores." Rubbing her scalp, she
stood and brushed past him, walking out into the living room.
He followed. "It was inappropriate. Okay? I'm
sorry."
She looked at him with such agony in her eyes, he nearly
choked.
"I'm sorry, Boone." She picked up her purse and
walked to the door. "Sorry you didn't get to take me up the ass the way
you wanted." She turned the door handle.
"Now hold on." He stormed over and pushed the door
closed. Held it shut. "Forgive me, give me another chance. Let's just hole
up here, lock ourselves in, and I'll find a way to make it up to you."
"How, Boone? How can you take this hurt away?" She
touched her chest. "Was I just imagining that we had something special?
Something more than a couple days?"
Ah, shit. This was what Dallas warned him about. Getting in
too deep. Falling without thinking first. Making a mistake that'd cost him more
than he could afford.
Cold acid swirled in his gut. This was his chance. Break it
off clean for both of their sakes without having to do the whole goodbye scene.
"Yeah, baby. I think you were imagining it." The
lie rose like bile but it was the best way to handle it. He removed his hand
from the door. He turned and walked away.
Silently, she left him.
He nearly collapsed from the pain. Boone walked to the bar
and grabbed a tumbler and the half-empty bottle of whiskey. He passed the tree
and flopped onto the loveseat. "Merry Christmas, asshole." He poured
a shot, added another inch, and set down the bottle.
How did doing the right thing feel like fifteen seconds
under a bull's hooves? She needed to move on, finish college, start her
business. He needed to focus on his rodeo school. He had Dallas and Jay to
think about, not just himself.
Stretching out his legs, he bumped something under the tree.
A package? He set down his glass and picked it up. Wrapped in cowboy Christmas
wrap, it had to be for him. From her. Should he hand it back to her unopened?
She's just throw it at him.
He pulled off the paper and opened the cardboard box. A
pocket watch. It reminded him of the one his grandpa left to his little
brother. The cover had an engraving of a cowboy on a horse. He pushed the
button to flip open the top. The time was right. Color caught his eye. He
tipped it back.
She'd printed a picture of the two of them standing in front
of the Birthday Baby after their win, holding champagne glasses. She smiled,
but her eyes looked mostly shocked. He had his arm around her and grinned,
proud and happy and…about to fall in love?
"Shit. Fuck me." He snapped it shut and wrapped
his hand around it. The gift was sweet, but adding the photo was a message.
They'd found something rare and special, and he'd shoved it away because it
didn't fit into his timeline. "Asshole."
His phone rang. Was it Gigi? He leapt to his feet and
grabbed it. He didn't recognize the number, but it was a Vegas area code. Could
she be calling from Kira's room? "Gigi?"
"Ah, no. Is
She ripped off the robe and stepped into her jeans, slung on
a bra, and pulled her T-shirt over her head. "Guy talk? You really talk
about women like that?"
He hefted out a breath. "We just have this thing. This promise.
Keeping each other from making a mistake."
With one shoe in her hand, she searched for the other.
"A mistake? Treating a woman like a lady is making a mistake?"
His back stiffened. "I treated you like nothing less
than a princess."
"You did. And you had me fooled." Her hands fisted
at her hips. "I know you think of me as a one nighter, and maybe that's
all I am to you. But for you and Dallas to talk about me like I'm a slut…"
She dropped her head. "Maybe that's all I am."
The words were said more to herself than to him.
She wiped a tear from her cheek. "Maybe I was fooling
myself."
"No. Gigi. Wait a minute." He could diffuse this
if he could think of the right things to say.
Spotting her shoe, she reached under the bed and bumped her
head on the footboard. "Bitches and whores." Rubbing her scalp, she
stood and brushed past him, walking out into the living room.
He followed. "It was inappropriate. Okay? I'm
sorry."
She looked at him with such agony in her eyes, he nearly
choked.
"I'm sorry, Boone." She picked up her purse and
walked to the door. "Sorry you didn't get to take me up the ass the way
you wanted." She turned the door handle.
"Now hold on." He stormed over and pushed the door
closed. Held it shut. "Forgive me, give me another chance. Let's just hole
up here, lock ourselves in, and I'll find a way to make it up to you."
"How, Boone? How can you take this hurt away?" She
touched her chest. "Was I just imagining that we had something special?
Something more than a couple days?"
Ah, shit. This was what Dallas warned him about. Getting in
too deep. Falling without thinking first. Making a mistake that'd cost him more
than he could afford.
Cold acid swirled in his gut. This was his chance. Break it
off clean for both of their sakes without having to do the whole goodbye scene.
"Yeah, baby. I think you were imagining it." The
lie rose like bile but it was the best way to handle it. He removed his hand
from the door. He turned and walked away.
Silently, she left him.
He nearly collapsed from the pain. Boone walked to the bar
and grabbed a tumbler and the half-empty bottle of whiskey. He passed the tree
and flopped onto the loveseat. "Merry Christmas, asshole." He poured
a shot, added another inch, and set down the bottle.
How did doing the right thing feel like fifteen seconds
under a bull's hooves? She needed to move on, finish college, start her
business. He needed to focus on his rodeo school. He had Dallas and Jay to
think about, not just himself.
Stretching out his legs, he bumped something under the tree.
A package? He set down his glass and picked it up. Wrapped in cowboy Christmas
wrap, it had to be for him. From her. Should he hand it back to her unopened?
She's just throw it at him.
He pulled off the paper and opened the cardboard box. A
pocket watch. It reminded him of the one his grandpa left to his little
brother. The cover had an engraving of a cowboy on a horse. He pushed the
button to flip open the top. The time was right. Color caught his eye. He
tipped it back.
She'd printed a picture of the two of them standing in front
of the Birthday Baby after their win, holding champagne glasses. She smiled,
but her eyes looked mostly shocked. He had his arm around her and grinned,
proud and happy and…about to fall in love?
"Shit. Fuck me." He snapped it shut and wrapped
his hand around it. The gift was sweet, but adding the photo was a message.
They'd found something rare and special, and he'd shoved it away because it
didn't fit into his timeline. "Asshole."
His phone rang. Was it Gigi? He leapt to his feet and
grabbed it. He didn't recognize the number, but it was a Vegas area code. Could
she be calling from Kira's room? "Gigi?"
"Ah, no. Is
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