her fantasies.
She placed her hand over his cheek, feeling the stubble roughly caress her palm.
“Holt, I—”
“Holt, I know you’re in here, come out, come out, wherever you are,” a singsong voice called out,interrupting Yasmine before she could continue.
Chapter 8
“A ll settled in, sweetheart?”
Yasmine yawned hugely as she entered the kitchen, glancing over at her aunt. She could only see the back of her head, as her back was to Yasmine, her aunt’s arm reaching overhead in the process of removing a pot from its position hanging above the stove.
“I still have to unpack, but I’ll save that for later,” she said, before looking around the large, open kitchen, the blinds opened, allowing the sun to flood the airy room.
She’d always loved this kitchen, and it was the one room in the house that had remained nearly untouched, looking much as it had when she’d called the ranch home.
The kitchen had been updated with modernconveniences, yet it maintained an old-world charm. White slatted blinds covered each of the six large windows that gave the room its natural light. Terra-cotta tiles on the floor and white wood cabinets gave the room a homey ambience.
She grimaced. The minute she yawned, the pounding in her head increased tenfold.
Not only did she have a headache the size of the Teton Mountains, her eyes had been so swollen she’d barely been able to pry them open that morning, her mouth was dry as sandpaper … and she was in
desperate
need of mass quantities of caffeine.
“Got any coffee, Aunt Lilly?” she asked, shuffling toward one of the high-backed stools surrounding the marble counter.
Lord only knew if she could open a vein and directly infuse caffeine into her system she would. Right now she’d do just about anything to stop the little man in her head from his relentless drumming.
God, what a night.
Piggybacking that thought, images of her and Holt, what they done … what they’d
almost
done, flooded her mind, and she covered her eyes with her hands, as though that would make the images disappear from her mind.
She’d been moments away from giving in to something she’d fantasized about for over ten years. She’d been moments away from giving in to what his eyes, his mouth … his very touch promised he wanted to deliver. And had they not been interrupted she wouldhave done just that. Given in to everything his carnal gaze was promising and more.
After leaving the shed last night, Yasmine had fled back to the house and found her aunt, telling her she was tired from the day’s travel and was ready to go to bed. It had taken a fair amount of willpower not to rush to her room in order to avoid Lilly, fearing she’d read in her eyes her embarrassment and guess who was the reason.
When her aunt had seemed oblivious to her state of turmoil, Yasmine had sighed in relief, and after bidding a quick goodbye to as many people as she could, she’d been seconds away from fleeing to the sanctity of her room when her aunt’s voice stopped her.
“Before you go, Yasmine, did something … or someone, upset you?” Lilly had asked bluntly, a frown marring her otherwise unlined face.
She caught Lilly looking around, and when her eyes narrowed, Yasmine had turned in the direction she was staring and saw Holt walking through the front door, his eyes scanning the crowd.
“Oh, God, no! I mean, it’s nothing, Auntie. Nothing happened,” she said, desperate to get away. “We, uh, talked, that’s all. Really, it’s nothing. I’m just tired. It’s been a long day, and I still haven’t unpacked.”
“Would have thought you all had done enough talking on the ride home,” she said. Yasmine was seconds away from completely losing it, battling back the ridiculous tears hovering.
Finally, after one last speculative look, her auntsighed, gave Yasmine a swift hug and asked if she needed help unpacking. Yasmine had managed to refrain from screaming out a no, she was so desperate to go to
She placed her hand over his cheek, feeling the stubble roughly caress her palm.
“Holt, I—”
“Holt, I know you’re in here, come out, come out, wherever you are,” a singsong voice called out,interrupting Yasmine before she could continue.
Chapter 8
“A ll settled in, sweetheart?”
Yasmine yawned hugely as she entered the kitchen, glancing over at her aunt. She could only see the back of her head, as her back was to Yasmine, her aunt’s arm reaching overhead in the process of removing a pot from its position hanging above the stove.
“I still have to unpack, but I’ll save that for later,” she said, before looking around the large, open kitchen, the blinds opened, allowing the sun to flood the airy room.
She’d always loved this kitchen, and it was the one room in the house that had remained nearly untouched, looking much as it had when she’d called the ranch home.
The kitchen had been updated with modernconveniences, yet it maintained an old-world charm. White slatted blinds covered each of the six large windows that gave the room its natural light. Terra-cotta tiles on the floor and white wood cabinets gave the room a homey ambience.
She grimaced. The minute she yawned, the pounding in her head increased tenfold.
Not only did she have a headache the size of the Teton Mountains, her eyes had been so swollen she’d barely been able to pry them open that morning, her mouth was dry as sandpaper … and she was in
desperate
need of mass quantities of caffeine.
“Got any coffee, Aunt Lilly?” she asked, shuffling toward one of the high-backed stools surrounding the marble counter.
Lord only knew if she could open a vein and directly infuse caffeine into her system she would. Right now she’d do just about anything to stop the little man in her head from his relentless drumming.
God, what a night.
Piggybacking that thought, images of her and Holt, what they done … what they’d
almost
done, flooded her mind, and she covered her eyes with her hands, as though that would make the images disappear from her mind.
She’d been moments away from giving in to something she’d fantasized about for over ten years. She’d been moments away from giving in to what his eyes, his mouth … his very touch promised he wanted to deliver. And had they not been interrupted she wouldhave done just that. Given in to everything his carnal gaze was promising and more.
After leaving the shed last night, Yasmine had fled back to the house and found her aunt, telling her she was tired from the day’s travel and was ready to go to bed. It had taken a fair amount of willpower not to rush to her room in order to avoid Lilly, fearing she’d read in her eyes her embarrassment and guess who was the reason.
When her aunt had seemed oblivious to her state of turmoil, Yasmine had sighed in relief, and after bidding a quick goodbye to as many people as she could, she’d been seconds away from fleeing to the sanctity of her room when her aunt’s voice stopped her.
“Before you go, Yasmine, did something … or someone, upset you?” Lilly had asked bluntly, a frown marring her otherwise unlined face.
She caught Lilly looking around, and when her eyes narrowed, Yasmine had turned in the direction she was staring and saw Holt walking through the front door, his eyes scanning the crowd.
“Oh, God, no! I mean, it’s nothing, Auntie. Nothing happened,” she said, desperate to get away. “We, uh, talked, that’s all. Really, it’s nothing. I’m just tired. It’s been a long day, and I still haven’t unpacked.”
“Would have thought you all had done enough talking on the ride home,” she said. Yasmine was seconds away from completely losing it, battling back the ridiculous tears hovering.
Finally, after one last speculative look, her auntsighed, gave Yasmine a swift hug and asked if she needed help unpacking. Yasmine had managed to refrain from screaming out a no, she was so desperate to go to
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