“Okay then.” I dropped her right into the mud puddle.

The look on her face and the scream she let out were priceless.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Shit, I really wish I had a camera right now.”

I turned to walk toward the cabin, and then I felt her jump onto my back. She was pulling with all her might to get me to go backward.

“Aww, you’re so cute, thinking you could pull me—”

The next thing I knew, she reached around and grabbed my dick. I lost my wits long enough for her to pull me back and jump on top of me in the mud puddle. She grabbed handfuls of mud and rubbed it all over me. I was pretty sure I had enough mud in my nose to build a small house. I grabbed her arms, flipped her over, and crawled on top of her. She was kicking and screaming, and then she stopped instantly.

“Do you give up?” I asked her as I tried to catch my breath.

Her face was white as a ghost. “I think you should get off of me now.”

I tilted my head with a questioning look. She bit down on her lower lip, and I immediately felt my rock-hard dick pressed against her stomach.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Friends, Layton. Friends don’t get hard-ons for other friends.

“Shit! Sorry, Whit. It’s just…you grabbed me and—”

She started to push me away. “It’s okay.”

I helped her up, and she started screaming again.

“Oh God! Get it off!”

I looked at her, confused. “Get what off?”

“Layton, they’re crawling all over me and biting me!”

With one look at her, I saw she had red ants all over her. I grabbed her hand and ran over to the water hose. I turned it on and started to hose her off as she began stripping out of her clothes right in front of me.

Jesus Christ, I’ve never seen such a perfect body before in my life.

She had on black lace boy shorts with a black lace bra.

“Shit! Ouch, you little fucking bastards!” She threw her clothes off to the side and grabbed the hose. She washed her whole body down.

I just stood there and watched her. My dick couldn’t possibly get any harder. I turned and walked onto the porch. I reached up for the spare key and opened the door. Mike and I had always kept an extra change of clothes in the cabin. I walked over toward the sink and quickly stripped out of my clothes. I washed the mud off of me, and then I grabbed a towel, dried off, and wrapped the towel around my waist.

I hadn’t been in the cabin since last hunting season—with Mike.

I was just about to change into a clean T-shirt and jeans when I looked up and saw a soaking wet and crying Whitley standing in the doorway.

My heart broke in two from just seeing her cry. “Honey…”

She ran up to me and jumped into my arms as she cried hysterically.

I ran my hand down her hair and tried to get her to calm down. “Sweetheart, are you okay?”

She shook her head and buried her face into my chest.

I reached down and made her look up at me. “Are you hurt somewhere?”

She shook her head. “I…I…” She bit down on her damn lower lip again. “I threw my clothes right back into the mud puddle, and the ant bites are itching, and I…” She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “I don’t have any clothes to wear now!”

She started to cry again, and it was everything I could do not to laugh. I held her for a minute or two before I reached over and grabbed another towel. I took the towel and started to dry her off. I dried off her back…then her arms…stomach…down one leg and up another.

I took in her perfect body, and I wanted nothing more than to touch her. I slowly stood back up and looked into her eyes. The look in her eyes told me she wanted me just as much as I wanted her. I leaned down and brushed my lips gently against hers. She let out the softest, sweetest moan I’d ever heard.

What am I doing? I don’t want or need this. I can’t be hurt again.

I pulled back just a bit. “I’m sorry.” I took a step away from her.

She reached out, took the towel, and wrapped it around her body. I walked over to the dresser and pulled out a Texas A&M T-shirt and a pair of sweats. I handed them to her and turned away, so she could get dressed.

“Please keep your bra and panties on, Whit.”

“Why? They’re soaking wet.”

“If I know you have no bra or panties on under my clothes, I’m not sure how I’ll react.”

“Oh,” she said in such a sweet and innocent way. “Okay.”

When she touched my shoulder, I jumped and spun around to face her.

“Sorry. I’m, uh…I’m done.” She looked down at the floor. “I’ll wait in the Jeep for you.” She turned and walked toward the door.

I wanted to call out for her to stop. I wanted to take her in my arms and make love to her so bad that it almost hurt.

She opened the door and shut it behind her.

I sat down on the bed and tried to catch my breath. I shook my head and tried to clear the image of her standing in front of me. I tried to erase the look in her eyes. I closed my eyes and saw Olivia and me making love on this very bed. I could never make love to Whitley for the first time in this bed. She deserved so much better than that.

She deserves so much better than me. I need to distance myself from her.

I was starting to fall for her, fast and hard, and that was the last thing I wanted to do.

Then, I heard a truck pull up, and someone started talking. I quickly got changed and headed outside. I locked up the cabin and put the key back above the door. I rounded the corner and saw Mitch, my ranch foreman, talking to Whitley.

The next thing I knew, she was running around to the passenger side of his truck and getting in. Mitch started to drive off, but I stepped in front of his truck. He quickly slammed on the brakes. I looked directly at Whitley, who appeared to be on the verge of tears. I walked up to Mitch’s window, and he rolled it down. He looked pissed-off.

“Layton.”

“Mitch.” I looked over at Whitley. “Where are you going, Whitley? And why are you in my foreman’s truck?”

“I, um…I just need to get back, and he pulled up, so…I’m just going to head back to your house, if that’s okay. I just need to leave.”

I looked at the hurt in her eyes. Is it hurt or fear?

I smiled and nodded. “Okay, I’ll be up there right away. I just have to go back to the Jeep.”

She nodded and tried to smile. “Yep…okay.”

I looked at Mitch. “Thanks, Mitch.”

He gave me a nod and rolled up the window. I stood there and watched as he drove off with her.

My heart started pounding, and I felt sick to my stomach.

Why does it feel like she’s leaving me? She promised me she wouldn’t leave me—ever.

Chapter Thirteen: Whitley

I jumped out of Mitch’s truck and thanked him. I practically ran up the back steps into Layton’s house. I shut the door, ran through the kitchen, and grabbed my bag and purse. I headed toward the door. I needed to leave and leave right now.

“Oh God! How could I be so stupid? What’s wrong with me? I can’t believe I actually wanted him to kiss me…I wanted him to…oh God!” I started to make my way out when I stopped dead in my tracks.

I saw the picture of Mike and Layton on the fireplace mantel.

I promised him. I promised him I’d never leave him.

I closed my eyes for a few seconds before I turned around and started walking down the hallway, looking for Layton’s bedroom to take a shower and put on dry clothes. I slowly opened a door and saw it was the master bedroom. I walked in and put my hand up to my mouth.

It was amazing. There was a huge king-size bed with a beautiful solid wood bedframe. The matching dressers were incredible. The walls had been painted a blue-silver color, and the bedding matched it perfectly. The pictures on the walls were all hand-painted country scenes.

“My God…it’s so serene in here,” I said to myself.

I glanced over and saw a nook with two giant oversized chairs. I thought about how comfortable it would be to sit there and read a book.

Ah hell…I sound like Courtney now.

I walked up, opened a door, and prayed it was his bathroom.

Nope.

“Holy shit. This is bigger than my whole bedroom.”

I walked into the completely empty walk-in closet. I backed out and looked across the room to another door. I walked over and opened it.

It was filled with Layton’s clothes. I walked in and ran my hand along all his shirts. I pulled one up to my nose and took a deep breath in.

“Oh Jesus,” I whispered as I closed my eyes. It smelled just like him.

I turned, stepped out of the closet, and shut the door behind me.

I made my way over to a set of double doors. When I opened them, I let out a gasp. “Who in the hell decorated this house?”

The first thing I noticed was the oversized tub surrounded by sandstone rock. Then, I looked over to the huge walk-in shower made of travertine in a matching color. The cabinets looked like pieces of furniture, and both sinks were copper with faucets that looked like little wells. I smiled because it all screamed Layton.

And me. This is exactly how I would have wanted this bathroom.

It was spotless.

Does he even use this bathroom?

I pulled the wet Texas A&M T-shirt off and threw it to the floor. I unclasped my bra and tossed it on top of his T-shirt. I took the sweatpants off and kicked them away from me as I reached in to turn on the shower. The heat from the water felt heavenly. I stood there, staring at the water falling down.

I’m falling in love with him. I’m totally falling in love with him, and I can’t keep denying it.

The moment I felt his hand move down my back, I smiled. When he leaned down and kissed my neck, every nerve in my body started going crazy.

He put his lips up to my ear and whispered, “I was so afraid you were going to leave me.”

I turned around and looked into his eyes. The way our eyes held on to each other caused me to catch my breath. It felt like every fear I’d ever had just melted away from the way he was looking at me. Every doubt about myself was instantly gone. I felt…healed.

I smiled as I whispered, “I promised you I’d never leave you.”

He reached his hand up and brushed the back of it down the side of my face. “When you first met me, Whitley, I was so damaged. I had a broken heart that was still bleeding. When I look into your eyes…I feel…like my heart is healing.”

Oh my God, he just said the same thing I’d thought.

“I feel…meaning in my life. I see a purpose again. Today, at the old ranch house, you literally healed my broken heart. I just need to know more about you. I can barely breathe when I leave your side.” He bent down and brushed his lips against mine.

My whole body trembled with his every touch.

“I think about you constantly, Whitley. I wonder what you’re doing, what you’re thinking about, and who you’re thinking about. I want to take away all of the hurt…all of the fear…I see in your eyes. I want you to lose yourself in my love.”

Oh my.