Apparently neither did she, because she stayed right there. He was surprised that he didn’t spend the whole movie fighting the urge to strip her naked and take her six ways to Sunday. There was no denying that he wanted her, but he liked this, too, just being together, knowing she was safe in his arms. He wished the movie would never end.
But, of course, it eventually did.
Trixie sat up slowly and yawned. “Thanks for watching with me. I’ll see you after my run in the morning. G’night.” She kissed his cheek and stepped away.
He sat up and grabbed her wrist, jealousy and something much deeper digging its heels in. Her brows knitted, and he said, “I don’t like the thought of you going out with Travis.”
A sweet smile curved her lips. She tilted her head and shrugged. “Then don’t think about it.”
As he watched her walk into her bedroom, his chest felt like it was cracking open, and he realized Jax was right. This thing between them wasn’t as new as he thought, at least not on his side. She’d been in his life, in his head, and in his heart, for a very long time.
He was completely and utterly screwed.
Chapter Eleven
THERE WAS NOTHING quite like a morning run, and running with Travis made it even more enjoyable. He was funny, smart, and as easy to talk to as he was on the eyes. As they neared the end of their run, he told Trixie about his family.
“It’s just me and my two sisters. Tatum, the oldest, is a dive instructor in Florida, and our younger sister, Chelsea, owns two boutiques. One here in town, the other in Peaceful Harbor. Nick’s cousin’s wife runs Chelsea’s boutique in Peaceful Harbor.”
“I had no idea you were Chelsea’s brother. Nate’s wife, Jewel, raves about her. Small world. So you were the only boy in a house full of estrogen. That must have been fun.”
“I’ve got no complaints. My sisters are great, and from what you told me about your brothers, I can safely say that I wasn’t nearly as much of a pain to them as your brothers were to you.”
“I’m sure your sisters appreciate that. Give me the scoop on the good stuff. Were there any Braden-Helms crushes when y’all were growing up?”
He laughed. “I don’t think there was a girl around who didn’t have a crush on a Braden. But I knew better than to put my hands on Tempe or Shannon. Those girls were like forbidden fruit. Their brothers watched over them like hawks. I’ve heard stories about guys who got too close back then.”
“I’ve heard some of those stories. Now that Tempe and Shannon are married, the only Braden forbidden fruit around here is Jilly.” Shortly after Ty and Aiyla’s wedding, Shannon, the last of Nick’s single Peaceful Harbor cousins, had married Steve Johnson in a small, private ceremony.
“I swear Jilly has coffee running through her veins. Nick says she never sleeps, and I believe it. Whenever I see her in town, she’s zipping around in heels like she has fifteen places to be. That’s a woman who belongs in New York City, not our rinky-dink town.”
“That’s our Jilly. I love her, but she really doesn’t sleep. That’s why I stay with Nick. She says she hears her muse best in the wee hours of the morning.” As they jogged down Nick’s driveway, Trixie said, “Thanks for listening to me rattle on about my horse dilemma.”
“No worries. You’ve got great business sense. You should trust your instincts. If you think you should get trained horses, then do it.”
“I still don’t know what I’m going to do, but I appreciate you giving me time to figure it out before making a final decision about your minis.”
“There’s no rush on my end.”
She saw Nick walking toward them with a slightly tense expression. She guessed that was to be expected, given how he felt about Travis asking her out. She’d loved lying in Nick’s arms last night, and even though he’d been rigid as nails when she’d first laid beside him, it hadn’t taken long for the tension to ease from his embrace. She’d wanted to fall asleep cuddled up with her favorite man, but she couldn’t be the only one taking steps in that direction, or she’d never know if she was forcing their connection and making it into something it wasn’t.
Nick waved, and they waved back. She was glad Travis’s asking her out wasn’t coming between Nick and Travis’s friendship.
As she and Travis slowed to a walk, Nick lifted his chin in that manly greeting she’d come to love and said, “She run you ragged, Travis?”
“Just about. When are you going to throw on some running shoes and pound the pavement with us?”
Nick’s gaze slid to Trixie, making her already overheated body sweat even more as he said, “I told you I was built to ride, not run.”
Yes, you were. She’d been thinking about doing just that since their shower yesterday. She wanted to be on top, to see every ounce of pleasure glowing in his dark eyes. The way those eyes were raking down her body told her he might be thinking the same thing. Her nerves caught fire. Could Travis see it? Could he feel the electricity zinging between them? In an effort to break the sexual tension, she said the first thing that came to mind. “If Nick ever ran with us, he’d probably blow us away. Have you ever seen him train? The man has legs of steel.”
“Yeah, I know it.” Travis whipped off his shirt and used it to wipe his face, inciting another teeth-grinding look from Nick. Travis dragged his shirt down his beautifully sculpted chest and abs and said, “See you tomorrow morning? Same time?”
“Definitely.”
“Great.” Travis pulled open his truck door. “See you around, Nick.”
Nick nodded and put a hand on Trixie’s lower back as they walked down the driveway. She liked that new little sign of possessiveness.
“You need to get changed. I’m heading up to Pennsylvania to check out a horse, and I’d like you to come with me. I could use an extra hand.”
“Sure.” That sounded fun. She loved taking road trips with Nick. “Don’t we have to feed the animals first?”
“Already taken care of, darlin’. I’m going to hook up the trailer while you get cleaned up.”
“Okay, give me fifteen minutes for a quick shower.”
As she headed for the house, he called after her, “Be sure to do your hair and makeup. I don’t want my associates thinking you’re not a serious businesswoman.”
She smiled to herself at the tease and lifted her arm, flipping him the bird as she walked away, which earned her a rumble of laughter.
TRIXIE SANG ALONG to the radio on the way to Pennsylvania, trying to get Nick to do the same, but he just shook his head, drumming his fingers to the beat on the steering wheel. When he turned off the highway, she gazed out the window, thinking about Emmaline’s comment about their friendship. They did have an awesome friendship, and wasn’t the ability to have amazing sex and still work on the ranch together and enjoy a road trip without getting bored or irritated the ultimate test of a relationship? If the look on Nick’s face was any indication, she’d say they’d nailed it.
He turned down a rural road lined with fields, which reminded her of Nick’s road. “What kind of horse are you looking at?”