From there, Beck’s bad mood only simmered, and Reno slowly retreated to the edge of the counter while he helped Beck cook the meal.
As Beck watched Clancy flirt with Sierra, possessiveness and anger welled up in his stomach. So much so that he looked down to see he was making dents in the cutting board.
“Uh, Beck?” Reno said nervously. “You all right?”
“Fine,” Beck said, shoving a dish into the oven. “Just fine.”
The rest of his time cooking continued this way, Beck slowly getting more and more possessive, until it finally came to a head at dinner.
It started when Beck, still flustered, sat down at the table without pulling the chair out for Sierra. Clancy was quick to swoop in.
“Beck, where are your manners?” he chided, clicking his tongue. “You have to be gentlemanly to the lady and get her chair for her. Not to mention, ladies always sit first. Then men follow.”
Sierra looked amused but also slightly uncomfortable as Clancy pulled her chair out for her. “Um, thanks, Clancy, but you really don’t have to.”
“It’s no problem,” Clancy said. “It’s what gentlemen do.”
Beck nearly growled at that but realized it probably wouldn’t help his case with Sierra, compared to Clancy. Instead, he reached down, grabbed the leg of her chair.
Slowly, while glaring at Clancy ominously, Beck dragged the chair until it was almost touching his, leaving no guessing as to whom she was sitting with.
Panic hit him right after, and he looked down to see if she was mad at him for this possessive display, but to his surprise, she simply beamed up at him.
He could feel heat crackling in the air. His dragon pacing.
And he couldn’t help giving Clancy a smug look.
Instead of being angry, however, Clancy just laughed, gave Beck a thumbs-up, and sat down across from them.
After everyone began to eat, Sierra leaned over to Beck.
“What was that about? she asked.
“Sorry,” Beck muttered. “That probably wasn’t very gentlemanly.”
She laughed and fanned herself. “No, but it was manly; that’s for sure. I’m good with just that.”
Beck couldn’t help but grin at that. As dinner went on, he relaxed a little bit, knowing she was next to him and no one else. Still, it irked him whenever Clancy would catch her attention.
Deep down, he couldn’t help but wonder if Clancy would be a better fit for her, being the kind gentleman that he was. Beck was gruff and rude. He’d proved that from the moment that he’d woken up and seen the dragon talon in Sierra’s hand.
The beautiful woman next to him deserved so much more, and he knew that.
But that didn’t seem to stop him from wanting to take her and make her his own and have her forever. Didn’t stop him from hoping that maybe, just maybe, she wanted him too.
Harrison’s voice pulled him back to reality. “Well, if everyone’s done, we’ll head on out to the bonfire.”
With that, everyone got up from the table except Beck and Sierra, and she cast him a worried look. “Bonfire?”
He smirked. “Don’t worry. We here at Dragonclaw know how to do it right.”
With that, they stood up and followed the others out into the yard.
9
Sierra couldn’t believe how much fun she was having.
They were outside by the campfire now, and the beautiful Texas landscape was lit by flame and shadow, casting dancing figures on the trees and grass nearby.
She looked over at Beck, his handsome face silhouetted by firelight, and a warm feeling burned through her, hotter than the embers of the campfire in front of them.
Everyone was on camp chairs except for Clancy, who was sitting on a blanket on the ground, leaning against a fallen log that had been dragged over as a makeshift bench.
He was telling old gunslinger tales about the Wild West, which couldn’t possibly be true.
“Now old Bill Wilbur, he was the fastest gun in three counties. But he was wanted on account of him killing his missus and three children. He shot down three deputies, so when they called me—”
Sierra turned to Beck, who was listening in a relaxed posture like he’d heard these stories before. His long, muscled body was leaned back in the camp chair, and he looked utterly comfortable and at home.
Until he looked over and met her eyes and sparks glimmered against the silver of his irises, and she felt heat rise between them once again.
She wanted him. She bet he could tell she could.
But did he want her also? Could a big, gorgeous man like that possibly want her?
She didn’t have anything to offer. He definitely wasn’t after her land. Beck barely wanted to set roots down anywhere, according to his friends. He apparently even wandered away from Dragonclaw Ranch quite often. So she doubted he was looking for another commitment.
But damn, Sierra couldn’t help but think about having that handsome face around to help her on the ranch. Seeing him come in every day. Hanging out with his friends.
Watching him with Lasso.
She could just picture it, and she knew such thoughts were dangerous.
Heck, her thoughts had been dangerous ever since she heard Beck taking a shower downstairs while they were getting ready.
Dangerous thoughts about him being naked. She was jealous of every water droplet sliding down his perfect, hard body. Over those huge, hard pecs, down rock-solid, defined abs, and down toward—
“You ready to go home?” he asked gruffly but gently. “Clancy can go on and on.”
Clancy was answering one of Marian’s questions, so luckily, he didn’t hear Beck’s comments.
Sierra liked all of Beck’s friends, but Clancy was probably the nicest.
“I guess so,” she said. But really, as they stood to say their good-byes and she hugged Marian and walked toward the truck with Beck, she thought that right now she might be having the most dangerous thoughts of all.
That they could be together. In that way.
Because as he opened the door to the truck and gave her a warm smile as he helped her in, she couldn’t help getting the feeling that they were somehow meant to be here.
That it all just felt right, her being with him.
He shut the door and came around to the driver’s side, starting up the massive, growling engine.
As they turned down the road toward her place, she felt herself getting increasingly nervous. She could feel her heart beating so loud she was sure he’d be able to hear it if not for the crunch of the gravelly road between them.
She’d never been this attracted to a man, so she wasn’t really sure what to do about it.
Make a move? Maybe that would be an ungrateful thing to do, given the fact that he’d already helped her and invited her to a lovely dinner with his friends. Maybe he would think she was trying to take advantage.
But she did feel this electricity between them, and she couldn’t go much longer without finding out if those hungry looks he gave her meant he felt the same.
It was quiet and tense for a few more seconds. Then Beck spoke. “What’d you think of my friends?”
“I like them a lot. Y’all are nice people. I wish I’d met my neighbors sooner.”
“Harrison likes us to keep to ourselves. Marian’s changing that a little for him.” He smiled at her. “Works for me, seeing as how I’m enjoying being neighborly with you.”