Read A Real Cowboy Never Walks Away (Wyoming Rebels Book 4) for Free Online

going to stay, then there was no chance that tonight would lead to anything. It would simply be in this moment, which meant it couldn't hurt her, or threaten that which mattered to her. If he was in her life only for this moment, then it made it safe to feel, to care, to respond, because as soon as he left, she could go back to her life. "Then you're leaving again?"
    "Yeah." He offered no more information, and she didn't ask.
    Asking was too personal. It took the moment and made it about more than this connection, more than the camaraderie they'd shared tonight. She didn't want more. She just wanted this.
    Silence fell between them, and they both went still, his hand still in her hair at the back of her neck.
    Finally, he dropped his hand and stepped back. "I should go."
    She wanted to cry out in denial, beg him to come back, to kiss her, to touch her, to draw her into the magic of his energy. But his face was wary, and his brow was furrowed, so she said nothing. But he didn't turn away, and neither did she.
    Inside, her soul cried out for his touch, for him, for more. She hadn't met a man she felt this comfortable with in ages. She'd been alone and isolated for so long that she'd forgotten what it felt like to be touched. Once Travis walked out, she knew she'd go back to her life, to her isolation, to her focus on supporting herself and her daughter. There wouldn't be another chance to remember what it felt like to be held.
    She wanted more. Her entire soul burned for it...but how could she ask? How could she stand there and explain what she needed from him? She'd sound like an idiot...and maybe she was. But also, maybe it was okay. Travis looked at her like she mattered, like he saw all her flaws and didn't care. Maybe, just maybe, it would be okay...
    After a moment, a long, agonizing moment, she raised her arms, a silent invitation not for a kiss, but for a hug.
    A smile flashed across his weary face, and he stepped forward immediately, sweeping her up in a massive hug. His strong arms locked her against his hard, lean body, and she closed her eyes, pressing her face against his chest. He kissed the top of her head, and then rested his cheek against her hair, holding her tightly. She locked her arms around his neck, afraid to let go, afraid to lose this moment. His now-familiar scent wrapped around her, a faint but amazing scent of an aftershave he'd put on hours ago.
    He tightened his arms around her, crushing her against his body. Her breasts were flattened against his chest, and her belly was tight against his stomach. He was pure muscle and hardness, but at the same time, he was warm, safe, and decadently tempting.
    "I don't want to let go," she whispered, so quietly she hoped he hadn't heard her.
    But his arms tightened. "Me either." He pressed another kiss to her hair. "Why is that?"
    "I don't know." She tucked her face tighter against his chest, trying to get even closer, needing to get even closer.
    He slid his hands along her back, palming the space between her shoulder blade, and the small of her back, keeping her tight against him as he rubbed her back.
    She shivered. "That gives me chills," she whispered. "It feels amazing."
    "Good." He kissed the tip of her ear, and she buried her face even more deeply against his chest, afraid to lift her head, afraid to let him see how much she needed this.
    She hadn't realized she needed to be held. She'd had no idea how starved she was for the touch of a man. She'd had no understanding of how deeply alone she held herself...until this moment, when she felt the tears falling from her soul from his embrace. It wasn't about sex. It wasn't about kissing. It was more than that. So much more.
    Travis groaned softly, shifting his arms to drag her even more tightly against him. His hands continued to slide across her back, awakening nerve endings that had been dormant for so long. He cupped her hips, his fingers resting on the swell of her bottom, making heat pool low in her