Beneath the Summer Sky - Chapter 6: Chapter 6

I was never supposed to let it get this far.
One night. That's all it should've been. I let myself think that if I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, if I kept acting like nothing was changing, nothing would. But every damn day she's here, it's harder to ignore. And the more I try to push her away, the more I feel myself falling into this damn hole.
Tonight was no different.
Harper and I had spent the afternoon repairing the corral fence, hands covered in dirt and sweat. I had to admit, the woman could work. Harder than most men I knew. She wasn't afraid to get dirty, wasn't afraid to roll up her sleeves and do whatever needed to be done. It reminded me of the girl she used to be, the one who ran around the ranch like it was her second home.
Except this wasn't that same girl. This was a woman with curves I couldn't ignore, with eyes that were far too knowing for my comfort. And every time I glanced at her, every time our fingers brushed as we worked side by side, it was like a magnet pulling me closer to her.
I could feel the shift in the air tonight. There was something different about the way she moved around me. Her laughter. Her voice. Even the way she glanced at me when she thought I wasn't paying attention. It was like she was testing the waters too, seeing how far we could push without actually falling over the edge.
After finishing up the last of the work, I told her we should head inside, get cleaned up, grab a bite to eat. She agreed without hesitation, her smile genuine, a little tired. But she looked beautiful. Even when she was covered in dirt and her hair was a mess from the wind, she looked like something I couldn't touch, couldn't have.
We made our way into the house, and I set about fixing us dinner, something simple. She had already moved into the living room to unwind, her feet tucked under her as she leaned back on the couch with a glass of wine.
"You should come sit with me," she called, her voice teasing, soft.
I glanced over at her, my heart thumping a little harder than it should. "I'm fine here."
"You're always 'fine here,'" she said, her lips curling into a sly grin. "Come on, Graham. It's just dinner."
I didn't want to admit how much the invitation tempted me. But I couldn't let myself go there. Not when things were already too damn close to the edge.
"I'll bring the food over," I said, trying to sound casual.
But when I sat next to her, the space between us felt too small. The room was too quiet. The air between us was thick with unspoken words, with things neither of us was brave enough to say.
We ate in silence for a while, but there was something unspoken hanging between us. I could feel her every move, every glance. Every time I turned my head, I saw her watching me. And it wasn't the same look as before. It wasn't the curiosity of a young girl looking up to her father's best friend.
No, this was different. This was... desire.
It was that look that made my pulse spike, made my blood race in my veins. I could feel my control slipping through my fingers, and I hated myself for it.
"So," Harper said, breaking the silence between us, her voice soft but edged with something I couldn't quite place, "how's everything on the ranch? Things going well?"
"Yeah," I muttered, my voice rougher than I meant it to be. "You know, the usual. Repairs. Animals. It's all just part of it."
She tilted her head, studying me. There was something about the way she looked at me that made me feel exposed. "Are you okay?"
The question wasn't just casual. She wasn't asking about the ranch. She wasn't asking about the damn fence we had just finished fixing. She was asking about me. And I knew it.
I set my fork down and met her eyes, something in me tugging at the rawness I'd been holding inside for so long. "Yeah," I said again, more firmly this time. "I'm fine."
But she didn't believe me. She never did.
She moved closer without asking, her knee brushing against mine, and my heart did that damn flip again. The touch was gentle, like it was an accident, but I knew it wasn't. Nothing about the way we were right now felt like an accident.
It felt like everything was about to change.
She held my gaze, her breath catching in her throat as she leaned in just a little. She was close enough that I could feel the heat of her body next to mine. That subtle scent of her skin, like wildflowers and something softer, like her shampoo or the lingering warmth of the sun. I didn't know which of us leaned in first, but before I could think it through, her lips brushed mine, light and tentative.
It wasn't a kiss. It was a question. A quiet asking, like she was testing the waters to see if I'd pull away. And I wanted to. I wanted to so fucking badly. But I couldn't.
I leaned in closer, my hand moving of its own accord, cupping her face, deepening the kiss. It was slow, deliberate. But everything inside me was on fire. My body was betraying me, and I knew it.
I pulled away first, breathing hard. My pulse was thundering in my ears, and I couldn't stop looking at her. At those eyes, wide and questioning, but also hungry. So damn hungry.
"What was that?" she whispered, her voice shaking.
I couldn't answer her. I didn't have the words. I wasn't sure I had the strength to keep pretending anymore.
I didn't want to pull away. I didn't want to stop. But I was dangerously close to crossing a line I couldn't uncross.
"I don't know," I said quietly. "But I can't stop thinking about it."