The Naughty List Bundle - Kylie Adams [80]
“Damn.” Morgan felt the start of an erection and had to fight to control himself. Not easy to do when Misty was laughing and looking flushed from all that dancing. Jordan whirled her in a wide circle, and Morgan wanted to flatten him.
“Damn is right. You’re in for it now.”
Morgan turned to see what Sawyer was blathering on about and was met with Honey instead. She looked incredibly beautiful in her white wedding gown, her long blond hair loose and her face glowing. Morgan smiled at her. “Have I kissed the bride yet?”
“About a dozen times, I think.” She grinned at him, and twin dimples decorated her cheeks.
“Morgan…” Sawyer’s beleaguered tone didn’t bother Morgan one whit. Annoying each other was the brothers’ favorite pastime. And Sawyer, love-struck from day one though he fought it pretty damn hard, had made himself a prime target.
Honey laughed and patted her husband’s chest. “Oh, Sawyer, relax. Your brother is just a big pushover.”
Sawyer choked again.
Morgan, amused by her insistent misconceptions of him, grinned. Not another soul in Buckhorn, male or female, thought of him as a pushover—pretty much the opposite, in fact.
His grin fell flat with her next words.
“I want you to dance with Misty.”
“Ah…”
“Morgan, it almost seems like you’ve been avoiding her. She told me just this morning at breakfast that you didn’t like her.”
They’d talked about him? Morgan wanted to ask exactly what had been said, but he didn’t want to look too interested. “I don’t dislike her.”
“Of course you don’t! But she thinks you do because you’ve spent so much time at work since she’s been here, and you’ve barely said two words to her.”
Morgan tugged on his ear, beginning to feel uncomfortable. He wanted to sock Sawyer, who stood behind his bride, smirking. “It’s been really busy this week and being that I’m sheriff I can’t just…”
“But you’re not busy now. And look, she just finished a dance. It’s the perfect time for the two of you to talk some more and get better acquainted.”
Sawyer, ready to get back a little of his own, said, “Yeah, the timing is perfect. And with your, er, charm, you should be able to put her right at ease.” Then he grinned, glancing at his wife. “You’d do that for Honey, wouldn’t you, Morgan?”
Honey, playing along, gave him her most endearing smile.
He tried, but not a single rebuttal came to mind. “Well, hell.” Morgan stomped away, resigned to his fate and unfortunately, in some ways, pleased to be forced into it. He saw Misty look up from across the room, as if she’d somehow sensed his approach. She did that a lot, seeming to know the second he entered a room. And then she’d get quiet and withdrawn—but only with him.
Her dark blue eyes, so bright and clear they still had the effect of making his heart skip a beat, widened. He saw her soft lips part, saw her cheeks darken with color. She turned, looking, he knew, for an avenue of escape. But she’d already been surrounded by every eligible bachelor in Buckhorn, and they were in no hurry to let her leave.
Morgan stopped right behind her. She didn’t turn to face him, but she knew he was there; her shoulders stiffened the tiniest bit and her normally husky voice became a little bit shrill as she asked the men who would dance with her next.
Morgan looked at every man there, and he fashioned a grin. A very hard, unmistakable expression. Several of the men, eyeing him closely, began to back up, quickly making their excuses.
Morgan took advantage of their retreat. “I believe that’d be me, Malone.”
She hated it when he called her by her last name. He’d found that out the first day they met. He’d been calling her by Malone ever since, because it helped to maintain the small distance necessary for his sanity.
“I don’t think so, Hudson.” She reached for Gabe’s hand. He was one of the few men who wasn’t intimidated by Morgan’s darkest stare. In fact, Gabe looked highly entertained. He was a gentleman and would have assisted her, if Morgan hadn’t beat him to it, reaching around her and snatching her slim fingers in his own before she could get a solid