The Sunstone Brooch : Time Travel Romance Katherine Logan (no david read aloud TXT) 📖

David frowned. “I doubt that’ll satisfy him.”

“Then tell him I’m standing here with my girl”—he winked at her—“and we’re both partially undressed, and I’m not worried about his feelings right now.”

David shrugged. “Hell, that might work.”

After David closed the locker room door, she smiled up at Austin. “That’s the second time you’ve called me your girl. Are you just giving the rest of them a hard time?”

“No, ma’am. I just figure if you hear me say it often enough, you might believe it.”

If her head had been swimming before, it was now swirling in a whirlpool. “Are you always this pushy?”

“I was one of the best offensive players in the league before I got hurt. So yeah, I push for what I want.”

She gulped. “And you want me? Do I get a say in this?” She was back to fantasizing about his Goliath-size body.

“I know we’ve only just met, but it’s like I’ve been waiting for you all my life. If you want to return to New York City, that’s where I’ll go. If you want to come to Colorado, you can live in one of the guesthouses for now, until, you know… Until you’re ready to take it to the next level. I don’t want to pressure you.”

“Then why am I getting the full-court press?” she teased, actually thrilled that he was ramping up the pressure.

The door opened again, and this time Kenzie came in rolling a garment rack with several long dresses. “Move out, Austin. Elliott will be back in about twenty minutes, and if you guys aren’t ready to go, he might leave without you.”

“I don’t suppose you have anything in that wardrobe closet that will fit me.”

“David’s looking right now. He ordered generic clothes for you when he upgraded our wardrobe closet a while back, so there should be a jacket and trousers that will work for 1885.”

“I don’t care if the jacket and pants aren’t in style. I just don’t want to wear a coat with sleeves stopping at my elbows and pants barely covering my knees.”

Kenzie tsked. “Picky, picky.”

He glanced down at Ensley. “You’ll have to dry your hair, but I’m calling dibs on the next time you wash it.” He left, whistling another unfamiliar tune.

Kenzie licked her finger then touched the back of her hand. “Hiss. Damn, girl. He was sizzling. No telling what would have happened if I hadn’t walked in here.”

Ensley looked at the door as if she could see Austin standing on the other side. “He’s just playing games with me.”

“I’ve seen him play games, and that wasn’t what he was doing. But I do have a question. Is he high right now? He’s happy, and we haven’t seen him in a good mood for two years.”

“The whole drug thing was a ruse. He used it to keep people away so he could do his thing without interference.”

“Nothing illegal, I hope.”

“Not at all. Austin’s a good guy with a good heart.”

“He sure had us all fooled, and Pops will be thrilled.” Kenzie wagged her finger back and forth. “So, are you two a thing?”

“I wouldn’t call it a thing. I mean, we haven’t even kissed, but we’re getting to know each other. With all that’s happened, we should take it slow. Life and death situations draw people together because they have to depend on each other. I want to make sure I’m not attracted to him as a reaction to danger.”

“From watching the two of you, I’d say it’s much more than a reaction to danger.” Kenzie held up a shapeless white gown. “This is a chemise. I also have a pair of open-crotch drawers and a corset. Let’s get you dressed.”

Ensley pulled the scrubs top over her head, and just as her pants hit the floor, Austin returned. “Jesus Christ, Ensley!” He wiped his hand across his forehead. “You’re goddamn gorgeous.”

Ensley didn’t get all bashful and try to cover herself with her arms and hands. Instead, she calmly reached for the chemise and slipped it on. “Go get ready, cowboy.” She gave Austin a coy smile, and he left muttering something about “hot as hell.”

Kenzie held her laugh until Austin was gone, and then it burst out. “My God. You’re cool as a cucumber. How’d you do that?”

Ensley shrugged. “I spent a few years riding bulls, and guys were always walking in on me. I learned not to overreact, and they left me alone. I was just one of the guys.”

“Trust me, Ensley. You are not one of the guys now. You’re beautiful, and you have a gorgeous body except for that scar on your hip. It almost matches mine.”

“Did you have a hip replacement, too?”

“No. While deployed, I was several feet away when an IED hit. I got hurt, but it killed my best friend.”

“How awful. I can’t imagine the horror of being injured and losing a friend in a war.”

“Well, I can’t imagine staying on the back of a bull for eight seconds.”

“How’d you know the ride was eight seconds?”

Kenzie laughed. “When I was at West Point, a few friends and I went to a bar that had a mechanical bull. We all had to ride it. No way in hell could I ever get on a real one.”

“Yeah, but I did something dumb. You did something brave.”

They chatted and laughed while Ensley put on several layers of clothes. When she was fully dressed and her hair pinned up, she said, “Can I ask you something that’s sort of, I don’t know, personal?”

“You can ask me anything except what it’s like to make love to David McBain. I only share that when I’m drinking with the girls and they’re talking about their men, too.”

“Well, it’s not about making love to David, but…doing it with Austin. How do you think two people as different as we are can align our bodies to hit all the right spots?”

Kenzie burst out laughing and kept laughing until she doubled over. Finally, she got herself under