Reckless (Chestnut Springs, #4)

by Elsie Silver

He’s sexy without even trying. Even the weather doesn’t seem to bother him. I bet he rolls out of bed after sleeping in yesterday’s socks and just shoves them back in those worn leather boots. I bet his hands are rough. I bet he smells like leather. And after the man I’ve spent the last several years with, I’m unable to tear my eyes away from the rugged appeal of the man before me.

And this is the first man I’ve let myself look at inappropriately. A man who can’t bother to tie his shoes and plays the lotto.

Because the very last thing I need in my life is someone who makes me feel like there’s not enough oxygen in my lungs when I’ve only just caught my breath.

“Easy, Tink.” I offer her a smile and lift my hands in surrender, not wanting to make her feel threatened. “Tink?” Her voice goes even louder. I wave a hand over her. “Yeah, you’ve got this whole angry little Tinkerbell vibe happening. I dig it.”

I should stop. I should walk away. I should channel my maturity and not flirt with her by infuriating her. But I’ve always been a little reckless.

I want Theo to admire me, but I also want to kick him in the shins.

“You know what? Forget I said anything. I’ve got this whole uptight spinster thing happening and I don’t blame you for⁠—” “Winter. I’d have properly fucked you in the back room of that gas station if you’d asked me.”

I’m a bull rider and she’s a doctor. I’m fire and she’s ice.

Everyone is on and on about a man in a suit, but I can’t help but wonder if they’ve ever seen a man in Wranglers and chaps.

Theo snaps his fingers over the table, drawing his mentor’s attention back to himself. He went from looking amused to downright murderous. “Watch your fucking tone when you’re talking to the mother of my child.”

That cool mask slips back over her dainty features as she replies with, “Goodnight, Theo.” There’s a bite in her words. She wields my name like a whip, and I feel the sting of it.

Theo is asleep inside the crib. His muscular frame curls around the little girl tucked tightly into the crook of his arm with a peaceful, pleased expression on her face.

The door jangles, and Willa walks in, fiery mane glowing in the morning sunlight. “Why the fuck is everyone crying? Mondays aren’t that bad.”

Theo has on the same clothes he wore last night. A smiling Vivi is strapped to his chest in the floral-patterned Tula baby carrier I bought. He’s singing to our daughter. And dancing. And cleaning.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Theo carries on, blissfully unaware of the turmoil this moment stirs in me. “Just like you. Imagine how beautiful she’ll look when she gets back from getting her nails done.” “What?” My brows knit and my head flips toward Theo. He removes his hand from my back to check his watch. “Yeah. I booked you a manicure for ten.” “But you’ve been with Vivi all night. All morning.” He shrugs, a gentle smile stretching over his too-handsome features. “I don’t need a special trophy for parenting. I love it, Winter. Don’t worry. Go enjoy your manicure while you can still get one.”

My mom used to bug me and say the Virgo in me would stress clean. I laughed her off, but the older I get, the more I wonder if she was onto something. Is horny cleaning a Virgo thing? Cause that’s where I’m at right now. I could clean this whole fucking gym and it wouldn’t sate me.

And he’s got a maturity about him, a wise streak I find comforting. He’s playful but not flighty. Fun but dependable.

“I just remembered that he called me the morning after you two first got together. And do you know what he said to me? I shake my head. It’s all I can manage. “He said, ‘Mom, I met her.’ And I said, ‘Who?’” Loretta’s lips curve up, her eyes taking on a faraway look. “He said, ‘The woman I’m going to marry one day.’”

And I love it. I wedge a dress shoe between her heels and kick her feet apart. “Spread, Winter. Ass up so I can disrespect you the way you want me to.”

“Actually, Kip, I do have a few things to tell you. First, refer to my daughter again as the baby, like she doesn’t have a name, and I’ll fucking lay you out. Second, I’ll be at your office on Monday morning. Bring Geoff. I don’t

“Dr. Hamilton in the streets, filthy slut in the sheets.”

“Except me. I’m going to show up for her. Every goddamn time. So Kip, you’re fired. I used to like you, but I no longer respect you. And Geoff, if I could fire you twice, I would. You fucking suck.”

Winter isn’t his leftovers. She’s the gem too precious for him to keep.

“I just didn’t know if we were like . . . a thing thing. Like in public and stuff.”

“Winter, we are a thing. We are the thing. We are it.”

“Te vivo?” Winter nods. “It’s Portuguese. My dad used to say it to my sister and me. Sadly, it’s some of the only Portuguese I know. It means ‘I live you’ or something along those lines.” “You mean I love you?” “No.” I scrub at my stubble and glance down at our daughter, who is now amusing herself by playing her favorite game of fetch with Peter and his miniature rubber chicken. “It means . . . I live you. Like I see you everywhere, you are in everything. Our connection is more than physical.”

“Am I fucking you like a princess or a slut later?” And just before she kisses me, she chuckles and responds with, “I don’t care as long as you fuck me like I’m yours.”

ahead. “That night we were reckless.” His voice cracks. “But god, I’d be reckless with you over and over again if it means ending up here.”