McLeod, Anitra Lynn - Dirty Cowboy (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Read Free

knocked out cold on the ground. Course, that scenario didn’t explain his missing clothes. Everett had seen a lot of bucked men, but never one tossed right out of his duds.
    “Nope.” Dalton grinned at him.
    Sick of waiting for the man to speak further, Everett grumbled, “Not much of a talker, are you?”
    “Nope.” Dalton’s grin deepened, flattening his curiously perfect lips against his even more perfect teeth.
    Damn if he didn’t look like some kind of devil with his hair slicked back and flames dancing in his eyes. Didn’t help Everett’s concentration none that the man was naked. Distracted again by his cock, which had started to lengthen with arousal, Everett wondered where the hell the blanket had gone. When he glanced over, he saw the blanket folded neatly where Dalton had been laying in the dirt. Now he was wondering why he hadn’t used the damn thing to cover himself. Not that he minded looking, not at all, just that looking led to thinking, and thinking led to longing, and longing might lead him into a heap of trouble. Sometimes what seemed like welcome in a man’s eyes turned out to be anything but. Everett didn’t need another reminder of that out here where there wasn’t a barber to stitch up his face should his roving gaze get him hurt.
    “Hungry?” Everett decided that if Dalton wasn’t much of a talker, he would save his breath. He could speak in one-word questions if that’s what the man wanted. Maybe Dalton was a loner and not used to talking. Funny that after too much time alone, Everett wanted to jaw the night away. Not about anything in particular. He just wanted to talk. Just his luck to end up with a tight-lipped companion.
    The man stood and touched his belly. “I could eat.”
    “Well, hell, I ain’t forcing you.”
    “No, you aren’t.” While lowering his head but keeping his gaze pinned to Everett, Dalton smiled. It was the most bizarre look anyone had ever given him. Uncomfortable with the scrutiny, Everett turned away. Now he understood how him just sitting in the saloon looking at folks had gotten him in trouble. It was disturbing to be watched so intently.
    “Let’s get you dressed first.” Without waiting for agreement, Everett moved to the back of the wagon. If the man didn’t want to wear the blanket, that was fine, but he was going to put something on to cover up his thoroughly distracting form.
    This distance from the fire, the pops and crackles died down and the music of prairie insects rose up. Cool air with the barest taste of moisture soothed Everett’s heated face. There was something off about this man, this Dalton Hicks. Something not necessarily sinister, but something not entirely wholesome, either. No matter how hard he tried, Everett couldn’t quite put his finger on what was wrong with him, but his gut told him to be wary. And if Everett had learned nothing else, he’d learned to trust his gut.

Chapter Three

    “Does my nudity bother you?”
    “Damnation!” Everett jumped about a foot in the air. “Will you stop sneaking up on me?”
    Dalton didn’t apologize. All he did was smile. And damn it all to hell, but that grin of his was becoming less strange and more alluring by the moment, especially back here in the dark. That kind of expression caused Everett to consider that if he propositioned the man, his attention would be more than welcomed. But Everett had been wrong before. The last thing he needed was to have to sleep with one eye open because of an angry fellow.
    Once he got his heart back under control, Everett asked, “Aren’t you cold?”
    As he had before, Dalton touched himself then said, “Now that I’m away from the fire, I am cold.”
    Shaking his head at the utter bizarreness of this man, Everett climbed up into the wagon.
    “I’ve got an extra pair of pants, and I think there’s a shirt or two in here…” He trailed off as he pushed the mounds of gear around. He might be good at building a fire, but he couldn’t