Chapter 8 #2
My entire world collapsed into that one single moment when her mouth touched mine. I didn’t kiss her back. Not at first. But when her fingers slid into the hair at my nape, I lost control.
Cupping the back of her head as gently as I could, I tilted her head and pressed my lips to hers. When she drew in a deep breath, I slid my tongue over her lower lip, then dipped into her mouth. Amy kissed me back, her tongue gliding against mine hesitantly at first, then more confidently.
Jesus.
How could one kiss be so fucking hot?
I was lost to it. Lost to the sensation, the overwhelming desire that crashed in my veins. My body tightened, but I remained as still as I could, afraid to move closer, afraid to do anything that would cause her to pull away from me.
I allowed the kiss to go on for a minute, but then I pulled back, my entire body aching for her. Keeping her head cradled in my hand, I pulled her against my chest and sighed when she wrapped her arms around my waist.
I held her, my muscles vibrating with need, but sated by the fact she was in my arms, touching me even if we were still outside, still standing on her porch. Even if I still wasn’t going to go inside.
This woman … this one sweet, far-too-innocent woman was going to be the one to bring me to my knees.
I knew it.
And the worst part was that I didn’t even care.
Not one fucking bit.
Rhys
Saturday nights in Embers Ridge were much like Friday nights.
Mostly disturbances of the inebriated variety, some domestic disputes, usually a riled-up cowboy who hadn’t figured out the best way to wind down after a long, hot week.
And of course, the animals that tended to wander away from where they belonged.
Fortunately, tonight had been slow. With two of my deputies out on patrol, I spent the majority of the evening in my office doing my damnedest not to do another search on Amy Smith.
The buzzer sounded on the main door and I got up to go see who it was. Generally, the public only stopped by during weekday hours, but from time to time, someone showed up to bitch about whatever it was they had on their mind.
The buzzer sounded again just as I was about to turn the corner. I was gearing up to tell whoever it was to chill, but then I saw Wolfe standing there, glaring at the glass.
I fought the urge to grin. The man looked worse for wear, but I couldn’t imagine why. After the day we’d had…
“What’s your problem?” I asked as I opened the door.
Without a response, Wolfe walked right past me and down the hall.
I flipped the lock on the door, then followed, trying to figure out what could’ve possibly pissed him off to the point he’d show up at the sheriff’s office on a Saturday night.
I found Wolfe in my office, pacing the three feet in front of my desk. The man’s long legs didn’t allow him to take too many steps.
“Who else is here?” he asked, his tone rough.
“No one. They’re out on patrol. Why? What’s wrong?”
As soon as I cleared the doorway, Wolfe closed the door behind me. The next thing I knew, I was up against the wall, his solid body pressing into me, my lips crushed beneath his firm, warm mouth.
Son of a bitch.
Unable to help myself, I grabbed him and jerked him closer, kissing him back with every ounce of the pent-up lust that had been coursing through me for days now.
My brain fought to keep up, to process all that was happening.
Wolfe’s soft, warm lips.
His scratchy jaw.
Strong fingers digging into my flesh.
The confident, eager thrust of his tongue.
The kiss was overloading my circuits and I didn’t even fucking care.
Wolfe growled, grinding against me, his rough hands cupping my head, his tongue roughly searching my mouth. Although I fought to take control, it didn’t happen. He was having none of that, so I gave in and let the man devour me.
When we eventually pulled apart, I was breathing hard, but so was Wolfe.
“What the fuck?” My voice was hoarse.
“I kissed her.”
“What?” Clearly my brain had been rattled a little from that.
“I kissed Amy. I told her I shouldn’t, but … well, technically she kissed me, but fuck if I didn’t kiss her back.”
I righted my clothes. “And that’s a bad thing, why?”
“It’s not a bad thing.” Wolfe pulled off his cap and thrust his hands through his hair.
“Well, not entirely. She seems to think you and I are… Fuck. I don’t even know what she thinks, but she doesn’t seem to mind it.
And then she asked me to come inside her house, said she’d make me dinner.
I refused because I fuckin’ knew I would kiss her.
” He frowned. “She looked so goddamn disappointed. Dumbass that I am, I went to her door.” Wolfe looked at me for the first time.
“I told her why I couldn’t come in. And I didn’t, but she kissed me anyway. ”
“Take a breath. Shit.” I understood everything except… “So why are you here?”
His face was hard. “Because when she kissed me and I kissed her, I realized I wanted to fuckin’ kiss you, too.”
Well. Okay then.
Wolfe seemed to be waiting for me to say something, so I said, “I don’t see a problem with that.”
The big man eased down into a chair, dropping his head into his hands. “I don’t want to scare her.”
“If she kissed you, I’d say you accomplished that goal.”
Wolfe looked up. “I left after that. I couldn’t go inside. Not after that kiss. Fuck. She’s drivin’ me goddamn crazy.”
I knew the feeling.
“I don’t know what to do now,” Wolfe admitted.
If I wasn’t mistaken, there was a significant amount of confusion in the big man’s tone. That was unusual for the normally confident cowboy.
Moving over to my desk, I perched on the edge.
“Take it one day at a time.”
He stood, taking one step and clearing the distance between us. I looked up at him, waiting, wanting.
“Yeah?” Wolfe didn’t sound convinced that was a good plan.
“Sure.” My voice was rough. “Why not?”
He cupped my face and once again lowered his mouth to mine.
Without thinking, I gripped his shirt in my fist, kissing him back.
This time, Wolfe’s lips weren’t quite as rough, not nearly as demanding.
It was an exploratory kiss, one to confirm that this thing between us was real and it was explosive, regardless.
The kiss didn’t last nearly long enough, but I swallowed the groan of disappointment.
“She has to know about this,” he said. “I need her to understand what’s goin’ on.”
I nodded. I got that. Of course I had no idea how Amy would react, but I understood.
“What time do you get outta here?” Wolfe asked.
“Midnight.”
The big man moved back, causing me to release his shirt.
“Meet me and Amy at Reagan’s when you’re done. I wanna show her the lake at night.”
I nodded. “I’ll be there.”
Some of the warmth in his eyes dimmed. “I don’t know how this’ll play out, but she has to know what we want.”
“She does.”
That didn’t seem to ease the battle going on inside Wolfe’s head, but neither of us could prepare for this. Whatever happened between the three of us—or didn’t happen, for that matter—was all up to Amy.
I hoped to God she was willing to explore.
It was all I could ask for.