11. Val #3
“And then came Gemma.”
“Yeah, then came Gemma.” Evan looked down at his hands as she scrubbed them together.
“When we found out about her, Parker wanted nothing to do with her. She looks so much like Mom, and I think that was too much for him. She was the last connection we had to her, and I couldn’t just walk away.
It was actually nice having her around. Then again, I never thought Parker would be capable of doing what he did to his own blood.
That’s when I realized that my brother was gone.
He let his darkness consume him. If I didn’t help her, I knew I’d end up the same way. ”
“But you didn’t. You are not your brother.” His forearm flexed when I placed my hand across it. My heart hammered in my ears.
“There’s darkness in me, Val.”
“Maybe some. But I can see the light.”
Before I knew what was happening, Evan’s hands were in my hair, and we were tumbling into the soft grass. His long, hard body covered mine. His mouth crashed down, rough and demanding. The air whooshed out of my lungs and came out as a needy, breathless moan.
Desire took over all rational thought. Bourbon still flavored his kiss, and I wound my legs around his waist as his hips pressed into me. Evan’s hands were locked in my hair, gently pulling until my mouth opened and his tongue delved into me.
My nails raked down his back as my hips bucked, begging for more pressure. A throaty moan rumbled through him, and warmth pooled between my legs. I was soaked through, and he had only kissed me.
But damn. That man could kiss. His lips moved down the column of my neck, sucking and nipping with his teeth. Desire swept through me. Darkness was a blanket that protected me from caring we were in the middle of a pasture and anyone walking or driving by would see us.
The stubble of his cheek tickled my palm and sent tiny sparks racing up my arm as my fingertips explored the planes of his face.
Evan kissed the hollow beneath my collarbone, his tongue dipping and tasting my skin before he rested his forehead against my neck. “Goddamn it. You smell so fucking good.”
“Don’t stop.” My voice was breathless and needy as my hands traveled down the hard lines of his chest and abdomen.
“If I don’t stop kissing you now, I’m going to tear you apart.”
I palmed the hard length of his cock through his jeans. Jesus Christ that thing was going to take some getting used to. The girth of it had a scared giddiness skittering below my skin and settling as an empty clench where I wanted to be filled.
His approving grunt was all the permission I needed as I continued to lick and kiss up his neck, my teeth scraping against his warm flesh. His masculine smell—clean air and fresh pine—soaked into me. I didn’t care who could see us, I wanted Evan to unleash everything he had into me.
He pinned my wrists to stop my hands as I tried to stroke his cock again.
“Val, we can’t.” His breath was coming fast and quick. His gentle hands squeezed my wrists as desire darkened his expression. His eyes traced over me, our faces mere inches apart. “You are so fucking beautiful.”
My hair was fanned out beneath me, and my heart beat wildly against my ribs.
Evan’s hard cock was still seated between my legs, teasing my clit, and I ached to feel more of him.
To be stretched by him. Connected to him.
I tried to move, to grind myself against him, but Evan moved one hand from my wrist to my hip and squeezed.
I brushed back the hair that tumbled on his forehead with my free hand and studied his face. “Evan, this feels so good.”
I parted my knees farther apart and quirked an eyebrow, tempting him.
Evan lifted, refusing to let his body make contact with mine. “Careful. You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“I know exactly what I want. Do you?” Our breath mingled in the air, and I wanted his warmth seeping back into me.
“A man like me always wants what he can’t have. But you, baby girl, are the most dangerous thing on this ranch.”
His soft touch moved from the side of my face, down the column of my neck, and stopped at the base.
My body arched toward the warmth of his hand.
Evan ran his nose along the side of mine before whispering a kiss at the corner of my mouth.
His eyes finally met mine before he closed them and rested his forehead against mine. “We can’t do this.”
Despite the protest that gurgled in my throat, Evan pushed off me, leaving my body cool and achy in his absence. He sat back on his heels and raked a hand through his hair. I propped up on my elbows and tried to read the warring expressions that danced across his face.
Hating the sadness that was creeping over his expression, I grabbed a piece of bread beside me and hurled it in his direction. He swatted at it and glared at me, though humor tugged at the hard line of his mouth.
“All right, cowboy. If you won’t make out with me, the least you can do is walk me to the truck.”
Evan helped me to my feet, his hands careful not to linger or brush the skin that peeked over my jeans at the hip.
We gathered the remnants of our sad little picnic, and I stuffed it all back into my bag.
Disappointment was dulled by the newfound affection I had for this complex, intriguing man.
There were so many layers to him that much of the fun was peeling one back to reveal what lay just below it.
Tonight I had learned Evan Walker was a criminal who didn’t want to break the rules.