Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
“Why, Erin?”
Why? Why what? She shook herself mentally, pulling herself back to the present.
Oh, that’s right… Her nipples decided to make a bold statement.
“It’s far from cold in here,” he continued.
He wanted her to admit she still wanted him. Even seventeen years later. Practically a lifetime ago. “What do you want me to say, Dylan?”
“Are you afraid of me?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then, why is there a tremble in your voice? If it’s not fear, what is it?”
She pulled in a breath, trying to stop her body from going haywire. “You know what it is.”
He leaned in even closer and whispered, “Tell me.”
She didn’t want to admit it out loud. If she did, it would feel more real. She shouldn’t have agreed for him to give her a tour.
She tried to convince herself that she wanted to avoid running into him today. However, if that was true, she shouldn’t have showed up for the open house at all.
But she had.
If she searched deep down, he was the reason why. She hadn’t stopped thinking about him since running into him in town, even though she tried her damnedest to do so.
“Erin…”
The way he whispered her name shot a shiver down her spine. Again, not from fear. Not even close.
Wanting him so soon after having sex with Ford couldn’t be normal, could it?
“Do you feel what I feel?”
“Wh—” She cleared her throat when the words got caught. “What do you feel?”
“The chemistry we always had.”
“Is that what that is?” she asked. Again, ignoring the truth.
“What would you call it?”
Foolishness. He’d blamed Kyle for stealing her away when that wasn’t close to being true. It was only sour grapes, plain and simple.
But they had both grown up a lot since then.
Looking at Dylan, she couldn’t ignore the fact that he had definitely grown up. He looked so damn good, it gave him an unfair advantage.
Keep your wits about you, Erin. Don’t fall for him all over again. You might not survive if he rips out your heart a second time.
When she was sixteen, she thought the world was about to end when he left. At thirty-three she knew better, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t capable of causing emotional damage.
If he could leave his family, his friends and his girlfriend so easily the first time, what would stop him a second time?
She glanced around.
The ranch resort.
He was planting roots so deeply in this place, only a tornado could rip him free.
But, she reminded herself, tornadoes did exist. She didn’t want to be the victim of one.
“Erin.”
When she glanced up, their eyes locked. “ Hmm ?”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“I don’t have an answer. This was all so unexpected.”
“What was? Me coming home to stay, building the resort, or our attraction reigniting?”
“All of it,” she admitted.
His mouth turned slightly up at the corners at the same time he closed the small gap between them and said softly, “So, you do admit you’re still attracted to me.”
“Why are you doing this, Dylan?”
“Because I saw you with Ford and, honestly, it bothered me.”
“It shouldn’t.”
“You were supposed to be mine, Erin.”
Ditto. “You made a choice that changed that.”
“And now I’m making another choice.”
“To cause issues between me and Ford?”
“The way you two explained earlier, it sounded as if he has no claim to you.”
God , why did his deep, rumbling voice make her insides clench? And not in a bad way. In a way that made her very aware of him and how close he was. It wouldn’t take much to…
She forced herself to swallow. “I’m not looking to be claimed, Dylan. I’m my own woman. I don’t need a man to survive.”
“But you need a man for other things.”
“That’s why I have Ford.”
“You use him.” He didn’t even bother to form that as a question.
He was testing her. Testing her relationship with Ford. Seeing if it had cracks he could crawl through.
“Untrue.” They had an easy, comfortable relationship that worked for their purposes.
“He’s your go-to for sex.”
She wasn’t responding to that. “If you don’t want to finish giving me a tour, I can explore on my own.”
“I’m only trying to understand the dynamics between you.”
Her eyebrows stitched together. “Why?”
“Because I want to do this…”
With his next step closer, she found herself pinned against one of the bedposts. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he took his time sliding them down her arms. All while keeping their gaze connected.
A little puff of breath escaped her parted lips and a bolt of lightning ripped through her.
But it was when he grabbed both wrists and raised her arms, pinning them to the post, she could hear nothing but her heart pounding in her ears. If he thought her nipples were hard earlier, they were now aching. “Dylan, what are you doing?”
When he dipped his head, his mouth hovered over hers.
He was about to kiss her.
She should stop him and leave. She shouldn’t be kissing one man when she just fucked another.
“Tell me no, if you don’t want this.”
The problem was, she did want it.
She waffled back and forth between thinking kissing him would be wrong and letting herself allow it, simply to discover if that spark between them still existed or if she was only imagining it.
If it wasn’t there, she could easily resist him and walk away. If it was…
She could be in trouble.
She owed no loyalty to Ford, the same way he owed no loyalty to her. They kept things simple and uncomplicated. They were also free to date or be with others.
But still…
Damn it. She needed to stop judging herself so harshly. Plenty of other people would be willing to do that for her. She shouldn’t let the moral “rules” of others fill her head. She could make her own.
Her biggest concern was alienating Ford. He’d been good to her for years. Quietly supportive in the background. Only a phone call or text away if she needed anything. Including him.
“Erin…”
God , her name crossing his lips like that…
She closed her eyes when her name, in the same way he just said it, echoed through her mind.
She should be able to resist him.
She was finding that ability impossible.
One kiss. What would it hurt?
Opening her eyes, she saw his furrowed brow. A second later with a single nod, he released her wrists. “I’ll leave you alone.”
Before he had a chance to step back, she grabbed his face and pulled him to her, crashing their lips together. A puff of breath filled her mouth before he took control of the kiss, forcing her back into the bedpost again, intertwining their fingers and pulling her hands above her head once more.
His tongue drove into her mouth, completely claiming it. He stole her breath and made her knees wobble. She struggled to stay on her feet as her bones melted.
Holy smokes , he was a great kisser. So much better than she remembered.
Of course, back then, they were young and only finding their way. Typical teenagers figuring out their bodies and how they reacted to certain actions and situations. While fun and exciting, Dylan always kept his wits about him and stopped before they went too far, despite Erin begging him not to.
She wanted him to be her first because at the time, she thought he would also be her last. The universe had different ideas.
She quickly left the past behind when he wedged his knee between her thighs, spreading them. His thick thigh pressed against her throbbing pussy and the way he rocked it against her shoved her dress higher.
And higher.
Rudely reminding her she no longer wore any panties.
And the reason for that.
She needed to stop him before Ford’s DNA ended up smeared all over his jeans. But his kiss was turning her brain to mush, and she figured a few more seconds of it wouldn’t hurt.
Just a few more, then she’d stop him.
Only it didn’t take long for him to collar her wrists with a single hand and work the other up under her dress.
Shit. Shit. Shit. The man was on a mission, and she needed to stop it.
She twisted her head and groaned, “Stop.”
Too late.
“You’re so wet.”
Oh no. The floor needed to open up and swallow her whole.
But it was when he lifted two wet fingers to his mouth, her soul left her body. This time her “stop” was a loud screech instead of a groan.
He froze with his fingers barely an inch from his lips and his eyebrows slammed together. “What’s wrong?”
“That…” She shook her head. “That isn’t what you think. I mean, some might be but not all.”
Her cheeks were on fire and her heart raced like a Thoroughbred when he glanced at his hand.
“Dylan…”
He stared at her. She knew the exact second he figured it out. It was the same time he released her wrists, dropped his knee, took a giant step back and growled, “You fucked him on my property?”
“Isn’t that what this property is for?” she asked weakly.
His jaw shifted and he rubbed the pads of his two fingers together. “You let him come inside you?”
She blew out a breath and skirted around him. “I should go.”
“Agreed.”
The fire in her belly only moments ago was quickly doused. “I’m sorry, I should’ve stopped you.”
His eyebrows almost hit his hairline. “You think?”
Her annoyance was quickly growing. He was just as responsible for the kiss as she. “Sharing a kiss is not the same as you fingering me, Dylan. We learned that over fifteen years ago, remember?”
His head jerked back. “Why the hell would you want to kiss a man after just fucking another?“
“I wanted to see if…” She sighed and shook her head. “Never mind. I never should’ve come today.”
As she began to head toward the bedroom door that led back into the living room, he grabbed her arm and swung her around to face him. “Why did you?”
“Curiosity.”
“About the resort or me?”
Both, if she was being completely honest. “The resort. You only happen to be one of the owners.”
“Inconvenient fact for you, isn’t it?”
The second she eyed his hand on her arm, he released her. “You’ve done a great job of creating your dream, Dylan. Now… I’m tired and heading home.”
“I’d suggest taking a shower,” she heard behind her as she opened the bedroom door and stepped out of the room.
She pinned her lips together so she wouldn’t respond to that bullshit.
She escaped the farmhouse and managed to get back to her vehicle without any other delays, but on that walk, she realized that it hadn’t been only anger coloring his words.
There was also pain.