of me. “Like what?”
“Like you want me to kiss you…because
that’s not a good idea.”
Oh, God. Not only did he read my mind,
but he rejected me in the same sentence. I could feel my cheeks
heating with embarrassment, and I turned my head away so he
couldn’t see the tears threatening to fall.
“That’s not what I was thinking,” I
lied. “But it’s good to know where you stand.” Obviously I had
misunderstood his meaning earlier when he said his feelings for me
weren’t fatherly and the look in his eyes just now.
“Can you just take me home, please?” I
mumbled, sniffling just a little.
With my hand on his truck for balance
in my heels, I made it around the side of the truck before Ford
took my hand and turned me back to face him.
“Are you crying?”
Sniffling again, I blinked back a
couple of tears. “No.”
Still holding my hand, he placed his
other on my chin, raising my face up to his. “Why are you crying,
Poppy?”
Turning my head away from his piercing
eyes, I snapped, “Don’t be nice to me, Ford. Just take me home, and
I won’t bother you anymore.”
“Hey. You’re not bothering me…I mean
you are, but not in the way you think.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and
scowled at him. “Shut up, Ford! I get it, okay. You don’t want to
have to take care of me, and you certainly don’t want to kiss me.
So, I’ll be sure to …”
His hands landed on my shoulders, and
he bent down so we were eye to eye again, just like earlier in the
back room.
“Wait. You think I don’t want to kiss
you? That’s why you’re upset?”
He released me and turned around,
shoving his hands through his hair again and looking up to the sky.
I didn’t say anything; I couldn’t. My well of words had dried up
for the evening.
Ford fisted his hands in his hair and
then suddenly spun back around, stepping right up in front of me so
our bodies were mere centimeters away from touching. I was already
against the side of the truck, so there was nowhere to go. One of
his hands wrapped around my waist to the small of my back, while
the other resumed its position on my chin, forcing me to look up at
him.
His blue eyes were blazing, all trace
of confusion and indecision gone, and when he spoke his voice was
low and rough.
“Make no mistake. I want to kiss you.
I’ve wanted to kiss you from the moment you walked into the bar in
that ridiculous schoolgirl costume. Even when I was pissed at you
for helping my mom, I wanted to kiss you. And tonight, when you
defended my honor to a guy three times your size, I wanted to kiss
you. There is not a second that goes by when I’m around you that I
don’t want to grab you and kiss the hell out of you,
Poppy.”
I pressed my hands to his chest for
balance, because his words were making my knees weak. Although I
was often too nice and avoided confrontation at all costs, in the
important moments I was able to speak up. This was one of those
rare moments.
“So, do it,” I whispered, holding his
gaze and silently praying he wouldn’t refuse me.
Ford dropped his forehead to mine and
swore softly. Before I could second guess my boldness, his lips
were on mine, soft but firm. Even better than I had imagined, and
my lips parted on a sigh. Ford swept his tongue inside, boldly
possessing my mouth. My hands slid up his chest and around the back
of his neck, where I held on for dear life.
I’d never been kissed like this, and I
never wanted him to stop. His hands were restless on my body, one
on my back pulling me tight against him, the other on my face
gently caressing my cheek with his thumb and angling my head to
deepen the kiss. One of his legs fit snugly between mine, and his
thigh pressed against me, causing me to moan and press closer. He
was hard against my belly, and his obvious arousal only caused my
own to burn brighter.
Breaking away, Ford dropped his head
to kiss my neck and suck on my earlobe, sending shocks of pleasure
through my body. My breathing
“Like you want me to kiss you…because
that’s not a good idea.”
Oh, God. Not only did he read my mind,
but he rejected me in the same sentence. I could feel my cheeks
heating with embarrassment, and I turned my head away so he
couldn’t see the tears threatening to fall.
“That’s not what I was thinking,” I
lied. “But it’s good to know where you stand.” Obviously I had
misunderstood his meaning earlier when he said his feelings for me
weren’t fatherly and the look in his eyes just now.
“Can you just take me home, please?” I
mumbled, sniffling just a little.
With my hand on his truck for balance
in my heels, I made it around the side of the truck before Ford
took my hand and turned me back to face him.
“Are you crying?”
Sniffling again, I blinked back a
couple of tears. “No.”
Still holding my hand, he placed his
other on my chin, raising my face up to his. “Why are you crying,
Poppy?”
Turning my head away from his piercing
eyes, I snapped, “Don’t be nice to me, Ford. Just take me home, and
I won’t bother you anymore.”
“Hey. You’re not bothering me…I mean
you are, but not in the way you think.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and
scowled at him. “Shut up, Ford! I get it, okay. You don’t want to
have to take care of me, and you certainly don’t want to kiss me.
So, I’ll be sure to …”
His hands landed on my shoulders, and
he bent down so we were eye to eye again, just like earlier in the
back room.
“Wait. You think I don’t want to kiss
you? That’s why you’re upset?”
He released me and turned around,
shoving his hands through his hair again and looking up to the sky.
I didn’t say anything; I couldn’t. My well of words had dried up
for the evening.
Ford fisted his hands in his hair and
then suddenly spun back around, stepping right up in front of me so
our bodies were mere centimeters away from touching. I was already
against the side of the truck, so there was nowhere to go. One of
his hands wrapped around my waist to the small of my back, while
the other resumed its position on my chin, forcing me to look up at
him.
His blue eyes were blazing, all trace
of confusion and indecision gone, and when he spoke his voice was
low and rough.
“Make no mistake. I want to kiss you.
I’ve wanted to kiss you from the moment you walked into the bar in
that ridiculous schoolgirl costume. Even when I was pissed at you
for helping my mom, I wanted to kiss you. And tonight, when you
defended my honor to a guy three times your size, I wanted to kiss
you. There is not a second that goes by when I’m around you that I
don’t want to grab you and kiss the hell out of you,
Poppy.”
I pressed my hands to his chest for
balance, because his words were making my knees weak. Although I
was often too nice and avoided confrontation at all costs, in the
important moments I was able to speak up. This was one of those
rare moments.
“So, do it,” I whispered, holding his
gaze and silently praying he wouldn’t refuse me.
Ford dropped his forehead to mine and
swore softly. Before I could second guess my boldness, his lips
were on mine, soft but firm. Even better than I had imagined, and
my lips parted on a sigh. Ford swept his tongue inside, boldly
possessing my mouth. My hands slid up his chest and around the back
of his neck, where I held on for dear life.
I’d never been kissed like this, and I
never wanted him to stop. His hands were restless on my body, one
on my back pulling me tight against him, the other on my face
gently caressing my cheek with his thumb and angling my head to
deepen the kiss. One of his legs fit snugly between mine, and his
thigh pressed against me, causing me to moan and press closer. He
was hard against my belly, and his obvious arousal only caused my
own to burn brighter.
Breaking away, Ford dropped his head
to kiss my neck and suck on my earlobe, sending shocks of pleasure
through my body. My breathing
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