abraded her skin with a few hours’ growth of whiskers.
Cradled her lips. Caressed them. Rubbed them with his thumb.
When he pulled away, she dropped the pattern to the floor and clasped his wrists, worried that shock had leeched her strength and she would tumble to the ground, too.
“What…” She didn’t even know where to begin.
“That was a bad idea.” The gruffness of his voice made her confusion worse.
“Why…” Great, she couldn’t even put a sentence together.
“For a million reasons.”
She’d meant Why did you do that? not Why was that a bad idea? She had endless answers to the second question but none for the first. Her head tipped forward, propped against his chin. He pressed a quick kiss against her hairline before stepping back and saying shakily, “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Why did you?” she asked.
He looked lost. “I wanted to thank you.”
“Wow,” she breathed. “You have a high opinion of your kisses.”
His face flushed. “I’ve gotten compliments.”
She didn’t want to add to them, even though the words life-changing and take me now pumped through her on a rush of hormones. She’d dreamed of hot, sweaty sex with him. Kissing had never entered even her craziest dreams—and certainly not a sweet kiss like that one. If she’d had any idea…
Crap, did she need to report this apparent mistake to her parole officer? She had to let him know every time she had an encounter with a law enforcement officer. Kissing counted as an encounter, right?
Oh, God. “Let’s just buy what we need and get going.”
She couldn’t say much as he bought a big bag full of craft supplies. He didn’t seem to be in a chatty mood, either. When they walked out the door, she pulled her wool hat from her jacket pocket and pulled it down over her hair, needing some kind of protection, even if her armor was made of yarn.
“Where are you off to now?” he asked after a long, awkward silence.
Her shopping mood had disappeared, replaced by a pump of adrenaline that needed more. “Home, I guess. Unless…”
Don’t say it. Don’t offer. He’ll take it the wrong way.
Or, worse, he’ll take it the right way.
“Unless what?”
She swallowed hard. “Unless you want to go back to your place.”
The winter air thickened with taut silence. She clenched her gloved fists, shoving them deep into her jeans pockets and burying her face in her scarf.
“Lacey, look at me.”
She forced her feet to stop walking, forced her gaze to rise to his. Lines bracketed his mouth. The ones around his eyes, the ones made of laughter, weren’t laughing now.
“It would be a bad decision,” he warned.
She shrugged. “Those are the kind I make best.”
He looked like he needed to be convinced. Like he wanted to be convinced. Stepping into him, she lifted onto her toes and grabbed the front of his jacket. “How about this? I’m not begging for it. I’m not desperate, either. But it’s been a hell of a long time, and for some reason my body seems to recognize something it likes about yours.” The power. The strength. The danger. All the things she should feel ashamed for craving but was tired of fighting. “I want to rub myself all over you. Ride you and kneel for you. I don’t know why it’s you, and I wish like hell it wasn’t. But it is, so let me know now if you’re interested. I don’t do second chances. Not anymore. You either want me or you don’t.”
He blew out a shaky breath. “We can’t.”
Rejection. Her jaw quivered in shocked humiliation. She bit so hard on the tender insides of her cheeks a metallic tang flooded her tongue. She tried to wipe her face clean of emotion, hiding everything from him as she let him go, stepped back and nodded brusquely. “Whatever. Just an idea.”
He adjusted the shopping bag on his forearm and reached for her, but she shook him off and took a few steps backwards. “I still need to get Sawyer a present, so I’d better go. See you at
Cradled her lips. Caressed them. Rubbed them with his thumb.
When he pulled away, she dropped the pattern to the floor and clasped his wrists, worried that shock had leeched her strength and she would tumble to the ground, too.
“What…” She didn’t even know where to begin.
“That was a bad idea.” The gruffness of his voice made her confusion worse.
“Why…” Great, she couldn’t even put a sentence together.
“For a million reasons.”
She’d meant Why did you do that? not Why was that a bad idea? She had endless answers to the second question but none for the first. Her head tipped forward, propped against his chin. He pressed a quick kiss against her hairline before stepping back and saying shakily, “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Why did you?” she asked.
He looked lost. “I wanted to thank you.”
“Wow,” she breathed. “You have a high opinion of your kisses.”
His face flushed. “I’ve gotten compliments.”
She didn’t want to add to them, even though the words life-changing and take me now pumped through her on a rush of hormones. She’d dreamed of hot, sweaty sex with him. Kissing had never entered even her craziest dreams—and certainly not a sweet kiss like that one. If she’d had any idea…
Crap, did she need to report this apparent mistake to her parole officer? She had to let him know every time she had an encounter with a law enforcement officer. Kissing counted as an encounter, right?
Oh, God. “Let’s just buy what we need and get going.”
She couldn’t say much as he bought a big bag full of craft supplies. He didn’t seem to be in a chatty mood, either. When they walked out the door, she pulled her wool hat from her jacket pocket and pulled it down over her hair, needing some kind of protection, even if her armor was made of yarn.
“Where are you off to now?” he asked after a long, awkward silence.
Her shopping mood had disappeared, replaced by a pump of adrenaline that needed more. “Home, I guess. Unless…”
Don’t say it. Don’t offer. He’ll take it the wrong way.
Or, worse, he’ll take it the right way.
“Unless what?”
She swallowed hard. “Unless you want to go back to your place.”
The winter air thickened with taut silence. She clenched her gloved fists, shoving them deep into her jeans pockets and burying her face in her scarf.
“Lacey, look at me.”
She forced her feet to stop walking, forced her gaze to rise to his. Lines bracketed his mouth. The ones around his eyes, the ones made of laughter, weren’t laughing now.
“It would be a bad decision,” he warned.
She shrugged. “Those are the kind I make best.”
He looked like he needed to be convinced. Like he wanted to be convinced. Stepping into him, she lifted onto her toes and grabbed the front of his jacket. “How about this? I’m not begging for it. I’m not desperate, either. But it’s been a hell of a long time, and for some reason my body seems to recognize something it likes about yours.” The power. The strength. The danger. All the things she should feel ashamed for craving but was tired of fighting. “I want to rub myself all over you. Ride you and kneel for you. I don’t know why it’s you, and I wish like hell it wasn’t. But it is, so let me know now if you’re interested. I don’t do second chances. Not anymore. You either want me or you don’t.”
He blew out a shaky breath. “We can’t.”
Rejection. Her jaw quivered in shocked humiliation. She bit so hard on the tender insides of her cheeks a metallic tang flooded her tongue. She tried to wipe her face clean of emotion, hiding everything from him as she let him go, stepped back and nodded brusquely. “Whatever. Just an idea.”
He adjusted the shopping bag on his forearm and reached for her, but she shook him off and took a few steps backwards. “I still need to get Sawyer a present, so I’d better go. See you at
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