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Blake’s jaw hung open at her words, still not registering the disconnect they were having. In the next second, her hands were on him again, her fingers pressing into his chest, just over his still racing heart. Only this time, she was pushing him out the door, slamming it shut in his face as soon as she could.
He stood in the empty corridor, his body tense, his cock painfully swollen, and his mind swirling with the taste and feel of her kiss. He’d kissed a lot of women in his life, but he’d never had a kiss like that.
Why the fuck did it have to be Skyla? Why the hell had she kissed him in the first place if she was just planning on kicking him out?
Nothing about that woman made sense, and it only made him want her more. Want to kiss her again. Dammit!
***
Skyla was having a heart attack. It was the only explanation for how she felt. She plopped onto her cot in the same place Blake had been sitting - the indent still visible in the blanket. She sat inside the form with room to spare, her fingers brushing against her abused lips. Everything had gone according to plan. He’d come. She’d said what she needed to say. And she’d kissed him to ensure the awkwardness that would keep him from ever wanting to see her or coming back again. It had all been perfectly planned and executed. Except, tonight had gone horribly wrong.
Their kiss was supposed to be awful. It was supposed to make him want to get as far away from her as possible. It was supposed to be the impetus of her telling him to leave and never return to Madigan’s. It was her big plan to get him to stop coming around Madigan’s and save him from AJ’s threat.
She could still taste him on her mouth. Musky. Woodsy. Minty. Insanely hot. Blake.
The plan had been perfect in her mind. And maybe even on paper. She covered her face with her hands. Who was she kidding? This had to be her dumbest idea. Probably the worst one she’d ever had. But what the hell was she going to do now?
Lie? Tell him it was the worst kiss of her life, if he ever brought it up? She didn’t want to lie to him, especially when her body was still buzzing from his touch. But it was better than AJ killing him. Right?
When Vivian asked if they were together, and Hallie suggested he might be coming around Madigan’s because he was lonely, Skyla decided an awkward and horrible kiss was the perfect way to get him to run. It never occurred to her that their kiss would be a heart-stopping, mind-blowing, earth-shattering, epically incredible, time-bending, out of this universe kiss.
No one plans for a kiss like that!
She sure as hell never had. Not with - anyone. The best kiss she’d had before Blake was only mildly good, not even toe-curling. Her kissing expectations were always low, and a bad kiss would’ve fixed everything.
Blake would’ve run - it didn’t matter where, as long as it was far away from her and Madigan’s. And she wouldn’t have to worry about AJ hurting him.
But this kiss made everything worse. His mouth, his hands, the way he pulled her in, held her close. Possessive. Desperate. His tongue teasing her, sending tingles all the way to her core. She licked her lips, tasting the last remnants of the best kiss of her life.
In less than a minute, Blake O’Connell had wrecked her. Completely ruined her for all other men.
And he was still in danger. Because a man like that didn’t run from a kiss like this.
Chapter 13
Blake stood outside Madigan’s, his breathing ragged, his mouth craving that strawberry taste, his dick as hard as a fucking two by four. Good thing his blazer offered a modicum of cover in that region, or the small group of twenty somethings walking into Madigan’s would’ve gotten quite a show at his expense. His gaze lingered on the door, every irrational thought demanding he barge back inside and claim what every inch of his body was still drowning in. Calling that a kiss was like calling a pebble a meteor shower. And that was the kind of fucking meteor shower that took out entire planets. There was no way he could walk away from -
His hands tightened into fists at his sides. Heat crept up his neck as he locked his knees, forcing his legs to remain in place.
- Skyla Madigan.
He had to breathe. Just breathe.
She wasn’t just anybody, not some woman he could pursue, not that he really knew what that would entail, since he hadn’t ever really pursued a woman. No, Skyla was a possible person of interest. She was probably days away from being arrested. He couldn’t - wouldn’t - go back inside. He wouldn’t throw her up against the door of her office and dive in to taste her sweet mouth again. He wouldn’t lose himself in her heat, her touch -
His cell phone buzzed in his pocket, jarring him from his thoughts. An inconvenient, yet welcome reprieve. His gaze followed a man going into Madigan’s as he dug the phone out of his pocket, and unexpectedly collided into the familiar whiskey-colored eyes he’d been less than a breath away from just a few minutes ago.
Skyla stood in front of the bar, and he swore he caught a hint of something that looked a lot like regret or remorse. Did she regret the kiss? Or did she regret kicking him out after it, because she’d enjoyed it as much as he had? His phone buzzed again and he dropped his gaze. But when he slammed his eyes back up to where she’d just been, Skyla was gone, and he cursed under his breath before finally reading the text message.
Garrett: Have a few minutes to spare?
Blake leaned his shoulder against the brick wall just outside of Madigan’s and typed out a quick reply. He might not want to go back inside, but this was still his case, and he couldn’t just leave because Skyla had made everything awkward as shit between them.
Blake: What’s up?
Garrett: Can you come by Ranger HQ?
Blake sighed. Apparently, fate had intervened. For now. Whether it was for the best or not, remained to be seen.
