AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It wasn't as if she'd never had sex with him.
Though as she watched him stride towards the house, broad shoulders squared, long legs eating up the distance, a full moon casting shadows across his face and glinting in his dark hair, she knew the man he was today was a far cry from the boy he'd been ten years earlier.
If she'd loved young Nick unreservedly, what hope did she have of holding back her emotions this time around?
As he neared the door, she quickly sat on the nearest chair and picked up a magazine from a messy stack in the corner, pretending to flip through it without a care in the world.
When he entered, she peeked over the top of the magazine, confused by his wide grin.
'Everyone gone?' So much for casual. Her voice came out a high-pitched squeak and she cleared her throat, rustling the magazine, ready to duck behind it.
'Uh-huh.' He stalked towards her and she gulped, wanting to be in his arms so much it hurt, yet petrified once she was there she'd never want to leave. ‘Doing a bit of light reading?'
'Mmm.'
His muffled guffaw implied he hadn't bought her ruse for a second. 'That's interesting. I'd never have pegged you for a girl interested in cattle mating seasons.'
Heat swept her cheeks as she slapped the pages shut, flung the magazine back on the pile, and folded her arms.
'Because if you are, you can have those magazines. They were Pa's and I'm in the process of doing a major clean-out before the sale, so be my guest.'
Seeing the funny side of it, she chuckled. 'Thanks, but I'll pass. Leave the cows and bulls to it.'
The twinkle in his eyes intensified as he held out a hand to her and when she placed her hand in his he pulled her to her feet. 'You don't have to be nervous around me.'
'I'm not.' A quick rebuttal belied by her tumbling stomach, wobbly knees, and hands that shook slightly.
He sent a pointed glance at the magazine and raised an eyebrow. 'Really?'
She sighed and placed her palms on his chest to anchor her. 'Okay, I'm a tad nervous. Aren't you?'
‘No.' He slid his arms around her waist, creating a welcoming cocoon she could happily snuggle in forever. 'We're not strangers. This is you and me, Red.'
'But—'
'No buts. Unless it involves this one.' He gave her backside a playful pinch and she laughed, her nerves dissipating as he intended. 'Tonight is about you and me. No second guessing. No overanalysing. No regrets. Okay?'
It sounded logical when he put it like that, but she knew come morning she'd be analysing every second. She'd always been this way around him, off kilter and out of her depth, and now the moment she'd been anticipating had arrived, she couldn't quell the bundle of nerves knotting her resolve.
She wanted him. It should be simple. But nothing was simple about her relationship with this dynamic, enigmatic man, and the moment she started underestimating the power of his hold over her was the moment she'd lose control.
Not a bad thing, but she was scared—terrified in fact—by the depth of emotion for a bad-boy rebel who still cradled her heart in his powerful hands.
'You're thinking too much.'
She nodded, her mouth kicking up in a wry grin. He knew her so well, knew she'd be analysing every angle of this momentous step.
‘I know I acted like a jackass earlier. That I put a halt to us having sex and didn’t give you an explanation why.’ He screwed up his nose, an adorable quirk he’d had a decade earlier. ‘I guess I didn’t want to rush you into anything you may not be ready for. Because you’re right, I’m nervous too. I don’t want to complicate things between us but I want you so damn badly. I’m over-thinking and second-guessing and waiting and—‘
’Ssh.’ She pressed a fingertip to his lips. ‘It’s okay. I want you too.’
When she lowered her hand, the lips she’d just touched kicked into a bashful smile. ‘Yeah?’
‘Yeah.’
‘In that case, I'm done over-thinking,’ he said, a second before he covered her mouth with his, his commanding kiss obliterating every doubt.
Nick’s lips teased hers, brushing and crushing, alternating pressure, making her mindless with wanting him. As his tongue duelled with hers, the ever present passion between them ignited, and she was lost to the frantic flurry of eager hands, low moans, and hot, bare skin.
