Page 11 of Working for Her Heart

“Pretty presumptuous of you. I’ll never belong to any man.”

“I bet you I’ll have you begging me to own you before you know it.”

A scoff. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Challenge accepted woman. Oh, and another heads-up, sometime soon I’m going to have you bent over the hood of this car.”

My panties flood at the gush of wetness from his words. Never has a thought even close to that crossed my mind before, but now I have no doubt that the image of him doing so will be permanently tattooed there.

Chapter Nine

Lane

Pulling into my driveway, I thank the heavens above for the sleek machine of Jessa’s I’m driving and not having met any cops out on patrol. I made it home from Black River Overlook in record time.

We both scramble from the vehicle, meeting in front of it. I grab Jessa’s hand, towing her behind me to the front door, pausing only long enough to unlock it before hustling through it with her.

The door shuts with a bang. I raise a brow at Jessa. “You sure you’re ready for this?”

Her lips press together, and she shakes her head. “Just promise me you’re not going to turn into a dick after.”

“I’ll fucking guarantee it.” My eyes narrow. The urge to hunt down every motherfucker who dared to make her feel like she has to request this almost overrides the raging hunger I have for her.

“It might make me stupid to trust another man, but you make me think that just maybe this time being stupid won’t end in disaster.”

God, she’s killing me with her honesty. With the way she’s being vulnerable, like I know in my heart she’s never been with anyone else before. I’ll do anything to protect her from ever being hurt again.

Pulling her into my embrace, I cup her cheeks with my perpetually grease-stained hands. The contrast between them and her pale skin is stark. My eyes lock with hers. “It’s not you who’s been stupid Jess. If anyone was, it was them for not being smart enough to keep an incredible woman like you. It’s their loss for not worshiping you the way you deserve, like I’m about to do.”

She gives me a sultry smile, which has my dick twitching. “What are you waiting for?”

I forget about everything but the gorgeous woman standing before me. Capturing her mouth with mine, I get lost in her. The silky skin beneath my hands. The faint smell of something floral still clinging to her long honey blonde hair, even through the grease and oil which cover us both.

The thought reminds me I most certainly do not have a clean floral scent lingering on me after the day we’ve had. Getting in the shower is the first priority then I can spend the rest of the night exploring every last inch of this plush body.

My chest swells seeing Jessa’s glassy eyes blinking slowly back at me when I pull my lips from hers. I’m glad I’m not the only one in over their heads here. Snagging her hand, I lead her to my bedroom down the hall.

Going straight through it without pausing, I don’t stop until I get to the shower. After flipping the water on to heat, I spin, not wanting to miss the show of Jessa undressing. Only when I see her bent over, unlacing her boots, do I realize that we never took them off at the door. Shows how much she has me tangled up in her, that I tracked through the house in the filthy things.

I remedy getting rid of the dirt-caked leather in a flash. Straightening, I toe them off, but stop when I catch sight of what Jessa’s been hiding beneath her jeans and tank tops. A growl escapes my throat at the matching red lacy bra and panties she’s got on.

Her eyes shoot to mine with a hint of a smirk while she pulls her feet from her pants she’s shoved down. “Did you just growl?”

My lips twitch. “I’m not sure what that was, but it was only because I certainly wasn’t expecting this.” I reach out and run my finger along the satiny edge of her bra, right over the mounds heaving ever so slightly with each breath she takes. “It’s probably a good thing I had no idea what you were hiding under those coveralls, because I would’ve been a walking hard-on for sure had I known.”

“I’m glad you like them. They’re my impractical, girly indulgence. I wear them for me. They make me feel beautiful and remind me that even if I’m treated as just one of the guys, I’m still a woman. Or when I’m the woman who gets ogled and talked dirty about behind her back, I know I have a secret they’ll never get to know about.”

My heart stutters at what she’s saying. Now I know her secret. She’s sharing it with me. Trusting me with something she doesn’t anyone else. I already knew I needed to tread carefully with her, this just proves how much.

It’s a good damn thing I plan to never hurt her. To prove there is such a thing as good guys. One even who will love and respect her just the way she is and deserves.

It hits me then. My stomach swoops at the realization that as much as I need to be careful with her, she’s the one with the real power in this budding relationship. She’s the one who’s gun-shy with trust issues, even if they’re rightfully earned. Which means she has the power to destroy me if she spooks and runs. Because I’m already in so deep I can’t see the surface.

It means I’ll be working extra hard to make sure she never has a reason to run. Resting my forehead against hers, I lay as much of the truth as I think she can take at her feet. “You bring me to my knees like no one else has ever come close to doing. I promise all your secrets will always be safe with me.”

Her chest rises, pressing into me on a sharp inhale. “No one has ever said anything like that to me before. You make me believe this just might be real.”

I place a kiss at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. “It’s the realist thing I’ve ever felt.” With that declaration, I finish undressing so I can commence with my goal of exploring every inch of her delectable body.