Page 9 of Afterglow

“Maybe we should test that theory,” she says, her voice pure smoke. So unlike what I’ve come to expect.

“What did you have in mind, blondie?” I ask, my mouth going dry. Her eyes narrow to slits, but there’s a hint of a smile at the corners of her lips, mischievous and so damn sexy. “I’m not really into the idea of digging my own grave, and you’ve got a murderess’s smile going there, so do you want to fill me in on what kind of secret we’re keeping?”

Before I can say anything else, she lunges forward, and I catch her on instinct before her lips crash over mine.

Holy hell.

CHAPTER SIX

Bryce

Iknew we had chemistry under all our animosity, but I did not see this coming. Her mouth is hot and hard against mine and I give in to the feral need radiating off her. I don’t know what the hell that phone call was about. I don’t know what demons she’s battling. But if I’m honest, I don’t fucking care. If this is how she wants to work them out, I’ll happily oblige.

This woman drives me mad—has for six months—but I won’t deny I want my hands on her in a way I haven’t experienced in a long time. It’s not rational… It’s primal.

I tangle my hands in her hair, and after the way she whipped me in the face with it this morning, I gather it into my fist and give a firm tug. She gasps but presses tighter, her lithe body molding against mine. I slide my other hand down to cup her ass and pull her closer. There’s no hiding what she’s doing to me, and my jeans become uncomfortably tight where my cock strains against the denim.

She bites my lip and I suck in a breath, pulling back slightly to study the fire in her eyes. It’s not that the agitation has dissipated, but rather it seems to have further ignited our shared desire.

“I still don’t like you,” she says, as if to agree with my unspoken thoughts.

Who knew those words, stated with breathy arousal, would provoke me the way they do.

I’ve never had hate-sex, but there’s a first time for everything.

Not that I hate this woman—I probably should for what she’s making me feel—but something about the uninhibited need in her eyes makes me want to lay her down right now and take her. But gravel isn’t the backdrop for a very enjoyable fuck.

She glances up the hill toward where her family and friends laugh in the distance, and her face falls. There will be no sneaking past them to get to her room, or my house for that matter.

Over her head, I see the white canvas of the glamping tents fading to a dull grey in the twilight.

“You don’t have to like me, blondie,” I rasp against her ear, eliciting a shiver. Gripping her hair, I angle her face and kiss her breathless, nipping at her bottom lip like she did mine. Her mouth opens and I slide my tongue inside, caressing it against hers in a tangle of wet heat. I move both hands to her ass and lift her, pulling a squeal from the back of her throat. She wraps her legs around my waist, locking her cowboy boots behind my back, and squeezes like a boa constrictor. She must get a savage pleasure out of the grunt I release because I feel her smile against my mouth.

I wish I could see it.

“This is a terrible idea,” she says, lips moving against mine, but her words hold no conviction. She glances over her shoulder toward the nearest tent, and when her hazel eyes find my brown ones again, they’re dark and needy. She bites down and sucks on my neck, grinding the seam of her jeans against mine and making me thicken even more.

I’m suddenly glad for the music emanating from around the firepit; it’ll drown out any sound coming from these tents in a few minutes.

None of them are supposed to be occupied tonight, so I can set this one to rights tomorrow before guests arrive for the wedding with no one the wiser. Because as I take the two steps toward the nearest one, passing the Adirondack chairs on the small porch, I know I’m going to ravage its bed with this beautiful blonde who’s holding on to me for dear life.

She nips at my earlobe, then chuckles darkly. Her chuckle dies the second I drop her unceremoniously onto the plush king-sized mattress. “Hey!” she exclaims.

I turn away from her and make quick work of the tent flaps, saying over my shoulder, “Strip. Now.”

Her intake of breath and the rustling behind me indicate she’s doing exactly as instructed. When I turn, however, she hasn’t made much progress. Her belt buckle hangs loose at her hip and the zipper is down on her jeans, but her hands stop moving when she watches me loom closer to where she’s sprawled. Her glance moves to my buckle, and she wets her lips with a quick dart of her tongue.

I want to feel that tongue on me.

I shuck off my boots, then reach down to grab her by the heels of hers and draw her toward me. I pull one off, then the other, letting them fall to the wood floor with a thunk.

“Leanne…” Her name is a soft growl on my lips, but it’s also a question. To stop now might kill me, but I don’t want her regretting this in the morning.

“Don’t look at me like that!” she snaps.

Ah, there she is.

“How am I looking at you?” I kneel at the end of the bed, between her thighs, and slide my hands up her calves.