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He groans against my mouth.
“Princess,” he whispers, dipping his tongue out to taste the sensitive spot on my neck just below my earlobe, then tugging my ear with his teeth.
“Sunshine,” I whisper back incoherently, drunk on him.
He rasps out a quiet laugh. “Sunshine might be the worst nickname I’ve ever had. But as long as it only comes out of your mouth, I’ll allow it.”
I smile, kissing him again.
The firelight starts to dim around us, and he pulls back, breathing heavily as he looks at me. “I need to keep the fire going.”
“Feels plenty warm to me.”
Lincoln smirks as he slowly slides me off his lap. “Hank or Otto will probably come looking for us soon,” he says, grabbing two more logs, and places them on the bright embers.
The fire blazes to life again and Lincoln stares at me for a long, loaded moment. Finally, he crosses the distance and sits down behind me. Silently, he takes both blankets and wraps them around us. His arms settle against my shoulders. I lean into him, trusting his solid strength to hold me up.
A loud banging startles me awake. I open my eyes and realize I’m still in the hunting lodge. Lincoln’s body is behind mine on the floor in front of the fireplace. The fire has dimmed to ashes, and faint evening light comes through a small window in the cabin. We must’ve fallen asleep for hours.
Lincoln groans and eases his heavy arm from where it was resting on my waist. I feel suddenly cold without his heat.
More banging comes from the door and Lincoln flings it open. Hank stands there, the wind blowing his hair around. “Thank God you guys are okay. I saw the horses were still gone and figured you got stuck out here when the cold front moved through.”
Lincoln nods. “Did you bring the pickup?”
Hank nods. “Yep, went the long way with the horse trailer to avoid the creek.”
Lincoln heaves a sigh of relief.
“Hattie, head to the pickup; it’s nice and warm in there. Linc and I will get the girls.”
I nod, thankful he’s here and we don’t have to stay the night…but the relief is mixed with the weight of disappointment in my gut. A part of me wishes I had more time alone with Lincoln.
Ten minutes later, we’re in the toasty warmth of the pickup making our way back home.
“I guess I need to keep that hunting lodge better stocked for emergencies,” Hank says as we bump along through the pasture, taking it slow so Dolly and Kitty don’t get too rattled. “You two could’ve been out there all night.” Hank shakes his head.
I glance in the backseat, meeting Lincoln’s gaze. Heat flickers in his eyes, like he’s conveying that staying all night alone with me wouldn’t be so terrible.
My head spins with memories of his mouth on my neck, his hands on my skin, how his tongue tasted against mine…and the feel of his solid weight behind me as I slept.
“Dad’s getting dinner ready as we speak, vegetable soup,” Hank continues chatting as if Lincoln and I aren’t in our own little world. The man is oblivious, but that’s probably for the best. I don’t know what’s happening between me and my father’s right-hand man…but I’d like to figure it out, to see where it could go.
However, I’m heading back to California soon, and Lincoln isn’t.
CHAPTER 19
Lincoln
When we make it back to Hank’s, the sky is dark, and it’s nearly nine. Hank sends Hattie inside to update Otto, so he knows we’re all safe while we unload the mares.
Without her pretty smile in sight, and her sweet perfume permeating my nose, it’s easier to think clearly. It hits me that my siblings are probably sick with worry over where I’ve been…all while I was busy getting acquainted with the woman who’s leaving soon.
Kissing Hattie was…incredible. Our chemistry is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. Sure, I’ve kissed other women, but that felt different, like the whole damn sun compared to the spark of a star. Hattie matched my intensity with her own, with every sweep of her tongue, every bite to my lip and neck…
I’m so fucked.
We could have a fling; we could use each other and enjoy one another’s bodies while she’s here. I have no doubt sex between me and Hattie would be incredible. But I know myself, and I know casual sex wouldn’t be enough.
