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“Yeah? I had a feeling you wouldn’t.”
“There’s like—” She breathes in deep, grinning brightly. “Power in it.”
“Now you get why men love these things so much.”
“Boys and their toys.”
“More like boys and their murder tools.” I step away from the firing range we have set up in a remote corner of the ranch. We walk back toward the truck I have parked nearby. She hops onto the tailgate, leaning back on her hands.
“You ever take a girl shooting before?” she asks in a light, teasing voice.
“Only my sister.”
“That doesn’t count.” She nudges forward and pulls at me with her heel. “Come here.”
I step into the ring of her thighs, my hips against hers. Her back straightens as she reaches up to wrap her arms around my neck.
“You’re in a better mood now.”
“Something about firearms apparently gets me excited.”
“Oh really? I’d make a joke about a big tool—”
“But that would be crass and unnecessary.” She tips her chin up, and I dip my mouth to meet hers.
The kiss is gentle at first, almost apologetic. I didn’t like fighting with her last night even though I understood it wasn’t exactly about me. She feels powerless and angry in the face of her relentless and painful family. Learning how to shoot is one way for her to take back her agency.
That’s why she wanted to run in the first place. Why she was willing to sacrifice so much to escape. She felt like she needed more control over her own life, and leaving seemed like the best solution.
Now she’s making the most of her situation.
The kiss lengthens and deepens. I move my hands along her hips, up along the curve of her breasts and to her face, then back down again. She shivers under my fingers as the sun climbs toward early afternoon. It’s warm and there’s a light breeze fluttering her hair as I undo the top two buttons of her shirt.
“What are you doing?” she asks, leaning back on her hands again.
I continue to unbutton her shirt. “I was going to keep doing this until I got what I wanted.”
“Which is?”
“You.” I open her shirt fully. She’s wearing a dark bra. I lean down to kiss the tops of her breasts.
“Someone might see. Don’t people come out here?”
“No, they don’t. The ranch hands are busy with work and my brothers aren’t on property right now. We’re very alone.”
“Are you sure?”
“All alone for miles.”
“You make that sound ominous.”
“Really? Hadn’t noticed.” I bite lightly, moving to her neck. She lets out a pleased sound.
“Should I be worried? Since I’m under your spell now.”
“Probably.” I find her mouth, kissing her deeply, reaching back to unhook her bra. She whimpers as I palm her tits, squeezing, teasing her nipples. I tug her forward and she shimmies out of her shirt and lets her bra fall off before hugging herself tight to me.
God, she’s so fucking warm and soft. She’s everything I swore I’d never let myself have, but now that she’s mine, I can’t live without it. What would I do if she got hurt? If someone took her from me? If I fucked up again like I did with Dario? It’d break me in a way I can’t begin to imagine.
