He closed his eyes and inhaled. She was intoxicating. He’d been blinded by his career and the perceptions he’d had of what his life was supposed to look like. But Ryker was helping him see that there was more to life than work. Sure, there was no telling what his job would look like after he was healed, but until he knew, why couldn’t he explore the chemistry he had with the woman in front of him?
“I was wrong,” he whispered.
“What?” she said it so quietly he nearly didn’t hear her. The softest exhale of her warm breath fanned against his cheek and her eyes flared with a wary sort of shock.
“I was wrong about how I felt about you.”
Hallie placed both of her palms against his chest and pushed him but without much force. “Jacob…”
“Hear me out,” he interrupted. “I shouldn’t have dismissed you so quickly. There was a lot going on and I will be the first to admit that I’m not really good at this… communication stuff. Heck, you saw how I was with my brother. So maybe you could give me another chance. Maybe we could test the waters and see if there’s something worth having here.”
The most adorable furrow pulled at her brows and she frowned at him. He didn’t think he was misreading her. There was definitely some longing in her eyes. But then she shook her head and attempted to push him away from her once again, this time with a little more force. “Jacob, you’re just feeling attached tome because I’m taking care of you. We’re spending more time together and you’re bound to start feeling attached. It’s totally understandable.”
He fought the urge to curl his hands into fists. “You’re wrong. That’s not what this is.” Shoot, was his voice a little harsher than it had to be? Based on the way she was gaping at him, he wasn’t sure. Softening his tone, he ducked his head a little closer so she was forced to meet his eyes. “I’m going to prove it to you.”
Her focus darted from one of his eyes to the other and back. For a brief moment he thought she’d give into him and accept what he was saying. But then she sighed. “Jacob?—”
Nope. Jacob refused to let her slip through his fingers. He refused to allow her to scurry away now that he had finally caught up with her. Desperate, he grasped her chin and crashed his mouth over hers, kissing her deeply and with every ounce of longing he had. He’d never kissed a girl this way before. Not when he’d been younger and not the handful of women he’d gone on dates with since he’d started competing in the rodeo.
She whimpered against his lips, softening against him before her hands came up and wrapped around the back of his neck. Hallie clung to him like he was her very own lifeforce.
If he’d thought that they had a connection before, he’d been wrong. This chemistry was off the charts. It was electric and if he wasn’t careful, he could get burned.
Boy, wouldn’t that be a way to go?
Jacob moved his hand around the back of her head, locking her in place as their kiss deepened. He wasn’t sure how long their moment lasted. Nor was he sure who pulled away first. It didn’tmatter because when he finally released her, they were both breathing hard.
Hallie looked utterly dazed and if he wasn’t careful, he might lose the ability to stay upright. His thumb traced the pulse point on the side of her neck, and he was fascinated by the mad fluttering he felt beneath her skin.
“Oh,” Hallie breathed, blinking rapidly.
He grinned at her. “Oh.”
Her plump lips curled into a shy smile.
“I told you I’d prove it to you.”
“I suppose that kiss was one heck of a way to start,” she whispered.
If that wasn’t a compliment, he didn’t know what was. He traced his thumb along the slim column of her neck, reveling in the way that simple touch could make her shiver. “I fully intend on coming up with all kinds of ways to prove it to you. How about I take you on a date?”
She tilted her chin slightly, searching his eyes for a moment. “As wonderful as that sounds, I don’t think you’re in much of a condition to take me out.” It wasn’t meant to be hurtful. And while it was the truth, he couldn’t deny that her words stung.
Jacob wasn’t going to let it drag him down or hold him back. He turned and glanced around his place. “Fine. Then I’ll take youin.”
Hallie’s giggle was musical. Magical. It was everything he hadn’t realized he’d missed. This laugh was one he hadn’t heard since before she’d confessed how she felt about him. Boy, he neededto hear it again. She chewed on her lip, but it did nothing to hide the excited smile that spread across her face. “Okay, I’m game. What are we going to do on this so-called date?”
“There’s nothing ‘so-called’ about it,” he husked. “I’m going to woo the heck out of you.”
She laughed again and a fresh wave of electric energy zapped through his body, warming him and making him feel more alive than he’d been when he was in the middle of a competition. Only this rush was lasting far longer than eight seconds. “That isn’t an answer to my question.”
“It’s a secret. A surprise. I’m not going to tell you a single thing. You’re just going to have to trust me.”
Hallie framed his face with both of her hands, her touch gentle. “I do trust you, Jacob. I’ve always trusted you.” She dipped her focus to his mouth and for a moment he thought she might initiate the next kiss, but she didn’t. “And if you wake up tomorrow and realize that this is just the exhaustion talking, I won’t be offended.”
He stiffened, not liking the way this conversation had shifted so quickly. “Well nowI’moffended.”
She dipped out from behind him and tossed him a smile over her shoulder.
