He rolled me over, his full weight crushing me into the dirt. Without missing a beat, he yanked the shovel from my hand, tossing it aside and doing the unthinkable.
Plastering his lips on mine.
My entire body began to melt, all the tension floating away. He was rock hard and solid, exactly as I remembered and I was unable to help myself, shifting back and forth not only for my enjoyment but for the bad girl inside of me who didn’t mind teasing him.
Until it dawned on me that he’d scared the hell out of me by breaking into my barn. Granted, it wasn’t locked, but that was totally beside the point.
I did what I could to push him off, kicking and gyrating until I managed to get my hands between us. Somehow, I found the superhuman strength to drive him off, scrambling to crawl out from under him. How was I certain my attacker and fabulous kisser was Viper, the mystery man?
Because of his incredible scent, the same musky testosterone that had lingered on my skin and in my bed until I’d showered and done a load of laundry.
Even then, I’d managed to gather a few whiffs of him from time to time throughout the day.
Oh, what was I thinking?
I finally jumped up and he did at the same time. My reaction was quick and without thinking or any regard to consequences.
My palm found its way to his rugged cheek, slapping the hell out of him.
Just as the overhead floodlight that was supposed to be a motion detector popped on.
“Ow!” he snarled. “Why in the hell did you do that?”
With a heavy glare at the light, I took a deep breath, blowing hair from my face and turning my heated, angry gaze on him. “Why? Because my dog was going nuts, which made me think there might be a bear. Oh, no. Instead of finding a rounded furry creature with long sharp teeth, I discovered someone camping out in my barn. Of course I looked to see if by chance one of my friends had dropped by, which I’d know if there was a vehicle in sight.”
“I can explain.”
“However, if a friend had stopped by and noticed I wasn’t here, they would have left, maybe calling or texting me later. Or they would have waited on the porch for me to return home. Not hidden themselves away in the barn. What were you thinking?”
My heart was still in my throat and while I was furious, it wasn’t with him. Yet with the hard clenching of his chiseled and unshaved jaw, he didn’t seem in the least bit concerned he’d scared the hell out of me. When he didn’t say anything, I couldn’t take his brutal stare any longer, taking even deeper breaths and noticing the dogs were romping together, running around like crazy animals doing the mating dance.
Meanwhile, I’d reverted to where the entire thing between us had started. I was sweating like a pig from the flashflood effects of momentary terror and the humidity.
“Well?” I threw out, more exasperated than before.
“You want to know the truth?” he asked, far too quiet for the rush of emotions I was experiencing.
“No. Lie to me. Of course I want to know the truth. It’s not that I’m not happy to see you, but not like this. I just… Well, it’s not cool.”
His huff was laced with an emotion that was unrecognizable. “Because I don’t have anywhere else to go. I parked the truck around the side so as not to disturb you and when I heard the horses, I thought I’d make sure they were okay and… And crash with Sailor for the night.”
“What do you mean you don’t have any other place to go? I thought you were staying at a motel?”
“I was. The guy kicked me out. He said it was because of Sailor. The fucking chief of police tossed me from the parking lot of some damn park, even though I wasn’t doing anything.”
The chief of police. Darlene’s father. “Why would he do that?”
“Evidently, he didn’t like my kind.”
“What?”
He snorted. “You heard me.”
“What motel?”
“The Super 8.”
Goddamn it. Now I was pissed.
