Chapter nine
Nicotine
Quinn
It only took usabout fifteen minutes to get back to the ranch, but it might as well have been a lifetime. It didn’t help that Hux wouldn’t stop teasing me. Between his whisper-soft kisses, the gentle scrape of his rough hands on my thighs, the gravelly, hushed murmurs in my ear—my body zinged with desire and anticipation.
The main house was silent as I led Hux quietly through the back door. My heart thundered in my chest so loudly I'm surprised Hux didn’t hear it. Surprised the entire house didn’t hear it, to be honest. But we made it to the room I was staying in without incident.
“Here we are,” I said, turning on the light and leading him into the middle of the room. I dropped his hand, a flood of nerves slamming into me so hard it made me falter. What if…what if I didn’t have enough experience? What if I sucked? What if I left him disappointed? He was older than me, after all, and most likely more experienced.
My doubts withered away like ash on the wind as he reached for me. And then his lips were on mine, an intensity in his touch and kiss that left me breathless. My hands trailed over the planes of his muscled chest before sliding up around his neck. I pulled off his cowboy hat, spearing the fingers of my free hand into his dark shoulder-length hair.
He pulled away enough to warn, “Make sure not to put the brim side down.”
“Why?” I asked, a frown sneaking its way onto my face. That’s exactly how I had planned to put it down.
“Cowboy tradition. It brings bad luck. Just don’t do it.” His words weren’t harsh, but there was a sense of urgency to his tone.
Breaking out of his grip, I placed it down the proper way on my nightstand and returned to him, gazing up at his face and frowning once more. Tentatively, I reached up toward his glasses. “Can I take these off?”
I hadn’t seen his eyes yet, and the need to see him fully—no hat, no sunglasses—well, it burned so fiercely I couldn’t ignore it.
He hesitated, a muscle in his jaw clenching, but after a moment he offered a single, curt nod. I went slowly, carefully as I pulled the sunglasses off, folded them, and placed them on the nightstand. He blinked a few times, his gaze settling in my direction.
Holy God, he was handsome.
I traced my fingertips along the corner of his brow, taking in everything about his beautifully chiseled features. His eyes—they were like twin pools of liquid amber, swirling with flecks of random gold.
“Your eyes are the same color as whiskey,” I murmured.
He chuckled. “Beats shit-brown, I guess.”
I scoffed. “Who said you have shit-brown eyes?” They were absolutelynot.
“My dad.”
“Well, he’s an idiot,” I blurted out before clapping a hand over my mouth.Oh my God, did I really just say that out loud?
But if Hux was offended he didn’t let on. In fact, he laughed, the sound a deep rumble in his throat. Both of his hands moved to my hips before gliding up my body—following the curves of my waist, along the outsides of my breasts. His rough fingertips scraped gently along my chest as he trailed them up the column of my neck before finally cupping my jaw. The movement was slow, measured, as if he were memorizing every inch of me.
My breath left me in a whoosh, my legs turning all wobbly as a wave of desire so great, so terrifying, and yet so exhilarating swept through that I feared it might knock me out completely.
His lips twitched upward, but genuine curiosity rang in his words. “You like that?”
I nodded, biting my bottom lip as I tried to get my bearings and form a response. “The way you touched me…it’s like you’re trying to learn my body.”
What the hell was I even saying? Did that make any sense? Probably not.
Hux laughed, though, pressing a whisper-soft caress to my lips before moving on to the corner of my mouth, then my chin, my jaw. “That’s exactly—” A string of kisses along my cheekbone. “What I’m—” The gentlest touch of his lips to my nose. “Tryin’ to do.” He finished with the softest ghost of a kiss to my forehead.
Tears welled in my eyes. How was it possible that his admission both saddened me beyond measure and filled me with so much burning need? It was the ultimate paradox. He couldn’t see me, had no idea what I looked like, and yet, I felt more desired, more wanted, moreseenthan I ever had in my life.
No one had ever touched me, kissed me, caressed me like that.
I wrapped my fingers around his wrists while he still held my face. “More,” I whispered.
I wanted him to do so much more.
