"Honey, I've known that girl a week and I already know she woulda hated this house."
Her laugh at my expense had my shoulders relaxin' a bit. Ever since she tried to bolt on me at the bar, I'd been walkin' on eggshells.
I grinned down at her.
"But, hey," she teased, "looks like a damn castle to me. Can I see inside?"
My chest puffed up with pride.
I tipped my head toward the door. "It's open."
She scowled at me over her shoulder as she twisted the knob.
"That don't seem safe, boy scout. They're bound to take away a patch or two for that."
I chuckled. Fuck, I liked her. A lot.
"It's a small town," I said, trailin' behind her into the house. "Plus, there's a cat squattin' here, so I had to leave the back door cracked. Don't see no point in lockin' up one door when I'm leavin' another wide open."
She looked back at me and wrinkled her nose. "I hate cats."
"Same, baby." Her eyes seemed to sparkle a bit as we stood across from one another in my someday-living-room with the streetlights cuttin' through the one window that wasn't boarded up. "And this cat is particularly irritating."
"Where is it?" she whispered, like it was seconds away from leaping out of the darkness and scratchin' her perfect skin off.
"Fuck if I know. I don't even know how it got in here in the first place. Hopefully it left."
The words had no sooner left my mouth before I feltsomethin'brush up against my calves.
And, again, I shrieked.
Thathad Calvin dissolvin' in a fit of laughter until the damn cat must have done the same fuckin' thing to her because she screamed and leapt into my arms, wrappin' her legs tightly around my waist.
We stood there laughin' until tears streamed down both of our faces. And then something in the air changed. Sucked all the oxygen right outta my lungs. Suddenly I was all too aware of the stunning fuckin' goddess in my arms.
"Brody," she whispered against my lips. "I need you."
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
Brody heldme against him with ease, my legs still wrapped around his waist. I wasn't adaintywoman. I worked hard. On a ranch. That built the kinda muscle you just couldn't fake.
But he made mefeeldainty.
He kissed me hard, one hand wrapped under my ass and the other holding my head in place as hedevouredmy mouth. My lips parted on a moan as I ground against the enormous erection pressing against my center.
Brody didn't miss a beat, taking his opportunity to glide his tongue against mine.
I gripped his strong jaw in both hands, giving as good as I got, licking and sucking and nipping until I was wound so tight I was damn near ready to combust. I pulled back, only to beg for more.
"Brody, please," I panted, as he leaned his forehead against mine. "I need more."
"Baby, you've no fucking clue how good it sounds to hear you beg for me, but I ain't gonna fuck you on a plywood floor."
I let out some sort of pathetic fucking whine I'd never heard leave my body once in all the time I'd been on this Earth.
"I'm not precious," I insisted. "You won't break me."
"Fine, you ain't precious," he said with an eye roll, like simply saying the words offended him. "But you also don't need splinters in your ass cheeks. Jesus, woman. Have a little sense of self-preservation."
