Page 18 of Smoked

He whispers. "So you left."

"I took a job in a place where nobody knew me, and I found that I love the mountains and trees so much better than the boring old plains anyway.” I look at him. "It was the right call and I’ve never looked back."

“But that jerk got away with everything,” Wade says, gritting his teeth.

“He wasn’t worth the fight,” I reply.

He exhales, and stands up so fast his chair almost falls over. He's angry. I can see it in the set of his shoulders and the way his hand curls around the edge of the smoker. He walks behind the rig, one hand dragging along the steel as he goes.

I get up and follow him. He turns when he hears me, and in the glow of the coals I can tell his jaw is tight, dark eyes flashing.

I reach up, pulling his face down to mine.

And I kiss him the way I've wanted to since the charity cookout, hungrily and deeply.

I’m done pretending I'm only here for the brisket.

He groans and his arms come around me, lifting me clean off the ground, crushing me tight against the full solid width of him.

He kisses the way he cooks—passionately, thoroughly, paying attention to every little thing. Our tongues tangle together and I’m melting. I moan against his mouth and feel him shudder.

He sets me down slowly, keeping his hands on me.

"What was that for?" he whispers, breathing heavily.

"I like you, Wade,” I say. "Everything I said about wanting to learn and wanting to help—it’s true. But I also thought I could bury my attraction and feelings for you. Then you get angry on my behalf, because of what some stupid man did and I just…” I huff. “Every hour I spend with you only makes me want you more.”

He blinks at me, staring as if I told him the earth is flat.

"I wasn't sure you…felt anything for me," I add.

"Are you kidding?" His voice goes up. "Tess, you're gorgeous. It’s hard just being next to you. But I never once thought a woman as amazing as you would look twice at a guy like me, so I didn’t want to embarrass either of us by trying."

“I guess we were both wrong,” I say, smiling at him.

CHAPTER 5

WADE

Tess kissed me.

And told me she likes me.

Me.

Big, heavy, blue-collar, totally out-of-her league, me.

Now, her hands are on my chest, while mine are locked around her back. Her glasses are crooked and her lips are swollen and all I want to do is make this woman moan and scream my name.

The fire's got about thirty minutes before it needs feeding. Which is plenty of time for…well. It's plenty.

But I have a daughter asleep upstairs, a lit up backyard, and two lawn chairs that I don’t trust one bit.

"Come to the truck with me," I say.

I'm not smooth. I've never once been smooth. Not with women at least. I can sweet talk a rack of beef with the best of them, but women…no. And not one as incredible as Tess.

Tess blinks up at me. "The semi?"