Page 45 of Shadows of Timber Creek

Her eyes widen in surprise and the asshole I’m assuming is Clayton, tosses his arm over her shoulder.

You actually came? She signs.

This the guy? I ask.

A sheepish look flashes across her face before she stands, causing his arm to drop.

No. Let’s go.

She was lying, but I chose to let it slide as she grips my hand, tugging me out the front door.

“What the hell are you doing here?” She hisses when we make it to my truck. “You have a meeting in the morning with your new coach! It’s after midnight!”

She twirls around, her lips pursed and that same Timber Creek PD ball cap sitting on her head that was hot as fuck.

I couldn’t think straight, obviously, or I wouldn’t be here, staring at her like I might die if I don’t taste her.

“Grey?” She presses when I don’t respond. “You should be asleep. This meeting is important for your future.”

One step. That’s all it took. One step, one lazy movement of my hand and I was pulling her against me until my lips crashed into hers. A soft moan floats around us the second my tongue swipes inside her luscious mouth. I couldn’t hold back the groan that erupted from my chest when her tiny hands dove into my hair. My body was tight. Wound. I had been fucking my own hand for months, picturing the same body beneath me. Picturing the sounds she’d make when I sank down into her so deep, she’d feel me for weeks.

She gasps when I crouch, picking her up by the back of the thighs. Her legs wrap around my waist, and I press her up against the door of my truck.

“Grey…” she whispers against me.

I swallow her words, before moving down to plant a kiss along her jaw, then her neck. “Yeah?”

My hips move, pressing against her center. I was rock hard and the way she withered against me told me she was just as desperate as I was.

She pulls back, lifting her hands. Touch me.

My fingers brush along her jaw, then I move then up to tangle in her hair.

“I can’t. We can’t.” I breathe out.

Hell, we shouldn’t even be kissing.

My forehead drops to hers. My breaths heavy. She shifted her hips, grazing against my aching cock.

“Fuck…” I grit out. “I’m trying really hard, Rosie. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t do this.”

“You know who I wanted it to be?” She whispers.

I lift my head to meet her eyes. “You.” Her hands cup my face. “I just want you.”

I suck air into my lungs before pressing my lips to hers again. It was a quick kiss. Not near enough for me, but I was leaving. We both knew it. We both knew I was leaving in four days. I’d be thousands of miles away. In another state with a new career that I had worked my ass off for. One that would take up every ounce of my time. And she’d be here, worrying. Wondering why I didn’t have time for her. Not focusing on her dreams. I knew Tilly. I knew we had become attached, no matter how hard I tried to avoid it. I was fighting my own battle. I knew this would only make it worse. It would only hurt her when I left. It would hurt Adam if he found out. He trusted me.

The realization slams into me as I tear my mouth from hers. I drop her to her feet, taking a few steps away so I can catch my breath. Shit. I crossed a line.

She was panting, her lips swollen and her hair wild from my hands. She was beautiful. Vibrant. And had so much life ahead of her. A life that she needed to live. Here. Without me.

The light in her eyes dulls as she stares at me. Her smile fades and her hands lift. Grey?

I swallow, preparing for the words I was about to pour out. I swipe a hand over my mouth before uttering the biggest lie I’d ever told. “I’m sorry, Rosie.” I watch her shoulders drop. “I shouldn’t have done that. It was a mistake.”

Her eyes cloud, but I ignore it, trying to keep the burning in my chest from catching me on fire. “Let me take you home.”

“No.” She croaks. “How could you…a mistake?” Her voice shook. “You feel it, Greyson. I know you do.”

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