Page 72 of A Cowboy in the Streets

And with that, I sucked him in again, but this time, I didn’t stop.

I relinquished control and let him guide me into the rhythm he liked best. His thrusts turned longer, harder.

“Fuck, James. I’m going to…” He gave a frantic tug on my ponytail, trying to pull away from me.

But I held on, refusing to surrender. And then he couldn’t stop himself. His hips bucked against my mouth as the last thread of his control finally snapped. He came apart in my mouth and my hands. His cock jerked and pulsed in my mouth, and I swallowed, never taking my eyes from his face, even when he closed his.

His hands loosened, and his body went slack. He fell back against the wall with a soft thud, and I grinned as I swiped the back of my hand over my mouth. I had literally made the man’s knees buckle. Damn right, I was proud of myself.

He stared down at me with eyes at half-mast, gently stroked his thumb over my swollen lips. For a moment, neither of us said anything and the only sound was our heavy breaths.

And then he pushed from the wall, grabbed me under my arms, and hauled me up to his mouth so he could plant a searing kiss on my lips. My feet dangled somewhere around his knees. His lips were soft against mine. Sweet and gentle, like I was something delicate. I twined my arms around his neck and gave in to the tenderness of the moment.

“Tell me what you need,” he whispered.

I laughed, still breathless. “You just gave me what I needed.”

“No, I mean—” He huffed. “And we’re not done with that either, just to be clear. That pussy of yours is going to get exactly what it deserves.”

“All right.” I shivered happily.

He shifted so his arms were supporting my butt. I wrapped my legs around his waist. “But before we do that, tell me how to make this work.”

“This works just fine.” I wiggled against him to demonstrate.

“That’s sex. I’m talking about you and me, buttercup. I want us to work. Out in the open, no hiding. I want to be yours everywhere, all the time. What do you need to make us real?”

Wait, what? I clasped my hands behind his neck and searched his face. His blue eyes were focused on me, open and warm. “It’s not only about me. What about Lodestar? What about Steven—”

“Let Brax worry about that. He’s good at what he does. He’ll figure something out.”

“What if he can’t?” I asked softly.

“We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it,” Adam said.

I swallowed hard. Right. A solid plan, except I knew what was waiting for me on the other side of that bridge. Heartache. I knew that. I knew his history. Whatever bridge there was to cross, I would have to walk it alone, leaving him safely on the other side.

“I don’t know what this is between us. I don’t know where it will go,” he said, completely oblivious to the way my heart sank a little further with each word. “I don’t even know if I have anything to offer you worth having. Maybe I’m too used up to have anything good left to give.”

I shook my head wordlessly. How could he believe that? Banged up and bruised, sure. But used up? This man? Absolutely not.

“What I do know is that tomorrow night, I want to pick you up in my truck and take you on a date. A real date. Not coffee or errands or something we can hide behind. I want to kiss you good night. And then the next night, I want you to come over for dinner. And most of all, I want you to be around so much that Ben doesn’t even blink when I make you both pancakes in the morning.”

“That sounds like something worth having to me,” I said. It sounded like everything. But no way in hell was I going to say that to the man who didn’t want to be my everything.

A smile ghosted his lips. “You need to set the bar higher, buttercup. You deserve more.”

“Oh, yeah? What is it you think I deserve, Adam?” I trailed my fingertips down his neck. “Tell me.”

“Everything,” he growled. “You deserve everything, James. So much more than fucking pancakes.”

“Then give it to me.” It was half demand, half plea.

He shook his head. “What I have to give isn’t anywhere near good enough. I don’t believe in happily ever after anymore. But I’ll do everything I can to make you happy today. No more sneaking around. No more hiding. I’m yours, James. I don’t care who the hell knows it.”

“I’ll take it.” My heart jackhammered in my chest.

He stared at me like he couldn’t quite believe it. “I’m serious, James. You and me, out in the open. You really want to do this with me?”

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