Page 10 of Dirty Secrets

“What other dastardly lies have you tried to spread?”

“A few little nonsense things about the weather. Then when Harper started dating Griffin, we were trying to figure out if that was talked about more or less than Jonah and his new girlfriend. You know… Since the Wolfe and Dirty families have been here for so long.”

Walker stops smiling as he continues to stare down at the map.

“I don’t mean to pry, but… Is there a rivalry between your two families or something?”

“Oh, nothing like that. We’re friendly.” He’s staring at the map, right at a spot where there are huge chunks of land side by side for each family. “My grandpa implied once that we were…connected or something.”

“You want me to find out?”

His grin returns as he spins me away from the map, taking the phone from my hand and setting it down. “If you like. I don’t think I have any secrets, but even if I did, I certainly wouldn’t hide them.“ His lips move gently, kissing along the outer shell of my ear, then dipping to graze my throat. “What Ireallywant is you, sweetheart.”

My breath is already halting, my pulse quickening as I feel the shift in both of us. He’s moving very slowly. Deliberately not making a move, not wanting to frighten me away.

I’m sick of being a nervous little girl. Walker makes me feel like a woman. Like the kind of person who has the power to get what she wants. All I need to do is tell him.

Stretching up, I breathe against his ear. “Yeah? You want me?”

His response is a dark, almost savage growl as his hands scoop against my ass. “You know I do.” I gasp at the pressure of his erection right against me, branding me with its heat.

“Well then…” My voice is shaky, but I manage to say it. “I guess you’re going to have to take me.”

6

WALKER

Jocelyn feels so perfect against me as I hold her close, softly kissing along her neck again. I shuffle our feet toward the bed and sit down, pulling her onto my lap.

Her dress hem hits below the knee, and I don’t want to lift it yet, so I trail my fingers along her calf and ankle. My teeth gently nibble along her pouty lower lip, as I feel her fingers trace along the back of my neck. There’s a tap at the window and she jumps, her head whipping around to peer through the glass.

“Just a tree branch. I’ve been meaning to trim that for ages. It’s okay, sweetheart.”

She looks up at me with wide eyes. “Sorry. I’m always jumpy. You know…break ins and stuff.”

“Did you live in a bad neighborhood?”

Her lips press together for a few seconds. “I think I’ve lived inallthe bad neighborhoods.”

“Not anymore.” I don’t elaborate, hoping she knows what I’m getting at.

My lips capture hers, the kiss quickly overtaking us. Soon I’m sitting on the edge of the bed with Joceyln standing between my thighs. For one delicious second, I picture her dropping to herknees…but no. I need to worship this precious angel. Explore her sensual, willowy body until she comes apart in my arms. Better yet, on my tongue.

“You’re a researcher, right, gorgeous? Which means you’re always conducting experiments?”

“Kind of.” Her eyes sparkle. “What do you have in mind?”

The branches tap more gently across the window as I turn her away from me, unzipping the top few inches of her dress. “I’m thinking about undressing you, then kissing various spots to see what happens. Should I just continue to think about that, or proceed?”

Her answer is immediate. “Proceed.”

She’s giving me every green light in the world, yet I’m still resolved to take my time. Her dress hits the floor. Staring at her pale back, I unhook her bra, slowly pushing the narrow straps off her shoulders and down her arms. I brush her hair to the side, then kiss a slow line right down her spine to the top of her little pink silk panties.

She’s trembling slightly as my hands grip her hips firmly. “If there’s anything you don’t like, just tell me to stop.”

Jocelyn flicks her hair to look over her shoulder at me. “So far I’m quite partial to everything.”

“That’s my girl.” Damn, how I want that to be true.

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