Page 46 of Burn With Me

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep. You can put me down.”

“Nah, I’m enjoying it. You just have to put your code in the door.”

“Pam got in, okay?” I ask, but I know he wouldn’t have let me sleep if something was wrong.

“Yeah, I carried her in as well. You both passed out at the same time. It was kind of weird, to be honest,” he says with a soft laugh. “Put the code in, sweetness.”

He starts to put me down, and as I slide down the front of his body, I’m suddenly not so tired anymore. I enter my code, and we walk in.

My eyes pop wide as I slap my forehead. “Shit, how are you going to get home? I kind of stranded you here.”

“I can text Sam to come pick me up. It’s not a big deal,” he says. “Let’s get you settled, and I’ll take care of it.” He leans over and kisses my cheek, then bends down to scoop up Ginny as I go to let Penny out the back door.

“Did you have a good night?” he asks me from the kitchen.

“Yeah, that was the first time the four of us went out together, and it won’t be the last.”

“Did Brian bother you?”

“I mean, no more than usual. He always tries to shoot his shot, and I just always shoot him down. It’s weird how he goes from an annoying, creepy guy who doesn’t know how to take no for an answer to the town’s golden boy within seconds. Although I’m guessing Farmer Joe is not a fan, based on how he acted tonight,” I say with a smirk as I walk toward him.

“Yeah, he told us what happened. He wasn’t happy.”

He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into a hug, and I sink into him. He rests his chin on my head and runs his hands up and down my arms. That’s all it takes. It’s like five years of pent-up need hits me all at once.

With my face in his chest, I say, “You know, you don’t have to leave. I don’t have to work early tomorrow. I just have to check the water pH levels. You can stay here.”

“I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, Am. I promise I can call Sam, or if you want me to stay, I can crash on your couch,” he says, pulling back and tucking my hair behind my ear.

“Or you can sleep in my king-size comfy bed,” I say quickly before I lose my nerve.

He groans and drops his forehead to mine, looking me in the eyes. “You drive a hard bargain there, sweetness. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“I wouldn’t have offered it if I didn’t mean it,” I say without breaking eye contact, willing him to see that I mean it.

He must like whatever he sees because the next thing I know, he backs me up against the wall and kisses me like his life depends on it.

Unlike the bar, this kiss is full of hunger. I pull him closer to me, and his hips press into mine. I feel the length of him and groan. I roll my hips, and he pulls away.

Breathing hard, he looks at me. “All we have to do is sleep. Nothing else has to happen tonight.”

“But what if I want something to happen?” I say with a smirk.

“Baby, we can do whatever you want. I promise I’ll never take it further than you want. If at any point you want to stop, we stop.”

“Okay,” is all I can say.

My whole body is vibrating with need, and it feels like I’m being lit up from the inside. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted someone as much as I want Lucas Grant right this moment.

“Go get ready for bed, sweetness, and we’ll figure it out from there,” he says, and I appreciate that he’s giving me the space to decide how far I want to go tonight.

But I know what I want, and what I want is him, so I’ll humor him. I turn around and walk to my bedroom, but I look over my shoulder and peel off my shirt.

Letting it fall to my feet, I say, “There’s an extra toothbrush and toothpaste in the spare bathroom still in the package. You can use it. I just need ten minutes.”

I can see the heat in his eyes as he stands at the beginning of the hallway, frozen in place. With a wink, I turn and head into the bathroom to brush my teeth when I hear him groan. “Your mom is going to be the death of me . . . but what a way to go. Eh, girls?”

Nineteen

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