Page 38 of Hope's Heartlands

He laughs again, and I watch as he puts my keys in his pocket. “I figured that out already. Do you want something to drink?”

“No. No, thank you,” I tell him and my mind starts to go crazy. What was I thinking? He could put anything in my drink and no one knows where I am. No one would even know I’m missing until Sunday night when my daughter comes home.

It’s really starting to sink in that I’ve taken a huge risk coming to his place like I did.

Bulldog

I can see the wheels turning in her head again. That responsible part of her that has kept her being careful is no doubt sounding the alarm when it comes to me, and I know it. I don’t want her to think and talk herself out of being with me. I can see she’s attracted to me, and it’s strong enough she’s already broken all her safety rules by coming to my house by herself in the first place.

That’s good because the way I’m feeling like I’m going to burst at the seams if I don’t bury my cock in her any second is going against my own rules. Going after a woman that I see as more than just a piece of ass has always been a red flag. It’s how a man gets himself tied down and lets his guard down.

But I know that Kate is different. She’s not just different, she’s the one I want to let in past the walls. I can’t explain it, I can’t even begin to try, but I know it’s the truth.

I grip her hand and thread our fingers together. I hold them up, looking at them. Mine are hard and callused and hers are soft and feminine, but they fit together perfectly. Just like I know the rest of us will.

“You showered before you came over, why?” I ask, wanting to watch her squirm just a moment longer.

She stammers, saying something about preferring to be clean as I smile down at her. She tries to back away from me, but I just follow her, smiling. When the back of her legs bump into the table, I reach down and take two handfuls of her skirt and pull it up slowly until it’s around her waist.

I slide my hand down the front of her body and cup her panty-clad pussy. She’s already wet. “Are you trying to hide how wet you are for me?”

I massage my fingers against her, and she’s gasping, unable to even answer me. I kiss her lips and her neck, loving the way her breasts are peaked and pressing against my chest.

I kiss down her neck and have to will myself to stop there. I pull away to look at her. Her eyes are closed, lips swollen, and only when I’ve been staring down at her a few seconds does she finally open her eyes.

“What? Why’d you stop?” she asks, still dazed.

When I pick her up, her arms and legs go around me, and I hold on to her ass and hips to keep her up against me. I stride down the hallway and to the bedroom. I want to throw her onto the bed and dive between her legs, but I don’t. Instead I take a seat on the bed and hold her, still straddling me. My dick is painfully stretched against the material of my jeans, but I don’t try to adjust. It’s like I don’t want to make the wrong move here. “I stopped because I know you’re a little worried about being here, not knowing me. I saw you second guessing yourself and I don’t want that to be between us. So call or send a text to whoever you want to, let them know where you’re at.” I take a deep breath, taking in the small turn of her nose and the freckles on her face that she tried to hide with makeup but I can still see. I bring my hands up her back and rest on her neck, forcing her to look at me. “Because I want you, Kate. You can leave if that’s what you want to do, but don’t think I’m letting you go. I won’t stop until I have you. Until I’ve buried my dick so deep inside you there’s no way you’re going to forget who I am.”

She’s stubborn, and she lifts her chin at me, almost defiantly. I try to stop the smirk on my face, and I hide it, barely. Without even blinking, she says, “I’m here because I want to be. I’m here because I want to have a good time. It’s one night and then I go back to my world. There won’t be anything more between us than whatever happens here tonight.”

The glint in her eyes tells me that she believes what she’s saying. So she’s giving me one night. That’s it. That’s all she wants from me. Fine. Challenge accepted. Now I only need to prove her wrong, because after one taste, I know this is going to be more.

Chapter6

Kate

He looks like he may argue with me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he lifts me off his lap, and I panic for a minute. Is he pushing me out the door? That’s the exact opposite of what I want. I mean, I just told him I wanted a one-night stand. Isn’t that what most men would dream of hearing?

I start to turn, but he stops me. “Take your clothes off for me.”

I cross my arms on my chest. “You sure are bossy.”

He shrugs his shoulders. “It’s the army in me.”

“You were in the army? I should have guessed that.” He does have that air about him. He’s disciplined and in control.

“Yes, now take your clothes off.”

He’s sitting on the edge of the bed, and I reach for the light switch, but he stands up to stop me. “No, lights on. Like you said, if it’s one night, I want it all. I want to touch and taste every crevice of your body and I need the lights to do that.”

I shiver at his words. I already know what he can do with that tongue and the thought of it on me has me literally shaking as I stand here and take in his words. I could walk out of here. That’s what I should do, and a part of me wants to. I know I look different than the women he is usually with. I saw the woman at the bar earlier rubbing his arm and practically begging for him. But I don’t move. The fire in his eyes is like a dare to me and the way my body trembles and aches with just him looking at me reminds me that I’m not going anywhere. I want this. I need this.

My skirt is still bunched around my hips, and I unzip it, kicking off my shoes and then sliding the material down my legs. I don’t look at him, because if he’s disappointed I don’t want to see it. I look at a nail on the wall and focus on it. I finish undressing, pulling my shirt over my head and then letting my hands fall to my sides, thankful that I put on the prettiest bra and panties I have.

He’s so quiet and doesn’t say a word. He moves, taking a step toward me, and my body jerks a little like he’s an electric force pulling me in. But still I don’t look at him. I can’t.

His hands come out, and his finger touches one of my hard nipples. I bite my lip, but I still don’t look at him.

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