Page 7 of Hope's Heartlands

I feel my face heat. I guess I’ve upset him. “I just mean, well, the guys I’m used to from before would have not interfered; they would have let it happen, you know, so I just want to say thank you, that’s all.”

He looks at me intently and it makes me wonder if I’ve really pissed him off now. I can see the vein in his neck vibrating under his skin. I must look scared, because he instantly calms and tries to make a joke with me. “First of all, we’re square. You saved me from that killer hangover.” But then his hand flips over and he grabs on to mine, stroking his thumb across my fingers. “Second of all, I know you don’t know me that well, but I promise you this, as long as there’s a breath in me, I’ll always be there for you. I’ll always help you out.”

He looks at me so intently, I can barely breathe. His words hit me right in the heart and I raise my other hand to rub across my chest. He’s right; I don’t know much about him, but what I do know is that he’s not like any man I’ve ever known before. He already has a hold on me in more ways than one. What was at first just lust has now turned into something else. I not only want him, I fucking need him. I don’t know if he’s waiting for me to respond or what he’s waiting for, but we stand there, the one lone box between us, and stare at each other.

“I’m also sorry that I pulled away from you a few minutes ago. Old ghosts, you know.” He starts to talk, but I stop him. “But I know. I know you won’t hurt me. Not like that.”

His face pinches and I know I’ve probably told him too much about my past, probably stuff he doesn’t want to know, but I feel guilty for pulling from him when all he was doing was trying to help me.

He nods his head at me, tightening his hold on my hand.

I look down at our joined hands. His is big, mine small. His is dark, mine light. Even with how different we are, I think we’re more alike than I first thought.

I pull away first, the chemistry so strong between us that I know if I don’t pull back, I’m going to jump into his arms any minute now.

We finish the box and once everything is cleaned up, we go to the back door. He flips the lock on the double doors and we’re standing so close together the attraction between us is undeniable. My body is quivering with need and anticipation. I’m praying he’ll touch me, damn the consequences.

Chapter8

Saint

Her soft sexy curves whisper across my chest as she starts to slide past me. I’m so fucking pumped up from seeing that fucker with his hands on her. I may have kicked his ass but I didn’t spend even half of the rage inside me and it’s all transitioned into desire and need for Cat. The image of his hands around her neck and her struggling about sets me off again.

I know I should let her walk by me. I know that after what she went through, the last thing she needs is for me throwing myself at her. But the need is too strong. I have to have her.

She’s slowly moving past me and I can feel her erect nipples glide across my abdomen. I pull her back, not letting her go. She said she wasn’t the girl for me and she was right, but looking at me with those eyes filled with desire is more than even a saint could ignore.

“Cat.” I say her name softly, so as not to scare her. If I unleash all the things I want to do to her, she’d be running from the bar right now. I’m determined to take it slow with her, go at her pace.

She breathes out my name slowly, and it rumbles off her tongue. “Saint.”

Just my name on her lips has goosebumps running up and down my arms. I don’t know what’s happening to me. I’m a hardened criminal, a felon. And just her saying my name has me going soft.

I reach up to cup her face, but she stops me. “Oh Saint, look at your hand.”

She grips my injured hand in both of hers and she looks so sad as she examines it. I try to pull it from her, but she stops me, pulling me toward the next room. She leads me to the stool that I had pulled out for her. “Sit. I’ll be right back.”

I watch her hips as she walks away from me. She turns the corner and when I can no longer see her, a growl escapes me. I don’t want her out of my sight. She’s gone for only a few seconds, but I still get up to go find her. As soon as I get to the door, she’s walking in with a first aid kit in her hands.

“Please sit down, Saint,” she says. “I’m so sorry you got hurt. It’s all my fault.”

I put my fingers under her chin and lift her head up to look at me. She has unshed tears in her eyes. “It wasn’t your fault, honey. He had it comin’.”

Because I can’t resist anymore, I pull her to me and kiss her. Her mouth is closed, but that doesn’t stop me; I run my tongue along the seam of her lips, like I’m begging for entry. Eventually she gives in and when she does, my tongue swoops through her mouth, wanting inside, wanting to taste her.

I pick her up by her hips and set her on the stool, crowding my big body between her legs. As soon as her ass hits the wood, though, she’s pulling away from me. “Your hand?” she says worriedly.

I take the first aid kit that is wedged between us and toss it to the counter. “My hand is fine. The only thing that’s hurting me is not having you, not being inside you.”

She puts her hands up on my shoulders and her fingers feather through the hair at my nape. “Well, I’m not stopping you.”

I swear my heart stops beating. Like I’m a fuckin’ teenager again, I start to stutter and have to take a deep breath before continuing. Even though it kills me, I still offer her an out. “If you want to wait…”

She’s shaking her head and her brown hair falls down over her cheeks. I push it back, needing to see her face, her eyes for this.

“You’ll have to say it, Cat. I need to hear the words–“

Her little hands squeeze my neck. “I want you too, Saint. I know I shouldn’t. I know we’re all wrong for each other, but I want you. I want to be so wrapped up in your arms that I don’t know where you end and I begin.”

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