Page 61 of When You Saved Me

Orange and blue flames put on a show in the fireplace. It amazed me how something so beautiful couldcause so much damage in such a short amount of time. I rubbed at my scar, making a mental note to rub some more of Deacon’s salve on it before going to bed tonight. Whatever concoction was in that, I needed to figure it out because I’d never had the itching be relieved for so long after using it. Normally, I had to apply my petroleum-based lotion at least once a day, but his salve lasted for days at a time.

I heard more rustling in the kitchen before footsteps sounded toward Casper and me. I needed to pull myself out of this rut if I didn’t want to ruin the rest of our night together. Worry wasn’t normally something I battled with. Even when I first started going off on my own in life, without the support of my parents, I’d been nothing but excited. Completely invigorated by all the possibilities. Then, I’d felt the same again when I transitioned out of college and had no idea how I was going to support myself as a brand-new artist when the potential for failure was way higher than success.

Ialwayssaw the bright side of things.

There was just an unsettling feeling deep in my gut that I couldn’t turn off and I didn’t know why. All I’d wanted was to hear Deacon say that he was excited about a future with us. That what we shared wasn’t going to end once the snow melted. That he was willing totryfor us.

And he’d given me that.

So, why the hell am I still up in arms about this?

As Deacon rounded the couch with two glass tumblers in his hands, I shook the question from my mind. I was being ridiculous.

He gave me one of the glasses then sat down in front of me, cross-legged. His large thighs strained against the fabric of his jeans. My mouth watered as I thought back to riding him last night. How powerful I’d felt with his huge body beneath me, getting off on how he looked at me.

I stirred in my seat, feeling my clit ache with the need to be touched by him and tried my best to focus on the cool sensation in my palm from the iced whiskey drink he’d made me.

“This is Four Roses, one of my favorites.” He brought the glass to his nose and sniffed lightly.

Following suit, I sniffed the amber liquid and caught floral, honey, and spice notes. It must have been expensive because there was no sting to my nose like there often was when I got a whiff of hard liquor.

“It smells nice.”

He smiled. “Now, here’s the trick. With a whiskey like this, you want to sip it. It’s not like one of your fruity cocktails where you can down it in one go.”

I frowned at him. “How did you know I like fruity cocktails?”

He leaned toward me and kissed the edge of my mouth. Chills ran down my arms and when he pulled back, I found myself leaning forward, chasing after his touch. “Because I know my woman.”

I blushed.

There it was again.My woman. If I was his, surely that meant—No. I needed to getoutof my head and into the present moment. Guessing what was going to happenbetween us would only send me into another worry spiral and that wasn’t me.

“Maybe I like spicy margaritas.”

His green eyes flickered with amusement. “No way.”

I snorted.

“But youaregoing to enjoy this.” He nodded at the glass in my hand. “Take a small sip.”

“So bossy,” I teased.

“Do it,” he commanded, his voice lowering an octave.

Like he was in control of my every movement, I lifted the glass to my lips and felt the rush of the cold liquid hit. Taking some into my mouth, I let it sit on my tongue for a moment before I swallowed. It was smooth and crisp, like biting into a freshly picked apple at the beginning of fall.

There was no awful burn down my throat, but it did bite a little. Just enough to get my attention.

“Wow,” I breathed. “That is really good.”

“That’s my girl.” Deacon winked at me before taking a long swig from the tumbler. Thick black lashes fanned out as he kept his eyes trained on me. I licked my lips, watching his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed. When he pulled the glass away, my mouth watered from the sight of his full wet lips.

My mind wandered to how those lips felt against my sex and how he looked when I rode his face.

Blinking away the debaucherous thoughts, I took another sip of the whiskey. Already starting to feel a little buzz latching onto the edges of my mind, I said, “We should play a game.”

“What’re you thinking, Sunshine?”

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