Page 85 of Illicit Illustration

Pouting, I tried not to be disappointed at his rejection, but the romantic inside me was swooning a little at his restraint. Even if he was being a giant cockblock. Which I had not known he was capable of. But I had to admit, his protective and respectful side was sexy.

“You don’t want to play a little,just the tip?” I teased, thinking that the hardware on his tip would probably do some very enjoyable things to my lady parts.

“Haz, you’re killing me,” he groaned, rolling onto his back and pulling me on top of him. I rested my chin on his chest, and his fingers combed through my chaotic hair as he gazed up at me.

The way he looked at me now was still a bit shocking. It was laced with a tenderness that made me want to throw my panties at him, but it was also helping with his case to convince me that hisfeelings were genuine and not just driven by secondhand, horny illustration hormones.

Part of me wished his camera was set up right now, because I wanted to capture this moment, to draw the two of us in his bed, our bodies pressed together with only some scraps of lace and a pair of inconvenient plaid pajama pants separating us. Maybe I’d have to start drawing some illicit illustrations from memory soon, because I knew my mental source material library was going to get a catalog update—and soon.

At least, it would when Reid finally stopped being so honorable about it.

“Let me take you out before I—”

“Slip it in?” I supplied, enjoying the way his eyes rolled and the rumble that ran through his chest at my suggestive interruptions.

“What am I going to do with you?” he whispered into my lips, craning his neck forward to kiss me.

"I told you I had a list."

I should have been worried about morning breath when his palm cradled the back of my head and his tongue slipped into my mouth, slowly coaxing mine in a way that had my toes curling, but it only made me want him that much more.

Reid

Since he now owedme one, I didn’t feel bad about commandeering my cousin’s distillery for the morning to carry out my plans. Because while I wanted to show Hazel how much I wanted to spend time with her on an actual date, it was also mid-February in the mountains of Colorado, so it was cold as fuck outside. And it provided the privacy I wanted with her from prying eyes.

There were too many people in Sage Springs and Butterfly Ridge that would start spreading things through the rumor mill if they saw me suddenly becoming affectionate in public with my best friend’s little sister.

I wasn’t trying to hide her. I just didn’t want to share her. I wanted to greedily soak up all her lingering looks and savor all her suggestive touches without the prying eyes of others diluting the way she made me feel.

“I’m going to run to the store. I’ll be back in an hour, and I expect you to be ready and waiting for me.”

“Aren’t you suddenly bossy?” she teased, pushing up to her tiptoes and ghosting her lips along the edge of my jaw.

The wind whipping behind the building of the bar had her shivering and burrowing further into my chest as I held her next to the back door, reluctant to let her out of my sight or my arms.

She’d blushed through the story of how she’d torn her dress last night, but it was too cold to send her home wearing it anyway. I’d pulled out a pair of flannel pants that were huge on her and rolled them at the waist before I covered her up with one of my hoodies that hung down to her knees. Long socks and a pair of much toolarge slides had been used to cover her delicate feet instead of the high heels I was carrying. Every part of me resisted saying goodbye to her so soon. Even if it was only for a short time.

“You haven’t seen bossy yet,” I growled, turning to nip at her cheek before I bent my knees and placed a lingering kiss on her cold lips. Now that I had unlimited access to her lips, I hadn’t been able to resist kissing her all morning as I fed her breakfast and tucked her into my bed to sketch on my tablet while I rushed through a quick shower.

“I’m gonna call the cops for trespassing,”Hudson’s voice boomed through the small speaker on the camera mounted in the eaves above the door.“Quit trying to seduce my sister underneath my fucking camera.”

Hazel and I both thrust our middle fingers in its direction as we deepened the kiss, finally separating with a laugh and agreeing to part for long enough to get ready.

Climbing off the bikebehind the warehouse on the edge of the ridge, I quickly unbuckled the strap on Hazel’s helmet and then pulled mine off, gently setting them on the ground next to my bike before I pulled her into my arms and kissed her breathless.

The entire ride to the distillery had been an exercise in restraint as her fingertips traced maddening patterns on my stomach underneath my jacket. I still didn’t know where she’d stashed her gloves, but I was enjoying her touch too much to stop her while I navigated my bike over the roads that’d thankfully had been deiced since yesterday.

“You’re a naughty girl, Hazel,” I groaned against her lips.

“You don’t call me kitten for nothing,” she whispered while nipping at my lip. Then she reached down to grab what was nowherhelmet. She did indeed make a warm little backpack companion, and I couldn’t imagine riding with anyone else.

“Killing me,” I groaned under my breath, pulling the food I’d brought with me from the storage on the side of my bike and following her down the packed snow-covered path to the back door.

She bounced in place while I unlocked the door, rushing into the warm building and stripping off her coat as I followed behind, finding a place underneath the windows overlooking the woods at the back of the building to set up our picnic.

“Brought me back to the scene of the crime?” she teased, wrapping her arms around me from behind and laying her cheek against my back. For a woman who’d been resistant to get within a few feet of me only weeks ago, she hadn’t had any trouble transitioning into being able to touch me now. And her continued affection had me falling even harder for her, because last night I had thought my questionable decision making would drive her away for good.

But she’d chosen to give me another chance, and I wouldn’t squander it, because she deserved a man who wasn’t afraid to show her how much of a treasure she was.

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