Page 64 of The Bitter Heir and the Beauty

My tone is gravelly when I say, “You’re wrong about that.”

Her jaw lowers and she tries to bite her lip, but it slips from her teeth.

“Shocked by my audacity?” I ask.

“Floored.”

But this is where our disagreement stops and the space between us narrows.

I search her brown eyes. Our proximity strikes a match in them.

“I’m not sure I can fight this fire.” My voice breaks.

What has felt tense, dark, and impenetrable yields as her eyes flick to mine. She knows we’re on a crash course and does nothing to stop it.

I don’t either. No, I accelerate it.

Leyton once told me that only fools rush into unknown situations. His constant drilling toStop Assess Actflashes in my mind now. But I ignore it because I’m a fool for this woman, and I want to rush in.

Our mouths meet with fervor, greed, and hunger. It’s like we’ve been staving this off, starving for each other, and now the banquet table is set. The feast begins and we’re stuffing ourselves silly as our breathing comes hard and fast and our motions erratic and frenzied.

My hands are all over Honey. She works hard and her palms have calluses, but everything else about her is soft, supple, and sweet. Her hair is silkier than I imagined ... and I’ve thought about it more than I dare admit.

Her hands cover a lot of surface area, sliding up the sides of my neck, gripping my jaw, cascading down my back, and holding me tight.

This woman is so much more than I deserve. More than I could hope for. She meets me where I am and makes me better. Yes, I even want to kiss her better than I’ve ever kissed anyone. Give her more than I’ve ever given anyone.

Her breath is warm against my cheek as I nibble the spot behind her ear, pausing because I’m struggling to catch mine. She takes it away from me but gives me so much more.

The tiny hairs loose around her neck tickle my cheek. I laugh a little.

She draws back. Her eyes sparkle, but her brow furrows.

I say, “This is so unexpected yet so right.”

“No, Maddo. It was inevitable.”

I don’t argue because I agree.

Her hands grip the back of my neck, returning my mouth to hers. It’s as if she doesn’t want to let me go anywhere. And I don’t. I’m rethinking my plan. My entire life plan. Because I want Honey to be in it. I want her and a future I never foresaw for myself. It’s even better than a Plan B. Better than all the plans. I want to see where this goes if she’ll let me.

Everything about Honey is sweet except for pieces of her past and her side of sass. But I’ll take it. Double portions, please.

The kiss deepens and this is all I want. All I need.

Chapter 15

Ew. Gross

Maddock pulls back slightly, breaking the kiss. His blue eyes capture mine with a question.

In response, I say the reasonable thing, “We probably shouldn’t be doing this.”

“But do we want to?” His voice is low, saturated with honey.

I’m afraid I’m developing feelings. That we’re falling ... together and this is just the beginning. But I don’t dare reveal that.

I say, “This is probably a bad idea.”

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