Page 75 of Rowdy Hearts

Another slight hesitation, but then she smiled, set her sneakers and bag in the back seat of the Jeep, and grabbed the hat out of my hand.

I motioned for her to turn so she was facing away from me. “Give me that hairband around your wrist. I’ll braid this for you so it doesn’t get all messed up.”

For a second, I thought she’d say no, that she’d do it herself. And again, she surprised me and handed over the elastic. Her hair felt like silk as I twisted the strands into a loose braid. I had the urge to wrap that braid around my hand and tug her head back so I could kiss her like I wanted to. But if I started, I wouldn’t want to stop, and we’d end up naked in my bed. And while that was definitely on the books for later, right now I wanted to show her we could have fun outside the bedroom.

“All ready.”

She turned, the look on her face hard to read.

“What? Did I do it wrong? Is it too tight?”

“No. It’s fine.” She drew the braid over her shoulder and looked down at it. “Perfect. Not a skill I expected you to have.”

Now, she eyed me suspicion.

“If you get in the car, maybe I’ll tell you all about how I acquired this amazing skill.”

Her lips quirked, like she was trying to suppress a grin, then she flipped the braid over her shoulder and got into the passenger seat.

Firing up the engine, I revved it a couple of time, grinning when she gripped the oh-shit hande above the door with her right hand and the seat with her left, then shifted into first and shot out of the garage.

The rumble of the engine combined with the rush of air from the open roof made talking pretty much impossible. But I could tell from her expression that she was having fun. It was hard not to have fun with the top down on a beautiful day heading into the forest and the hills that surrounded St. David. It felt likeanother world out here. Town meant people, noise, work. The woods meant quiet, solitude and relaxation.

I turned off the paved road and took the first dirt track I came to. Tressy sucked in a breath as the Jeep dipped and rocked, the wheels spinning for a second until they caught. Then we bumped along for at least a mile before we got to the clearing.

Technically, we were on state game land. Most people looking to commune with nature parked at the trailhead farther along the road. This area was used mainly by hunters, but it was too late in the day for them. There were no cars in the clearing.

“Are we hiking?” She reached behind the seat to grab her sneakers and swapped out her low boots.

“Not far. It’s an easy half mile or so.”

“It’s the ‘or so’ that usually comes back to bite you.”

I winked, which only made her eyes narrow. “Not afraid of a little walk, are you?”

Putting her hands on her hips, she gave me another one of those looks that made my blood heat. And my cock twitch.

“Why do I have the feeling you’ve said that to a lot of other girls?”

I shrugged. “Never had to. St. David girls grew up in these hills, just like the guys.” I nodded toward the trail. “Come on, the path is pretty tame. Can’t wear myself out. Got a game tonight.”

“Uh huh.”

She didn’t sound convinced, but I got out and walked to her side. She’d just finished tying her second sneaker when I opened the door. Her head was directly level with mine, so I leaned in and snagged a kiss. Her lips went soft against mine immediately, and her hands wrapped around my neck, like I’d try to get away. Instead, I put my hands on her hips and dragged her closer.

Heat flared in an instant, and she maneuvered herself so that her legs were around my waist, pulling me even closer, her heels on my ass. My body responded with a surge of desire that made every nerve ending feel like it was on fire. And yeah, I wanted tohave her again. Hell, I’d make it work in the cab if I had to, but I didn’t want her to end up with bruises or a twisted back. I could be a gentleman long enough to wait until we got back to my place.

But first…

I pulled back just as she slid her tongue across my lips, making me groan.

“Don’t make me turn this Jeep around, lady.”

She laughed, the sound becoming so familiar, I hated to think what I’d do without it.

“Like you don’t want to?”

Hell, yes, I wanted to. “I’ve got plans for later, but right now, I wanna show you something.”

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