Page 41 of My Mistake To Make

‘It’s going good. I’m happy.’

I smirk. Doug Campbell—happy, who’d have thought it?

‘When do you expect I’ll be able to move in? I don’t need it fancy for that.’

‘It’s a little way off.’ He starts to walk toward the house, then stops and nods his head for me to join him. I blow out a breath and follow him up to the back porch. ‘I need to make sure it’s warm and secure. I have some work to do on the electrics, and then I have to get Tristan up here to work on the plumbing.’

Tristan. The guy from the bar.

‘You really did want to talk to him about work then,’ I say without thinking, and he turns to me, gaze narrowed for a second before walking into what will be my new entrance hall.

‘What did you think I interrupted your dance for?’

I laugh. ‘You can hardly call it a dance. I think I broke all his toes in the first ten seconds.’ He smirks but turns away. ‘I don’t know. Zoe said you would never hire him, so I wasn’t sure.’

He huffs out a small laugh and turns to face me once more.

‘You’re getting pretty close with my sisters.’

‘I am.’ I nod.

‘So, what else did Zoe say?’ He steps a little closer, and that look is back in his eyes. One that hints at danger, one that should make me run in the opposite direction, but instead, it has me frozen to the spot, hoping he takes another step.

‘Nothing,’ my voice is barely there, not much more than a breath, but he hears it and steps closer. My pulse races, and I feel my breath quicken with his proximity. ‘Bree thought,’ closer, ‘that you just didn’t want me dancing with him.’

‘Why would I not want you dancing with him, Cara?’

He moves closer, so close that I can feel the warmth of his body against mine. One more step, and there’ll be nothing left between us.

‘I don’t know. It was silly.’ I try to step back as my self-defense mechanisms start to kick in, but his hand on my back stops me, and he takes that last step. His hard body presses against mine as he holds me so close that I have to tip my head back to look up at him.

My breath comes in nervous pants, and I can feel my body trembling against him. He’s hardeverywhere, and the reality makes my knees feel weak.

‘You want to know what’s fuckingsilly?’ he asks, his voice low, gravelly, and making goosebumps raise up across my skin.

I swallow hard and nod, yes.

‘Knowing that I can’t have you but wanting you so fucking bad that I hire that asshole just to get him away from you.’

Shit. Hewasjealous.

‘I never said you couldn’t have me,’ I exhale the words in a rush, not overthinking the repercussions.

‘But I can’t.’ He releases me and steps back, then back again, and shakes his head. ‘I’m sorry, Cara. That was out of line.’

‘It’s okay.’ I feel the need to reassure him, but it stings.

‘No, it’s not. I shouldn’t have said that to you. It’s not fair.’

‘I don’t, it’s…’ I take a breath. ‘Why?’

He sighs and wipes a hand over his face, then rushes forward. I don’t have time to think before my back hits the wall behind me, and his mouth crashes against mine.

One of his large, calloused hands grips the back of my neck while the other squeezes my hip as he steals my breath with his kiss. His lips part mine, his tongue explores my mouth without invitation, and a moan rises in my throat.

His hand lowers over the shorts covering my backside to the bare sensitive skin of my thigh, and he groans into my mouth as he lifts my leg to his hip. His hips push forward, pressing the hard bulge in his jeans between my legs, and I’m on fire. This is it—this isit. The pieces all fall into place as the full-body experience of Doug kissing the life out of me against a wall in my new home consumes me, and I suddenly understand—thisis how it’s supposed to feel.

Another loud moan rolls out of me of its own accord as the heat between my legs becomes almost unbearable, and he stops. Doug breaks away, stepping back as though hurt, leaving me a weak-kneed panting mess against the wall.

---