Page 44 of Soul Bound

“Yeah, I can tell by the way you were flirting with my brother that you’ve really been missing my company.”

“I wasn’tflirtingwith Ransom!” I scoff, putting my hands on my hips. “We’ve become friends and we were just joking around. You would know that if you’d been around for more than five minutes.”

“He’sbeen flirting with you. I’ve seen it. What happened in the kitchen isn’t the first time he’s been like that with you.” He takes a step forward when I take a step back. “You smile at him. You’re more relaxed when you’re around him. Why is that?”

How has he seen it? Has he been lurking in corners, watching me? I sure as hell hope not because,wow, that’d be creepy.

“For starters, he doesn’t irritate the ever-loving shit out of me like you do and he’s been around more than you have! I’ve actually gotten the chance to know him, and he’s taken the time to get to knowme. Unlike you. You made me dump all my secrets at your feet and start totrust you,and then you just disappeared. What the fuck was that? You don’t get to just pull every dark little secret out of me and then vanish into thin air. That’s not how it works.”

I don’t trust easy and the fact that Ranger had somehow started to make me trust him, is remarkable. But he just went and proved immediatelywhyI don’t trust easily.

“I’ve been working on shit.” His jaw is clenched tight, I can tell by the way the muscle in his jaw tics.

“Yes, I know you’ve been very busy building your little cabin in the woods like you’re the werewolf version ofBob the Builder. But did you forget we’re supposed to be workingtogetherto find the baby? So far, it’s only been me going through book after book. You’re not exactly carrying your weight.”

“What the fuck amIsupposed to do? I don’t have magical powers like Esme and you, I can’t do spells or contact fellow witches for help—the only witch I know is Esme. I can’t fucking do anything but sit around and wait. And let me tell you, feeling useless is not something I enjoy, but I’ve never felt more useless in my entire life.”

“You could come with me to Esme’s! You could read through the journals and spellbooks with me!” I throw my hands up in frustration. “That’s all I can do right now too! Instead, you’re going out of your way to avoid me. So, you can’t get mad at me for getting close to your brother whenyou’rethe one dodgingme. It’s not fair.” I push past him and stomp in the direction I know leads back to the house. I pause and turn my head to glare at him. “And you know what? You don’t get a say in what I do or who I become friends with. You made it very clear that you don’t give a shit when you stopped talking to me.”

I turn away with an annoyed huff and start to leave. What happens next happens so fast, my brain struggles to keep up with what’s going on. One second I’m walking away, and the next strong hands are gripping my wrists and pulling me back. I’m pushed back up against the tree, my spine hits the moss-covered bark with enough force to make me grunt. The hands gripping my wrists yank my hands over my head, holding me immobile. I don’t even have a chance to try and jerk out of the grasp before Ranger’s mouth crashes into mine.

I didn’t believe earth-shattering, world stopping kisses existed. I thought people were full of shit when they talked about them. I thought romance novels were exaggerating when they described such a kiss.

I was wrong.

I’ve never been more wrong.

The second Ranger’s mouth seals over mine, I swear everything stills around us. I think I stop breathing and my heart stills in my chest. At first, I’m frozen in place, but when his hands grip my wrists tighter above me and his tongue runs over the seam of my lips, I’m a goner. I let him in while I stand up on my tippy toes so I’m closer to him. His tongue slides against mine and I feel him groan against my mouth. His chest is pressed to mine, pushing me harder against the tree, but I don’t feel any pain. I don’t feel anything buthim.

He shifts so he holds both my wrists in one hand, while the other hand slides down to my face. He grips my cheek roughly, his fingers delving into my hair. I want him to let go of my wrist so I can touch him too, but he holds me tighter when I try to pull away. I give up fighting, feeling surprisingly submissive. I want him to lead. I want him to take charge. So, I let him.

I don’t know how long we kiss before he gets tired of our obvious height difference. Finally releasing my hands, Ranger then roughly grips the back of my thighs and without breaking our kiss, he hoists me up against the tree. He wraps my legs around his waist, so I stay in place. With my hands finally free, I let them roam over his hard chest and strong arms, I feel him shudder when I run my nails down his shoulders.

This is wrong and I know we shouldn’t be doing this, but the idea of stopping makes me want to scream.

Ranger nips at my bottom lip and then wipes away the bite of pain with his tongue. He tastes like the cinnamon gum I’ve seen him chew before. Heat pools in my stomach, making me pull him closer. I try to run my fingers through his hair, but his hat gets in the way. I yank it off and throw it on the forest floor.

He wears his hair longer, leaving it to curl around his ears. I’m a little annoyed it’s softer than mine as I grip the strands between my fingers. His mouth leaves mine so he can leave of trail of kisses down my jaw and onto my neck. The light stubble he has from not shaving rubs against my sensitive skin, but I don’t care. Just like what he did to my lip, his teeth scrape against the juncture of my neck and shoulder, following it with a swipe of his tongue. I feel like I’m on fire. Everywhere he touches leaves an electric, tingling feeling in its wake. I let go of his hair and return my grip to his broad shoulders, digging my nails in as he continues to work on my neck.

I’m fully aware of the hardness that is now pressed against my stomach, if anything it incites me more. I run my hand down his chest, my fingers trailing over each defined muscle in his abdomen. I feel his muscles rippling as I move over them. My fingers just barely brush against the waistband of his jeans when his hand catches my wrist again, halting my movements.

Ranger removes his lips from my neck before returning to my face. He presses the softest kiss to the corner of my mouth before resting his forehead against mine. Both of our chests are heaving as we try to catch our breath. When I try to move my hand again, he shakes his head against mine.

“No.” His voice is like gravel, sending a chill down my spine.

“Why?”

“This—thiswas already a mistake.” He pants. “We don’t need to make it worst.”

Oh.

I take a breath, steadying myself. “Yeah,” I agree. “You’re probably right.”

“I am.” His voice is stronger than mine when he speaks—like he’s more convinced of what he’s saying than I am.

I nod my head once and pull away from him. I remove my hands from his body and move my face away from his. “You can probably… uh, put me down now.”

“Right,” he says, but I see how he hesitates when he finally lets me go.

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