Page 49 of Toxic

She laughed. “You named your bike?”

“Of course,” I said, winking at her. “It’s a rite of passage.”

“Okay,” she said in a teasing tone. Her fingers ran over the bike as she moved around it. “It’s gorgeous.”

“Thanks.” My bike was my pride and joy. All black and chrome and I kept her purring like a kitten, as any female should.

“Thanks for showing me. Maybe you could let me ride her one day?”

I narrowed my eyes. “You mean ride on the back, right?”

“Or drive.”

I snorted. “No way. On the back, sure.”

She fisted her hands on her hips and gave me a teasing grin. “You wouldn’t let me drive her?”

“Hell no.”

“I let you ride my horses.”

“That’s different.”

“How?” she countered.

“They’re not as finicky as Nora.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “You’ve been riding Irene.”

“So?”

“She’s my most headstrong mare, Toxic.”

“I like headstrong mares,” I told her, crowding close to her. She was pinned between my body and the bike. “More of a challenge.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I know you’re not implying that I’m a stubborn animal.”

“Stubborn female,” I corrected.

“That’s-”

She didn’t get the chance to say anything else before I kissed her. I wasn’t a fucking idiot. I knew she was trying to keep some distance from me. She didn’t want to like me. Which meant I needed to take every opportunity to show her why she did like me. And what I could bring to her life. Plus, kissing her was fun.

She melted against me, forgetting herself for a moment before she stiffened. It was probably too much, kissing her twice in one day. She put her hands against my chest. They slid underneath my cut and I growled in pleasure that there was only my thin cotton t-shirt between us.

“You’re killing me, Lightning.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’ll live, Cowboy,” she teased. Then she frowned.

“What?” I asked, bending my head toward her. She didn’t complain or move away so I rubbed my lips along her skin.

“Well,” she said, lost in thought. “You’re not really a cowboy. But you kind of are.” She seemed to realize what I was doing and the fact that she was leaning her head to the side to allow me more access around the same time that she stopped speaking. She stepped away from me. “You’re very…”

“Handsome?” I offered when she seemed to be searching for a word. I grinned at her.

“Handsy,” she said, glaring at me.

If she thought that was handsy, then she was going to be in for a surprise. I was going to do my best to rub every inch ofme against every part of her every damn opportunity I got. I just gave her an innocent smile.

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