Page 13 of Brand Me, Cowboy's Second Chance

And then I kiss her.

I grab the back of her neck and pull her to me. Our mouths collide and the result sparks like a match to dry timber. There's no more hesitation, no testing the waters. It’s just adrenaline and need.

Fire burns through me, and it's all-consuming. I part her lips with my tongue, and it's fierce. She tastes like everything I've ever wanted and convinced myself I couldn't have. Her hands tangle in my shirt like she's trying to hold herself together. But I'm ready for her to fall apart.

I press her back against the wall. My thigh shoves between hers. Her dress rides up just enough to make my heart stop. I kiss her like she's mine. Like she's always belonged to me… because she has. And when she moans into my mouth, low and desperate, I damn near lose it.

Gripping Anny's hips, I anchor her to me. Her tongue slides against mine, and I swear I see fireworks. I'd stay in this hallway forever if she'd let me. When we finally break apart, we're breathing like we've just run from a barn fire. Her lipstick's smudged. My shirt's wrinkled. Her fingers are still fisted in my collar, and her eyes are wide.

The truth pounds through me.

It’s in my head, in my chest, and in every beat of my blood. I know I never should've left her. Never should've believed the lies I told myself about what she needed, or about what I was capable of. Because this woman doesn’t need a perfect hero, she needs me.

And I need her. I’ll burn the whole damn ranch to the ground before I let anyone take her from me again.

CHAPTER9

ANNY

I don't knowwho moves first. Maybe it's me, but it could be him.

One minute we're standing in the hallway of the Velvet Spur, still breathless from that kiss. Next, we're sprinting across the moonlit ranch like kids again. I can't help but giggle, and my heart thuds in my chest.

"Come on," Fallon calls over his shoulder, glancing back at me with a crooked grin that guts me.

He's holding my hand like he doesn't ever plan to let go again. And damn it... I don't want him to. The night air is cool. The grass is soft beneath my feet when I slip out of my heels and duck between barns.

We cross the paddocks like we're on a mission… And maybe we are. We both know where we're heading without saying a word.

The old barn is tucked out at the edge of the property. These days it's half-hidden by oak trees and overgrown shrubs. It's set far enough from the main path that no one wanders by it by accident.

When we reach it, I find the old barn is quieter than I remember. But the doors still make the same loud creak when Fallon pushes them open. The floorboards still groan like they remember every secret we ever left in their knots and grain.

It isn’t perfect, but this is our place. It's where he'd get that wild look in his eyes. It’s where we came to hold each other back when I had a heart I hadn't learned how to guard yet. Being in here with him now, our past rushes back to me.

Fallon kicks the door shut behind us. The silence wraps around us like a warm blanket. He turns to me slowly, and his eyes darken. I know what he wants and I'm desperate to give it to him. Then he's closing the distance between us. But he doesn't touch me. Not yet. Instead he circles me slowly, his heat radiating toward me in waves.

"Do you remember the first time I kissed you in here?" His breath is warm against my neck.

I nod, unable to find my voice as he stands behind me. We’re close enough that I can feel the rise and fall of his chest.

"You were wearing that blue sundress.” His fingers finally make contact with my skin as he traces the line of my shoulder. "Had your hair braided like you always did when it was hot."

His hand slides down my arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake. "I was so nervous my hands were shaking."

"Your hands aren't shaking now."

His eyes lock on mine, dark with intent. "No, they're not."

He places his palms flat against the wall on either side of my head, caging me in. The heat between us is unbearable, every inch of my body aching for his touch.

"Tell me to stop," he whispers, his lips hovering just above mine.

"Don't you dare," I breathe.

His mouth crashes down on mine, and it's like striking a match in a room full of gasoline. His hands are on my hips, and I’m in his arms again. He presses my back into the wooden wall as his mouth finds mine. He slides the fabric of my dress off my shoulder, then plants hot kisses on my newly exposed skin. He traces down my collarbone, across the hollow of my throat, and on the top of my breasts.

When he reaches my mouth again, the kiss slows and deepens. It’s like he’s memorizing me all over again. Fallon’s trying to make up for every kiss we didn’t have in the years we were apart, and it melts me. His fingers slide down to the hem of my dress.

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