Page 9 of Hitch Me

"I want..." She trails off, breathing hard. "I want you to take me home."

Those six words hit me like a lightning strike. I pull back to look at her. I search her face to make sure I heard her right.

"Brynn, are you?—"

"I'm sure." Her hands slide up my chest to cup my face. "I've been sure about you since I was seventeen years old. I was just too scared to do anything about it. I’m done being scared.”

Every part of my body ignites and I inch her shirt up over her bra. Then the damn door blows open. Holden and Bowen burst inside. Brynn Rose goes rigid in my arms. I cover her mouth and tug her shirt down with a quiet laugh. I wonder if we can slip out without being seen.

"Talked to Danner about it again today," Holden is saying in a low voice. "She's definitely coming out to the ranch for Christmas."

Brynn Rose looks up at me. I shrug. They haven’t seen us. I take her hand and pull her toward the back door.

"This is insane. I can hardly believe it. A fucking sister," Bowen shakes his head. "After all these years."

I reach the doorknob, but hesitate. Suddenly interested in what my brothers have to say.

Bowen continues, "I’m just putting it together. It was obvious all along I guess. I just didn’t know to look for it. Her name starts with an E. She’s got to be the missing letter in the Kingridge family alphabet. But I guess we’ll find out at Christmas time. We are about to meet our long lost sister, apparently. Wait until Sagebrush Creek gets ahold of that news. Thank god we’ve got time before anyone finds out. It might put Pa right over the edge. What would a Kingridge brother even look like if he was a chic…"

My jaw drops open. I’ve only just recovered from the shock of our half-brother Danner’s existence. This can’t be happening.

Brynn Rose tugs my hand. Her voice is a whisper, “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

CHAPTER 7

BRYNN ROSE

We stepout into the night air and the door closes softly behind us. The cool breeze is a sharp contrast to the heat still burning through my veins. Geoffrey laces his fingers through mine and my heart thuds in my chest. I’ve wanted this man all my life and even still, I never imagined it’d feel like this.

We make it a few feet down the road before I plant my mouth on his all over again. He makes a surprised sound against my lips before his arms come around me. He pulls me flush against his body. This kiss is desperate. It’s like we're both done pretending this isn't exactly where we want to be.

"Brynn," he breathes against my mouth and his hands sliding down to grip my hips. "We're in the parking lot."

"I don't care," I whisper back, and I mean it. For once in my life, I don't care who might see or what anyone might think. All I care about is the way he feels pressed against me, solid, warm, and real.

"My truck," he says, his voice rough with want. "It's right there."

I follow his gaze to the white pickup parked under the shadow of an old oak tree. We practically run towards it. Geoffrey opens the passenger door. But instead of helping me in,he backs me up against the side of the cab. His hands brace on either side of my head.

"Tell me to stop," he says, his forehead resting against mine. "Tell me this is crazy and we should go slow."

"It is crazy. But don’t you dare stop."

That's all the permission he needs. His mouth crashes into mine again. He kisses me like he's been starving for it. It’s like he's been thinking about this moment for as long as I have and the thought makes me ache for him.

When his lips trail down my neck, I let my head fall back against the truck. My breath comes in short gasps. The combination of his mouth and the cool night air on my heated skin is intoxicating.

"Get in the truck," he murmurs against my throat.

I slide into the passenger seat. He's right behind me. When he pulls the door shut, he plunges us into intimate darkness. The cab of his truck smells like leather and his cologne. It feels like I’ve been transported to another world I never want to leave.

"Come here," he says, reaching for me.

I don't hesitate. I climb over the center console and into his lap, straddling him in the driver's seat. His hands immediately find my waist, steadying me. When I look down at him in the dim light filtering through the windshield, the expression on his face takes my breath away.

His mouth becomes urgent, hungrier, as he works his way back up to capture my lips again. The kiss is deep and consuming, stealing my breath and replacing it with pure need. When his hand slides beneath the hem of my shirt, his palm warm against my bare skin, I arch into his touch with a soft moan that seems to echo in the confined space of the truck cab.

My fingers thread through his hair. He cups my face in his hands. His mouth blazes a trail down my throat. I arch into him, gasping as his lips brush that sensitive spot where my pulsehammers against my skin. Geoffrey's firm length springs up beneath me, rock hard. I feel myself melting into him.

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