Page 67 of Always a Bridesmaid
“Again?” she asked. “Or do you want a turn to drive?”
“I’ll drive us home. You go ahead and play in the mud as long as you’d like.”
The girl gunned it, mud splattered his posterior, and then he was hugging her to keep from falling instead of using it as an excuse to hold her.
“Do you see that log sticking out of the water?” he ask-yelled.
“What?” she hollered over the sound of the engine.
Oh shit.Ford lunged to hit the brakes and stop them in time, but his reaction was too slow, the vehicle going too fast.
The four-wheeler hit the log and went vertical, and since he’d let go of Violet to grasp for the controls, the machine bucked him off.
A jolt rocketed his spine and rattled his teeth as he landed on his ass.
Mud squished between his fingers, water seeped into his jeans, and he brought up his forearm and swiped his face. Namely the bit around his eyes.
The engine died, and panic held him captive as he searched for Violet in the mess.
Sucking footsteps came from his other side. Violet lumbered through the puddle and dropped to her knees in front of him. “Are you okay?”
He meant to answer, but then she was running her hands over him, her face crinkled with concern. Finally, he forced his tongue into motion. “I’m fine. You?”
Relief smoothed her features and loosened her shoulders. She swept mud-speckled strands of hair away from her pretty face. “Yeah. The four-wheeler did a total parkour move off that log, but I felt you fall, so I killed the engine and came running.”
Violet wobbled to her feet and extended a hand. He gripped hold of it, the mud slimy yet gritty between their palms. The current between them snapped and sparked, igniting his libido, along with his mischievous side. She heaved, and rather than helping, he gave a sharp tug, throwing her off-balance.
She fell on top of him, their wet skin and clothes slipping against each other as he braced her hips. His evil laugh sounded similar to the cackling noise she’d made every time she’d taken a turn that left him significantly dirtier.
Ford rolled so she was the one lying in the goop. “Like a hog to mud…”
She scowled, the mostly unsullied skin around her eyes emphasizing her fiery side. “Comparing me to a hog isn’t as charming as you think it is, Ford McGuire.”
“If you’re a hog, I’m a hog, too. Does that make it better?”
“No,” she said as she propped herself up on her elbows, but she giggled and slapped murky water at him.
They splashed and batted water at each other until they were both soaked.
As their rapid breaths slowed, the ripples stilled, and their gazes latched on to each other. The air shifted, and damn she was beautiful.
Ford braced his palms on either side of her hips and crawled over her until his body hovered over hers. “Violet?”
A shaky breath filled the space between them. “Yeah?”
“I’m going to kiss you now.”
Her pink tongue flicked out to wet her lips, enticing him closer, and he stifled a groan. It’d been a long time since he’d wanted to kiss a woman this badly, yet he hesitated.
Once their mouths met, their carefree puppy-training and wedding-planning sessions would come with extra baggage. There’d be expectations and feelings and a whole mess of other stuff he still wasn’t sure he was ready for.
She angled her head, drawing his attention to the column of her neck and lower… Thanks to the water, her shirt was plastered against her chest. Hypnotized, he watched it rise and fall. Rise and fall.
Going back was for suckers anyway.
Ford brushed his lips over hers, a quick taste that had him wanting a whole lot more. A quick readjust so that his forearms were in the mud, and he sank into her curves as he molded his mouth to hers.
Violet parted her lips, inviting him deeper, and he swept his tongue inside to tangle with hers. Her moan spurred him on, and he slid his hand underneath the hem of her shirt. He stroked her soft skin, sucking her upper lip into his mouth as he put more of his weight on his left side. His erection strained against his zipper—a deluge of pleasure and a zing of pain.
