Page 78 of Legacy of Lies
“I know. Damn.” She jumped to her feet.
His gut knotted. His heart lurched and twisted like a terrified, chained dog in his chest. She couldn’t leave. Not yet. Whatever her future plans involved, he’d figure out a way to be involved, right? Standing up, he grabbed her hand, yanked her to him, ripped off his hat, and kissed her. He needed her in his life, without resentment. He needed her. Like now. Groaning, he shifted his stance to relieve the sudden pressure in his jeans.
As he slid his arms around her back and neck, he ran his tongue over the seam of her lips until she opened on a gasp. The floral scent of her hair, her sweet taste, the silky slide of her tongue tangled with his – all shot sensations right to his hardening erection, which didn’t give a shit about how much she did or didn’t like ranch life. All he wanted right now was Sara, preferably naked.
As she shivered beneath his hands, regret stopped him. They had few options for impromptu sex on the suddenly much too crowded ranch, should the mood strike.
And damn, how the mood struck Garrison.
He worked a hand under her jacket and pulled her even closer, wanting more of her body pressed to his.
He slid a hand into her hair and tugged her head back, exposing her flawless neck. As he licked and nipped his way downward, her little gasps and sounds of happiness drove him to taste more skin. Until her shirt collar stopped him.
But he sure could improvise.
He dragged his mouth sideways over her lower neck and worked his way back up to her mouth. Keeping her head tilted, he plunged his tongue back through her parted lips. God, he could drink her in like this forever.
When he finally came up for air, they were both breathing hard. Her pupils had dilated, and her flushed cheeks put him about a second away from throwing her down and making love to her right there on the barn floor.
He couldn’t do that. Sara deserved better.
Damn.
Sara. Who had as much as said that her life didn’t have room for him in it.
Sara, who had told him she wanted to leave. Again.
After one more kiss, designed to get her attention, he stepped back, keeping his hands on her shoulders.
Her lips trembled. No force in this world would stop him if she gave him the green light to take things to a new level right now.
“So?” he asked.
“Well. Okay, then. Wow,” she said.
“Um.” Apparently all he could muster was a single syllable around her.
She blinked once. Twice. The passion on her face morphed into a sadness that looked suspiciously like regret. Damn it.
He had to salvage this conversation or he’d lose her. He needed to figure out how to give her time and space when he wanted her here and now.
“Damn it, Sara. I want you, and not just, well, because you’re hot.” They both cringed.
This time, he lifted his palm to cut off her response. No way could he deal with rejection. Not right this minute, with her smell and taste still tormenting his senses.
He dropped his hands. “So I agree with you. Yes, you should go home. Not that I don’t want you here. I do. But you need to decide what you want. Decide if I fit into any type of future with you.”
Damn her blank stare, her thinned lips. “Okay, then. You’re right. I’ll leave.” Turning away from him, she took a few steps, then pivoted back around. “Stay here. I’m taking you away from your work. And I can’t handle you walking me to my car.”
“Sara—”
The side door closed with the dull thud of wood in the frame, leaving him alone with the disapproving eye rolls of several horses, a hard-on that threatened to squeeze off his blood supply, and sour regret in the pit of his stomach.
Nothing to do now. Garrison would give her space to think their relationship through, even if it killed him.
