Page 34 of Outlaw Ridge: Reed
She sighed. “Reed Winston, you’re too much of a gentleman.”
He was. And at the moment, that felt like a whopping big curse. “Trust me. It’s not easy.”
Hallie smiled, and this time, it was the real deal.
He wanted to claim that smile with his mouth. Wanted to kiss and haul her off to bed. But Reed forced himself to stay put while Hallie turned and walked away from him.
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Chapter Thirteen
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Hallie glanced at the clock again. And cursed again. Five AM. Her body had needed sleep, but her mind had obviously had other ideas about that.
Outside, she could hear the storm that’d moved in during the past hour. The rain was pelting against the windows and skylights, and there were the occasional rumbles of thunder. It was like something from one of those sound machines, and normally, it would send her into a deep sleep.
Not this time though.
The details of the murders and investigation kept circling in her mind. Thoughts of her father’s murder. Of the wounded deputy, Aaron, who was still in the hospital. But one of the biggest thoughts that just wouldn’t go away was Reed.
Thoughts of that kiss.
Of this relentless need she had for him.
The timing couldn’t be worse for what she was feeling, but here it was. That need was clawing its way through her. And it didn’t appear to be letting up anytime soon. The few minutes of sleep that she’d managed to get had been filled with dreams not of murders and cop stuff.
Nope.
They’d been all of Reed and her, picking up where they’d left off with those scalding kisses. Hard to get something like that out of her head when her body was aching for more of him.
At least she wasn’t in physical pain, and that was something at least. The dull throb in her chest had finally let up several hours ago. Then again, if the pain were still around, she might not be fantasizing about Reed being in the guestroom directly across the hall from her. Just steps away.
So close that she could be there in seconds…
Hallie forced that thought to skid to a halt, and silently cursing herself, she threw back the covers. Enough of this. Best to get up and work rather than keep up this kind of sweet torture.
She eased open her door, careful not to make any noise to wake Reed, and she stepped out into the hall.
And smacked right into him.
The jolt of surprise sent her heart racing. Reed’s hands came up to steady her, his touch warm and firm against her arms. The dim light from the hall cast shadows on his face, highlighting the concern.
“Hell,” he grumbled. “Did that hurt your bruise?”
“No,” she managed to say, but that was it. Her breath had suddenly gone too thin for her to add anything else.
It was as if there’d been no time between those earlier kisses and now. As if they had indeed picked right up from where they’d left off. But there were some big differences between then and now.
Now, Reed was partially naked. His chest was anyway. No shirt, and while he’d pulled on his jeans, they weren’t zipped and hung low on his hips.
Of course, she wasn’t exactly dressed for a workday either. Barefoot, no bra, and the thin sleep tee suddenly felt very thinindeed. Every part of Reed seemed to brush against every part of her.
“I, uh, couldn’t sleep,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She was painfully aware of all the body to body contact with him, of the way his breath mingled with hers in the cool air. Aware of everything.
He said nothing, didn’t step back, and he didn’t let go of her. She didn’t want him to. She could feel the heat of his body, the tension coiled between them, ready to snap. It was as if they were both waiting for the other to make the first move.
And Reed made that move all right.
