They’re warm against the frigid air. Soft against the harshness of my life. Prodding my lips open with his tongue, he savors and demands but gives so much in return that I’m dizzy. All I can do is feel, and experience, and fall head-first into this man who tastes like root beer.
I clench my fists in Dillon’s shirt and hear Miller chuckle. He sounds far away, but his boots crunch in the snow beside us, and a few seconds later we’re illuminated by his truck’s headlights when it roars to life.
Dillon pulls back just enough to rest his forehead against mine. My fingers race to my now-warm lips, and he smiles. He’s so close his lips brush against the backs of my fingers.
“W—What was that?”
His eyes sparkle. “That, I hope, was your last first kiss.”
I’m shaking my head as his grin grows. It spreads across his face, and like a magical masseuse, the knots in my shoulders slowly relax.
“But…” But what? What the hell do I say to that?
“No buts, Penny. Just give me a chance. I like you. I like you a lot.”
“But Eddy. And the boys. I’ve got…”
“You’ve got a lot on your plate, but I only have me. I have plenty of room for your mess. I just need a chance to earn it.”
My mind goes blank.
“You want to earn my mess?”
Okay, maybe I didn’t hear him correctly.
“Your mess. Your heart. You, Penny. I want to earn you.”
“I—I.” Holy crap. I guess I did hear him.
“You don’t have to do anything but give me a chance. We’ll take it slow.”
My fingers still cover my lips like they can hold the heat from his kiss there for eternity. “This was slow?”
“No.” He chuckles. “That was me showing you that you deserve to be taken care of.” There’s heat in his eyes when he licks his lips. “But I’ll go slow from now on.”
Miller honks his horn, and I stumble, but Dillon is there to catch me before I land on my ass. “As much fun as this is, we need to get moving,” Miller yells from his window.
Dillon holds my hand like I’m precious and tugs me behind him to the truck. He opens the door and sticks his head inside before I can climb in. “Asshole,” he mutters, and Miller laughs.
He leans out of the way but keeps a hand pressed to my lower back as I climb into the cab. I have to slide along the bench seat toward Miller so Dillon can climb in behind me.
“Friends,” Miller starts with a chuckle.
I glare at him, daring him to say anything else.
“Chance Lake is about to get interesting.”
CHAPTER12
DILLON
Ihated leaving Penny home alone with her boys, but short of demanding a sleepover, there wasn’t much I could do when Miller announced it was time to head home after the best mac and cheese I’d ever had. I can still taste the rosemary in her cheese sauce on my lips.
Miller’s apartment on the backside of the TAC complex is small but surprisingly homey for a single guy. The refrigerator is decorated in colorful artwork, and the counters are full of papers, crayons, glue, and so many other crafting supplies I couldn’t name if I wanted to. There are two bedrooms and a bathroom that all three of us took turns using while changing out of our wet clothes from the still-falling snow.
I’ve just finished taking a piss when Izzy comes barreling into the small room.
Fuck.