Page 29 of Wildflower and Whiskey
My hand slipped lower, beneath the hem of her shirt, rough fingertips skating over smooth skin. She shuddered her hips,tilting into my touch, and before I knew it my knuckles were brushing the damp heat between her thighs through her panties.
“Phoenix. . .” she gasped, her nails clutching my shoulders.
I shouldn’t be touching her like this. Where was my self-control? Her hips rocked into my hand, seeking and desperate, and any logic or control I had flew out the window. My fingers shifted her panties to the side, and I pressed my finger, grazing her clit.
Her lips parted as she moaned. “Please… don’t stop.”
She was begging me. The sound went straight to my spine, and I swallowed her cry with my mouth as I slid my finger between her folds, pumping inside her tight pussy while my thumb drew circles over her nub. She came apart trembling against me like a firecracker exploding in my arms.
She sagged against my chest, and I could feel her heartbeat wild against mine. Her breathing was fast and hot against my neck. I held her close enjoying the feel of her body against mine. I was dizzy with the taste of her, but I’d just crossed a line I couldn’t uncross.
And then the door creaked open.
“Bloody hell.”
Cooper’s voice.
I jerked my head toward him, every muscle in my body seizing. He stood frozen in the doorway, a set of keys dangling from his fingers, his eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights.
Elyna went stiff against me, then shoved away like I’d burned her. “I-I have to go,” she stammered, tugging at her shirt and bolting down the hall without meeting my eyes.
The silence left in her wake felt heavier than stone.
Cooper blinked. “Well,” he said slowly, “that explains a lot.”
I dragged a hand down my face, my pulse still thrumming. “Not a word, Coop.”
His lips twitched like he was fighting a smile. I wanted to be annoyed with him, but my head was spinning over what I had just done. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
But the damage was already done.
CHAPTER 16
Elyna
The walk back to the loft was short but it felt like miles. The air was cooler now and the sky was dotted with so many stars. We couldn’t see this many stars in Montreal. Maple Valley was picturesque with its rows of orchards, the hum of crickets, the faint glow of the brewery lights. It was so peaceful and beautiful. But my head was spinning too fast to take any of it in. How could I let that happen? It wasn’t just I hadn’t been touched in ages. It was him. Phoenix Thorne. Everything he stood for . . .strong, steady, untouchable. I’d spent years convincing myself I wasn’t good enough for that kind of man. After the choices I made in high school and falling for Riley, it felt like I was determined to fail at every turn. Yet tonight, for a brief moment I’d wanted to be good enough for a man like Phoenix. I didn’t want to feel broken or like a failure. I wanted to be a woman that a man like him would want. The thought shook me as I reached the loft. Izzy was sitting cross-legged on the floor with Braden, who was babbling happily.
“Thank you for watching him on such short notice,” I said, meaning it more than she could know.
She smiled, gathering her things. “Of course. He’s an angel. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Then she was gone, leaving me in the quiet.
I went through the motions of our nightly routine of bathing Braden, slipping him into pajamas, and settling him into the playpen, but my insides were unraveling. My heart was still pounding from the heat of his body pressed against mine, from the way his lips tasted, the way I could still feel his scent on me. The way I came undone from his touch.
I told myself over and over.It can never happen again.
I can’t lose my head over a guy. Not when I’ve got Braden to raise. That’s what the old Elyna did, she chased the wrong boys and filled her emptiness with bad choices. I thought I was holding it together after Mom died, but I was a mess. Now I wasn’t that girl anymore. I refused to be. Even as I sat on the edge of my bed remembering the shadows of my past, I couldn’t shake it. Couldn’t stop thinking about the hard lines of Phoenix’s body, the heat of his hands, the hunger in his kiss.
I had never been so hungry for someone in my life. And that terrified me more than anything.
I’d finally settled Braden in for the night. His soft breathing filled the loft like a balm. My phone buzzed on the nightstand. For a moment, I thought about ignoring it. But then I saw his name.
Riley.
My stomach dropped. I didn’t want to deal with him now. Not after Phoenix left me feeling so wanted and special. But my past was coming back to bite me in the ass, and there was no avoiding it. I picked up my phone feeling impatient and exasperated.
Riley:So you’re working for the Thornes now. Figures. They’ve got money. You always land on your feet, don’t you?
