Page 72 of Just Shred

“Are you fucking crazy? I could have run you over,” Jesse growls, opening his door and hopping out.

I grab his arms and press him back against the side.

“Let me go, Ace,” he mutters and shakes his head. “Fuck, I thought,” he begins and runs an angry hand over his face. “Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.”

“No,” I tell him, closing the door with a thud.

“What the fuck was that with your brother?” he bellows.

“How much did you hear?” I ask, taking a shuddering breath.

“Fucking enough,” he drawls, his eyes blazing with fury.

“I’m sorry for walking away, for saying things I didn’t even mean. I’m a mess. The sooner you know that the better,” I tell him, taking a step toward him, “I needed—” I breathe and press him against the door with my body.

“You what?” he asks, his jaw twitching while he glares at me.

I stand on my tiptoes and press my lips against the corner of his mouth.

“What are you doing?” he asks, not returning my kiss.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” I trail my lips to the other side of his parted lips.

“Fuck. Whatever you’re doing, it’s working, babe,” Jesse swears. He rests his hands on my waist, and I push my crotch against him. As I kiss below his jawline, his erection grows hard against my stomach.

“Are you trying to convince me to sleep with you again and forget about what you just told your brother?” he growls. “If that’s the case, babe …” he says, exhaling hard through his nose.

“Then?” I ask, my lips an inch away from his.

“It’s working.” He grabs the back of my neck and spins me around. My back hits the door with a thud. His fingers disappear into my hair. “You piss me off, babe.” He yanks my head back and I moan. Scraping my neck with his stubble, his breath is warm against my cold skin while he swears under his breath. “It’s fucking working,” he grits out, the anger radiating from his body.

“Get in the truck, Ace. I’m gonna take you home, fuck you first, and then we are going to talk this shit out,” he states, his voice steady and deadly.

“Because you asked so nicely, asshole,” I groan, and he flashes me a cocky half smile.

It takes him half an hour to get to his place, but instead of stopping the car, he drives on and parks it in front of a cabin in the woods.

“Come on,” he orders. Shutting the door, I walk up to the house with him.

“What is this place?” I ask, mystified.

“This is mine as well,” he mutters. “See the light over there down the road? That’s where we passed my place.”

“This house is beautiful. It kind of looks like a log cabin.”

“It should. I spent the better part of the last three years working on it with a construction buddy of mine. Figured it would be a good rental. I was planning on renting it out during the high season. Don’t judge,” he says, opening the front door. Inside, the cabin is big and cozy, with high ceilings and windows reaching the floor. With a stairway to the side, probably leading to more rooms on the small second story. There is a big rug in front of the fireplace, and an open kitchen on the right. This place could easily be featured in an outdoor country living magazine.

“You want something to drink before we have that talk?” he asks, dumping his backpack and jacket on the floor, then he turns on all the lights as he walks to the kitchen. I take my coat and scarf off, placing them on a chair near the door.

“Do you ever relax between snowboarding and building things like this?” I snicker, taking in the living room, ruggedly decorated with graffiti art on the wall.

“I do.” He grins at me. “The drink, babe, before we settle this shit?”

“I’d love a beer,” I say, letting my hand travel over the back of the couch.

He winks and grabs two from the fridge. He hands me one, then sits next to me on the couch in front of the fireplace. I put the can to my mouth, and he watches me swallow the liquid.

“Shall I get a fire going?” he asks, staring at me.

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