Page 28 of Bad Boy Crush

A completely distracting, utterly unforgettable kiss…that he apologized for?

WTF?

May shook her curls. “No.”

“No, what?”

“No to your bullshit explanation.” May leaned in to whisper, “How was it?”

“Distracting.” That was the polite way to put it. The kiss had made her hot all over, even though she was barely dressed. And rather than stop the kiss, and remind him that they were friends with a capital F, she’d leaned in.

He hadn’t asked permission but sought it in the space separating their lips in the split second before they touched. He’d kept the pressure light, giving her ample opportunity to stop him. Stopping him had never been an option. So, she’d leaned in. And then he’d leaned in, not slowing down after she’d made it clear she liked it.

And oh God, had she liked it.

Her body felt as if it had levitated, and her skin puckered like she’d been rolling in a million cotton balls. By the time her fingertips encountered the scruff on his jawline, she’d been lost.

As much of a blur as the kiss was, there was one clear visual that dominated her addled mind. The deep, burnt-caramel shade of his irises wrapped around dilated, black pupils. Which meant Lou hadn’t been alone in liking that kiss.

“Lager,” Paul Bunyan interrupted. “Hello, there. I guess this one is for you.” He handed Lou and May the beers and excused himself to fetch another.

“You look like you need to drink both of these.” May offered her cup.

“Or pour them over my head.” Lou took a drink of her beer to quench her parched throat.

May laughed as she pulled Lou into a side hug. “From where I stood, that kiss looked like heaven on earth. Don’t you dare regret it. If nothing more happens between you two, you will always have the memory of that luscious lip-lock.”

nine

The axe-throwing competition hadn’t gone well for Ant. He was either short on practice or their shared kiss had knocked him for as big of a loop as it had her. All three of his axes had missed the target.

The tree toss was next, and Lou prayed he would do better with that. Ant went last of the twelve competitors. She found herself nervously knotting and unknotting her fingers while watching him haul the massive log up and balance it onto his shoulder. When he launched it into the air, she held her breath. When the judges measured and determined it’d landed the second farthest, right in front of Hunter’s toss, she let that breath out.

The state champion did not appear to take losing well. Hunter hadn’t stopped scowling.

It was finally time for the last competition of the day: log splitting. Lou delivered a beer to May and, her own beer in hand, climbed into the throne next to her friend. Side by side was a tight fit but May insisted she wanted a good seat for the “blatant display of manliness.”

“I wonder why Xavier didn’t compete,” May said.

“Why don’t you ask him?” Xavier was chatting with Brady, who was in uniform and helping with crowd control. Lou pointed. “He’s over there.”

The bartender was hard to miss in a bright short-sleeved button-down shirt with a floral print. He was leaner, rangier than Ant, so his arms didn’t strain the seams in the same way, but his muscles were still impressive.

“That man has an ass that doesn’t quit,” May said under her breath.

Fact. Xavier’s snug canvas shorts showcased a round butt anyone could appreciate. “I thought you didn’t like hot guys.”

“I don’t date hot guys,” May corrected. “I like him just fine. I can admire him just fine. He is fine.”

“He likes you. And not like he likes me. If you’d let him, I bet he would peel you out of that dress and do dastardly, deliciously dirty things to you.”

“Ohh! Do tell.” May put her fist under her chin and batted her lashes.

Lou happily rose to the challenge. “Like dive in beard-first and not come up for air for a very long time.”

Her friend let out a raucous laugh. “Shame on you for putting that notion in my head.”

“You’ll thank me later.”

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