Page 73 of Golden Hour

“What are you doing?” Jackson asks.

“Our job.”

“Shiloh,” he says, his hand gripping my bicep. His hands hover on my arms, barely touching. I can’t look up at him. Thank goodness I’m short, or I might grab the back of his neck and kiss him. My eyes focus on the wood grain on the floor.

“Look at me,” he says. I resist until he takes one finger and lifts my chin. The earth slows down; I cannot breathe. My eyelids flutter as I finally look at him. His pupils flick back and forth, considering me.

I squeeze past him and let out the fakest laugh of my life. “Jackson, I’m fine. Completely fine. You’re the one being weird.”

“You just called me Jackson. Again.”

“So?” I open the cooler and my fingertips dance on the can tops, pretending to count.

“Fine. I’ll go out with Andrew. He seems nice enough.”

“You’ll go out on a date with him.Him.”

“Sure. Maybe it’s time I get back out there. It’s been enough time since Mark.”

Jackson’s eyebrows scrunch together, and his eyes narrow in on me.

“Now, who’s being weird?” I ask. “You’re my friend. Be happy for me.”

“No.”

My breath catches in my lungs. I stand up, inching close to him. “Why?”

For seconds, he does nothing, just shoves his hands in his pockets. “I want you for myself.”

Did I hear him correctly? “What?”

He takes one step towards me, our bodies inches from one another’s.

“I should’ve done this under the mistletoe.”

Jackson leans down and takes my mouth with his.

His lips are frozen on mine at first. He doesn’t move, just holds my arms in his hands. My body goes rigid; I’m thunderstruck. Is this really happening right now? Heat radiates through my cheeks as our lips fuse together, unmoving, testing.

My hands cup his jaw when he pulls back, his eyes dart back and forth. I rub my lips together and commit to be bold.

“It’s about time,” I say. Jackson scoops me up, in a tizzy of lips and tongues.

His mouth melts into mine, and my body is an inferno as our faces tilt back and forth, our lips moving together. The way his pelvis presses into me, I can feel the outline of his cock hard against my belly. We could make love if we wanted to, but this moment is too precious to rush. It’s been months of buildup. I want to enjoy this.

We explore each other’s mouths, and I sink into his embrace further. A tiny moan leaves my mouth, and he growls, his mouth leaving my lips to trail down my throat. My head bends, letting him take what he wants, my core screaming.

His hands drift to my backside, squeezing my ass, and my feet leave the ground as he sets my butt onto the bar top. He pushes my legs apart so he can fit between them; I’m taller than him now as we kiss.

I expected him to be rusty, but everything about this is perfection.

Kissing Jackson exceeds my wildest dreams.

We lose track of time as we kiss. I’m gasping for air, but I go back under.

I pull away and jerk when I see the clock. “Wally, it’s nine o’clock.”

“What?” He turns with puffy lips, his skin flush. “Oh shit.”

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