Page 40 of Seductress

“Um, y-yeah.” I swallowed down the lump in my throat and tried again. “Yes.”

He turned to look at me, his gaze so expectant it felt like his eyes were boring into the side of my face. That last inch of space closed between us. His arm brushed against mine, setting fire to my skin as his breath skated across my neck. “And? What did you decide?”

“I—” I felt his fingers beneath my chin and let out a shaky exhale as he turned my face to his.

“I’m not ready for this to be over.” His expression was so earnest, it tore at my insides. “Please, Hardin.”

The truth was, I wasn’t ready for it to be over either. But I worried I was at risk of growing obsessed with something that had an expiration date.

“Don’t you get tired of doing everything for everyone else?”

“That’s not fair,” I whispered, my heart in my throat as I ripped my eyes away, hard as that was, and turned my focus back to my daughter. It was a low blow, and I was sensitive enough that it had hit its mark and left me stinging. I wanted something for myself, no matter how selfish that might have seemed or how guilty it made me feel.

“I just want to make you feel good, Hardin. That’s it. Let me make you feel good, baby.”

I had to hand it to the man, he had a gift when it came to turning things around for his benefit, because I couldn’t resist. My throat worked on a thick swallow as I bobbed my head in a nod. “O-okay.”

“Okay?”

I looked back at him, desperately trying not to get lost in his eyes. “I’ll do this with you. One day at a time, just us.”

The expression on his face made me shiver. He looked like he wanted to pick me up and carry me off to ravage me, and god, but I wanted that too. Unfortunately, we had to be adults.

He took a step back, providing me with some much-needed space, and with the distance, I felt like I could finally take a full breath. He was so overwhelming. The man had the ability to consume my thoughts and feelings when he got too close. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d just made a deal with the devil, but a small voice in the back of my head told me the pleasure would surely be worth the pain.

No matter how long this thing between Ford and me lasted, no matter how shattered my heart ended up, he’d already ruined me for any other man. So I figured I might as well get some enjoyment out of the ride before it inevitably crashed.

“Hey, Hazel,” Ford called, heading into the workout area toward my daughter. “You want to see where we bunk?”

“Yeah!” she shouted, like seeing a room full of beds was the most interesting thing in her life.

As the tour continued, I held back, letting the two of them enjoy themselves while I nursed my freak-out silently.

* * *

Hazel had been wired after the tour, so when the rest of the firefighters invited us to stay for pizza and a couple hands of poker, I’d decided it was probably the best way to wear her out of some of that energy.

I’d sat back and watched, laughing to the point my sides hurt as she played poker with Ford and his crew. With the help of Darryl and Lydia, she’d done pretty damn good, but when it came time to go, she’d made a show of whining when I wouldn’t let her keep her ill-gotten winnings.

It didn’t take her long to get over it, fortunately, especially since they’d all invited her back to hang with them any time.

I loaded my girl up and drove us home, my emotions all over the damn place. I felt physically and mentally strung out by the time I got her bathed and in bed, but as I crawled between my own sheets later that night, my brain refused to shut off and let me sleep.

And there was only one person it wanted to think about.

I’d just rolled over onto my other side, hoping a new position would help make sleep possible, when the screen on my phone lit up and the ding of a new text message came through.

Butterflies began to flap at gale-force in my belly when I reached over and picked it up, seeing Ford’s name on the screen.

Ford:I can’t stop thinking about you.

Simple, direct, and enough to make me squirm. God, this man really was going to be the death of me.

Me:Sounds like something you may need to see a professional about.

I could almost picture him grinning at his phone as he read my response.

Ford:Smartass.

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