Page 66 of The Jester and His Outlaw: Part One

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, and I will reassure you every time you doubt it. Let me listen, let me help you. Like I said before, you are not alone.” Even if whatever this is between us becomes nothing more, I will be there for him as friends.

“I don’t deserve you,” he mumbles, pale eyes roaming my lips, and I’m not sure if he said it to me or himself. His breathing is shallow and fast and he’s giving off a nervous vibe that’s setting me on edge. Actually, no, I don’t think it’s his vibe that makes me nervous, but being here with him. My feelings for him make me nervous. I don’t need to hate him, but I certainly shouldn’t feel for him the way I do.

“I’m hardly something to be deserved,” I say, breathless.

He cups my cheek in response, running the pad of his thumb over my cheekbone as he has a silent conversation with himself. I don’t back away, letting him figure it out for himself. I know what my heart and brain want. They’re not agreeing.

His kiss is hard and fast and I have no warning before he’s parting my lips with his tongue and darting inside. I kiss him back with just as much force, just as much passion. Telling him every meaning my words cannot possess.

Wanting more, I let out a small whimper, and he bites my bottom lip, letting it slide between his teeth. My lip makes a popping sound when it plops back in place against my teeth and he chuckles. I don’t give him a chance to back away. Instead, I thread my fingers through the belt loops slung low on his hips and haul him closer. I’m moving fast, but I’m caught up in the moment and he’s hot. Not to mention he kisses like a god.

He lets out a deep groan as our bodies meet, and I know why when his hard length grinds into me. I gasp into his kiss.

“Charley, fuck. I’m sorry.” He tries to pull away, but I don’t let him. I wiggle my hips, enjoying him.

“For what?” I ask in a way so light it’s like I can’t get enough oxygen in my lungs.

“I don’t want you to think this is what I want.”

“You don’t want me like that?” I’m probably overreacting. I mean, his body speaks for itself, but I can’t help but be a little taken aback by his comment.

“Outlaw, don’t be ridiculous. Of course I want you like that.”Outlaw…when did that become a thing? It seems… possessive, but I like it. His lips meet mine once again as he grinds his erection into me, eliciting a needy moan that he captures with his mouth. “I want you so bad it fucking hurts right now. But that’s not all I want.”

“Okay,” I breathe as he peppers kisses over my jaw and to the sensitive flesh beneath my ear like he just can’t stop touching me. Crazy hot and confusing at the same time. “Riggs.”

I squirm as my nipples turn to pebbles and my boobs grow heavy, yearning for his touch. I clench my legs shut to squelch the fire, but it’s pointless. With him so close, his lips traversing my body, the fire will never snuff out. My carnal reaction to him is alarming. This is too fast.

He pulls back, and this time I let him.

This isn’t a place for sex, regardless of how badly I want him to move my panties aside and fuck me against this brick wall. I still need to work out how I feel about all of this, it’s happening so fast. My affections toward him are hitting me like a tidal wave, and I need to sort them out before we even get close to doing that. We had one afternoon in a cafe.

“I’m having my work sent to me online…” he starts before he trails off and swallows. He’s still panting from our kiss, his hand still hot and rubbing my cheek. I can’t get myself to remove it, though I should.

“She’s not good, is she?” His head swivels and my heart aches like a bull just rammed through the china shop. I knew there was something wrong, and he’s been dealing with everything on his own. Well, except for Jensen. No need for me to be upset with him, though. We may have kissed, but we aren’t together. He has to handle things the way he knows how. He’ll let me in when he is ready, I guess. “Anything I can do?”

“You’re doing it.” I’m stunned when, over my heart, he flattens his palm out and his eyes fall shut. His thumb taps out the rhythm of my heartbeat.

“Girl, did you two just fuck?”Kai grimaces, grumbling to himself, and Jensen stiffens with her question.

“Foxy! What in the world? No, I did notbanghim.” With that, Jensen slackens, his shoulders drawing in a fraction. Did he not want me with Riggs?

“Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was that big of a secret. You’re in his damn hoodie when it’s seventy degrees outside. That has to count for something. And skirts, you know… easy access.” Kai pans to her, agonizingly slow, his face having gone pale and blank.

She isn’t wrong. I’m sitting at the tablely in his hoodie, wondering what the fuck just happened. We kissed…kissed.He kissed me and I kissed him back.

“Can we stop talking about Riggs getting in my little sister’s panties, please?” I fight back a snicker, loving how uncomfortable this is making them. Guys are so ridiculous. Here I am, rooting for him to get into Foxy’s pantswithJ and he can barely hear about me withoneof his friends.

“Oh, right. Sorry, Kai, just stating that I don’t think it’s a bad thing if she fucks him.” I look up from my coffee and snuggle deep into Riggs’ hoodie, enveloping me in the smell of him I apparently love so much now.

I didn’t mean to take it from him, but when I did and slung it over my shoulders, he told me the hoodie looked good on me and that he hoped it would show me he wasn’t ghosting me. When I worry he is, he wants it to serve as a reminder that he isn’t. That he wants me to reach out to him in search of a more solid reminder. He said he doesn’t just give up his hoodie for anybody. The thought of that makes my heart race. What the hell am I getting myself into?

My gut instinct is to fight it, to run. That being with someone like Riggs Sutton might just be so epic that when it ends—young love never lasts—it will ruin me. Riggs Sutton has the power to ruin me and I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or not.

“That looks like more than just fucking to me, Fox,” Jensen adds to our misery, but I can’t be too mad at him. For some reason, it’s like he’s giving me approval, approval I need to know we are doing the right thing. That I’m not throwing my heart to the wolves by attempting a relationship with Riggs.

He knows him best. Jensen eyes me curiously with a knowing look, but I can’t quite get a read on what is going on in that mind. He could be afraid that I’m trying to screw his friend over because of how he treated me, but I hope he knows me better than that. “How did his mom die?”

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