Page 35 of Christmas at Hart's Ridge

“Just remember, Red. Payback’s a bitch.”

She laughed softly, like she thought I was joking. Which I sure as fuck was not.

But that was okay. She’d learn. And I intended to make damn sure she enjoyed the lesson.

I hesitated, feeling strangely vulnerable. Women had always come easy to me. I never had to ask for anything at all, much less something so innocent as a kiss. Bethany had turned the tables on me.

I could flip that table right back again, if I wanted to. I knew how to take control and make a woman happy about it. But I didn’t want to do that. What I wanted was to give Bethany whatshewanted. And I wanted her to kiss me like I wanted my next breath. Which was saying something, since death was not high on my list of fun activities. I really wanted to breathe. But I wanted her to kiss me even more.

“Please, Bethany. Please kiss me.”

She pulled back just enough that we could see each other, so close that the tips of our noses nearly bumped together. I could smell peppermint on her breath, from those candies she always kept in her pocket. Her eyes stayed locked on mine until the last possible second. They fluttered closed just as her lips pressed gently to mine. For a moment the world stilled, like it was holding its breath with me. Like the only thing that existed in the whole damn universe was the exact spot where our mouths molded together.

And then I went fuckingferalon her.

There was no other way to describe it. I kissed her like I was trying to devour her, digging my hands into her scalp, making a mess of her neat and tidy bun, thrusting my hips up at her crudely. She kissed me back, meeting my wildness with wildness of her own, and that only spurred me on.

My hand found her breast under her coat and I rubbed my thumb over the thin material of her leotard until her nipple hardened into a tight bud. She pulled back with a gasp, her eyes wide, her lips pink and glistening and irresistible. And then she scraped her white teeth over her bottom lip and I lost my damn mind all over again.

“That lip ismine,” I growled.

And dragged her back to my mouth, where I sank my own teeth into that pretty plush lip of hers. Not hard enough to bleed, but not too gently, either. She moaned into my mouth, her fingernails digging into my scalp like I had done to her.

I left her mouth, kissing down her neck to her collar bone, and ran my tongue along the collar of her leotard, sucking gently where the fabric met her soft skin.

“Please tell me this thing has snaps at the crotch,” I muttered.

“It…it does not.”

I groaned. How the hell was I going to get her out of it? I was going to have to rip it. Becausenothaving her wasn’t a viable option right now.

“Luke, I—” Her words were cut off by her phone. “It’s Ethan,” she said before she even looked at it. “He’s the only one who would call instead of text.”

“Don’t answer it,” I said.

“He only calls when it’s important.”

This is important. But who was I to make that claim on her? She could give her attention to whoever she wanted. And that, apparently, was my little brother. Jealousy twisted my insides, even though I knew it was stupid.

“Hey, Ethan,” she said breathlessly. “What’s up?”

“Are you dancing?” My little brother’s voice came through slightly muffled.

“No, rehearsal is done. I’m on my way home.”

“You sound out of breath.”

I laughed silently. She frowned at me, but I just smirked.

“It took me a minute to find my phone, that’s all,” she said.

A lie. I raised my eyebrows and she gave me a wide-eyed, helpless look.

“Do you need a ride to work this evening?” he asked.

“Um…” She glanced at me. I shook my head. “I don’t think so. Luke will take me.”

“He’s with you right now?”

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