Page 66 of Forget Me Not
He growled playfully before rolling off his back, shifting in the process and leaving his entire backside bare before her. With a surprised bleat, she turned her head, but he didn’tmiss the glances she kept stealing as he watched her over his shoulder.
Black shorts, gray T-shirts—he really needed some diversity in his wardrobe. With a quick toss he landed one of the shirts directly over Syve’s head, laughing as she shook it off and shot him a glare. When he had his shorts pulled over his hips he turned around.
“Are we even now? No more tackling—” words failed him and his sentence died on the spot.
Syve was finger combing her curls over one shoulder in nothing but his shirt—obviously, since the other pair of shorts were still lying at his feet. She really would be the death of him and he was so, absolutely lost to those long, bare legs…
“Oh, we’re even—for now. But I would be lying if I promised you no more tackling.” She drawled, making a show of glancing down at his very obviously tented pants. “I actually like to play a little rough,” she teased, leaning back against a tree.
Growling, he stalked over to her, watching as her eyes widened—but so did her smile. When he was close enough, he placed both hands on the bark behind her head, looking down at her while she toyed with the hem of her,his, shirt.
“How did I not know you had more tattoos?” She asked innocently.
“You never asked, and I guess until now you’ve never looked.”
He raised an eyebrow at her, red flushing across her freckled cheeks. The way she was staring into his soul had the power to capsize him. Bark rained down from where he clenched and unclenched his fists against the pine before he gave in to temptation—moving to run a thumb along those freckles until he could bury his fingers in her hair.
A soft gasp escaped her lips when he gently pulled her head back, just enough to meet her lips with his. Her hands found his hips, sliding their way across to his abs before ascending up through the dark hair on his chest and lacing behind his neck.
Bastien leaned in until their noses and foreheads were touching. He brought his other hand down to her shoulder, running it along her ribs slowly, thumb grazing the side of her breast on its way.
When he reached her hip, he dug his fingers in, inhaling sharply when she arched into him in response, pressing her body into his with a whimper.
Primal need shot through his body at the sound, his mouth crashing to hers with a ferocity he didn’t know existed.
She matched it instantly. Nails clawed at his neck, his back, his chest—anywhere she could reach, tugging him closer as they took turns licking and sucking each other’s tongues, teeth and lips.
Soft pants filled the silence of the woods as they broke for air. He immediately trailed down her jaw to her neck,nipping along her collarbone before licking a slow deliberate path back up to her ear.
“Bambi,fuck.” He growled, licking her earlobe into his mouth and rolling the skin between his teeth. She shuddered beneath him, urging him on.
Without warning, he bent low, slipping his hands under her bare ass, lifting her and slamming her against the tree trunk. Her legs wound around his waist, sending his eyes rolling into the back of his head as not even the summer air separated their bare skin.
Heaven had a name, and it washers.
“Bambi.” His eyes found hers—blown wide, lids hooded but locked on him. “Tell me to stop, and I swear to God, I will.”
Syve pulled her lip between her teeth and nodded slowly.
Bastien inhaled deeply and the blood in his veins turned to ice.
“Bas? What happened? What’s wrong?”
“Can you smell that?” he asked, brows furrowed as he eyed their surroundings. Searching.
Beneath him Syve sniffed the air. “Is that…tobacco?” she asked, perplexed.
Unceremoniously he dropped her legs, holding her hips just long enough for her to find her balance before backing away with a deep growl.
“Stay here,” he ordered, spinning on his heel and shifting, shorts be damned.
Last time he caughtthatsmell on the wind, he hesitated and paid the price. Now, all he could think was vengeance.
“Bastien!”
Her panicked cry was not enough to stop him as he sprinted away, following his nose deeper into the woods.
Rust began mingling with the tobacco stench and Bas knew he was getting close. He had forgone stealth in his rage, crashing through the brush like an enraged bull.
