Page 20 of Hard To Fall
But it feels possessive.
His hand stays there for one long second until he realizes what he’s doing and tries to pull away. I catch his wrist to stop him, and his eyes snap to mine.
Rain continues to pound the roof, and my pulse pounds harder. He stares at my hand on his wrist like it’s a mortal sin. Then he looks up, and his eyes land on my lips, then flick to my eyes and back to my lips.
He swallows hard and says, “Sunshine,” in a warning voice.
I smile, soft and bright, even when my voice shakes. “Cowboy.”
His eyes narrow. “You’re going to get hurt.”
I sigh, “You said that already.”
“This time, I mean me,” he murmurs.
My heart beats fast, and I lean in. “Should we stop?” I whisper. “Should we–”
His mouth crashes into mine. It’s hot and hard and full of everything he’s been holding back. My hand slides to his cheek, and he grips my thigh again.
The kiss deepens, rough and hungry, and I make a sound I don’t mean to. He matches it, groaning into my mouth like he’s been angry his whole life and I’m the first thing that makes him feel anything else.
He slides his free hand into my hair, gripping it at the back of my neck, and when I cup his face, he breaks the kiss just enough to breathe, forehead resting against mine.
“Goddamn it,” he whispers.
I’m smiling, even though I’m shaking. “Hi.”
He huffs a laugh, low and broken. “You’re impossible.”
“You’re obsessed,” I whisper.
He kisses me again with the same ferocity, like he’s punishing himself, or maybe me, just for being this close.
Then all of a sudden, he pulls back, with wild eyes. “This doesn’t happen again,” he says, like he’s trying to convince himself.
I trace the edge of his jaw, my thumb lingering on his bottom lip. “Sure,” I murmur. “Whatever you need to tell yourself.”
His eyes flick to my mouth, and then back to my eyes, and that's when I see it. What he’s really feeling. It’s not anger—it’s fear. He’s afraid to want something and not get it. It’s why he’s always in control, always keeping things and people at a distance. It’s why he won’t give up riding because that's what he wants. And if the riding doesn’t want him, what’s next?
Outside, the rain falls hard, and inside, my heart is doing the same.
CHAPTER 8
COLT
Fuck,this is bad. I should have more control than this. Kissing her when I’ve been saying she doesn’t belong here, and now she’s going to question me to death about it, I can already feel it coming. She did nothing but push my buttons for a week, and today was the last straw. I lost all restraint listening to her back talk and sarcastic innuendos. And when she called me by my surname? I think that’s when she broke me.
I adjust myself behind the wheel, wiping at my lips and starting the engine. “We'd better go before we get stuck out here.”
She scoots into her seat and grabs for the seatbelt. I watch as it slides between her breasts. “You don’t have muddin’ tires on this truck?”
“Of course I do.” I throw it in drive and slowly ease out of the muddy hole we’ve been sitting in.
“Oh, okay. I get it. You just can’t sit in silence.”
“Nothing is ever silent when you’re around.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
