Page 69 of Taming I Do
Everything faded away, leaving the two of us in a vacuum that seemed to transcend time and space. I stopped trying to fight it and leaned in.
Delilah
I couldn’t believethe storm of emotions swirling around inside me. We were covered in mud. My hip ached like I’d fallen flat on my ass on a rock the size of Texas. My cheek still smarted from my run-in with the goat. But butterflies danced around us as Jasper claimed my mouth with his, over and over again.
I didn’t want to stop. I couldn’t. It was like I’d shrivel up and die if we broke the connection. My body ached for him, like his kiss could make me whole.
Gasping, I pulled back, just enough to fill my lungs with air. “Wow.”
He touched his forehead to mine, his chest heaving just as hard as my own. “I second that. Wow.”
We stayed like that for a long beat, foreheads pressed together, our breaths slowing in unison.
“I’m sorry, Delilah. I didn’t mean to take advantage.”
I put my palms on his chest and gave a slight push. “Take advantage? Is that what you think you’re doing here?”
He shook his head. “We haven’t had a chance to talk about the other night yet. I don’t know how to explain what I’m feeling.”
“Then don’t.”
His eyes crinkled at the edges and a furrow bisected his brow. “Don’t?”
“No. Don’t try to explain it. Let it be. Just let yourself feel it.” My palm caressed his cheek. I didn’t know how to explain my feelings, either. They’d snuck up on me, slowly taken over, and left me reeling. I hadn’t planned on falling for Jasper Taylor. We barely knew each other. But something in me recognized something in him, and I was drawn to the man.
No,drawnwasn’t a strong enough word.Drawngave the impression I could choose whether or not to give in. But there was no choice happening. Deep in my core, I knew we were meant to be together. The only thing I didn’t have a clue about was how long it was going to last.
He got up then helped me to my feet, leading me away from the muddy bank of the creek. “If your manager could see you now...”
I didn’t even try to stop the smile from spreading across my mouth. “She’d die. Literally have a heart attack right here.”
“I’m not done talking about what’s happening with us.” His jaw set. He had a serious side to him. That was one of his many attractive attributes. He wasn’t the kind of man who just wanted to get into my pants. I knew the type. They looked at me as a conquest. Like nailing a beauty queen was something they could cross off their bucket list and spend the rest of their lives bragging about to their friends. Sometimes I could spot a man like that from a mile away. Other times they were more difficult to weed out. But something always gave them away.
Jasper was different. I could tell he was just as apprehensive about our growing connection as I was. He wouldn’t be the type to string me along and fake it just long enough to get me in his bed. He was the real deal. That might be what scared me the most.
“What time do we need to get these butterflies to the wedding site?”
He glanced at his phone, which had surprisingly survived the fall and the mud. “Damn. We’ve only got another hour.”
“Let’s do it.” I picked up the net from where it had fallen on the ground.
“I’ve got to get a picture of you first. Do you mind?”
I laughed. “May as well. As long as you get my good side and can promise me it won’t make its way to social media.”
“You’ve got my word on that.” He held up his phone and snapped a pic of the two of us beaming at the camera. “Do you want to get cleaned up? I can run you back to the house, then come back with some of the guys, and?—”
“You think I’m going to melt under all of this dirt?” I gathered my hair in one hand, then pulled an elastic out of my pocket. “In case you haven’t figured it out just yet, I’m tougher than I look.”
His mouth quirked into a lopsided smile. “You look pretty damn tough right now.”
“Ido is definitely putting me through the ringer. But I can handle it.”
“All right then. Let’s catch some butterflies.”
For the next forty-five minutes we did just that. By the time Jasper pulled into the parking lot at the wedding venue, we had hundreds, if not a thousand, colorful butterflies in our possession.
“You want to wait in the truck while I drop these off?” he asked.
