“More,” she whispered, and that was it.
I pulled her out of her sleeping bag and dragged her into my lap, the tent wall bowing, the whole world narrowing to heat and hands and the sound she made when I cupped the back of her neck and tilted her head. She held my cheeks with both palms, her eyes wide open.
“Tell me to stop,” I said, hoping she’d have the sense to put an end to things before it was too late to turn back.
“You want me to?” she asked, her voice ragged.
My heart went into a freefall. I rested my forehead against hers and pulled in a deep breath. “It’s probably for the best.”
“I won’t do it.” Her bare shoulder lifted in a half shrug. “I want a man who’s not afraid to want me right back. If that’s not you, then…”
I cut her off with a kiss. The thought of any other man putting his hands on her made me see red. She was mine. And hell, I’d been hers for years even if she didn’t know it.
Her skin was warm silk under my hands, goosebumps rising wherever my fingers traced. I kissed her again, guiding her back onto the pile of blankets she’d laid out on the tent floor. Her nails scraped down my arms and across my chest. Still, I couldn’t get enough.
Her fingers fumbled with my belt buckle, then the button at my waist. I shed my jeans, my boxer briefs, and even my socks. When we were both bare, she pulled me closer like she wanted every inch of me crushing her. The lantern light painted her skin gold, every curve begging to be claimed.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” I growled, running my hands down her body, gripping her hips hard enough to leave marks.
“Then show me,” she shot back, her eyes issuing a challenge.
That was all it took. I dragged my hand over her slick heat and nearly lost my mind when she arched into me. Her moans filled the small space, needy and reckless, and every one shredded the last of my restraint. I pressed my cock against her belly and held her gaze. “I don’t have a condom.”
“Not a problem. I’m on the pill.” She wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me in. “Now shut up and fuck me, Boulder.”
I drove into her in one rough thrust, swallowing her cry with my mouth. She clenched tight around me, digging her fingers into my shoulders as I set a brutal pace. Every stroke was punishment and worship, every sound she made unraveling me even more.
She met me thrust for thrust, desperate and greedy, biting my neck, dragging me deeper until I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t stop.
“You’re mine,” I ground out, gripping her hips, slamming into her harder. “Say it, Jessa.”
“Yours,” she gasped, breaking apart underneath me, shattering with a cry that made my chest ache.
I followed her over the edge, spilling inside her with a groan, holding her tight, afraid if I let go, I might lose her forever.
For a long moment, the only sound was our ragged breathing. Shadows from the lantern flickered across the tent. I buried my face in her neck, still inside her, my body shaking, and finally let the truth slip.
“You’re going to ruin me, Firecracker.”
She tucked her face under my jaw. “So… still a mistake?”
I pressed my lips to her hair, a kiss so careful it hurt. “No.”
Her fingers traced my ribs in lazy circles. “Then let’s stop acting like we can only exist together in secret.”
The old fear slid in, cold and familiar. What was I supposed to do about Thatcher and Holt? “Your brothers?—”
She propped her chin on my chest, steady as stone. “Don’t hide behind them. If you don’t want me, have the balls to tell me. Don’t try to blame it on my brothers.”
I didn’t answer. Hell, I couldn’t. The words stuck behind all the years I’d taught myself that locking down my emotions was the only way to survive.
“I’m not going to make you do anything. Think about it and let me know how you want to handle this.” She didn’t push, just left it at that, her palm on my chest claiming me as hers.
She closed her eyes, but I stayed awake, listening to the forest breathe, my arm around the woman I wasn’t supposed to touch, counting all the ways the morning could break us, and knowing I’d still choose this night again. I was already too far gone to pretend I didn’t belong to her.
CHAPTER 6
JESSA
