“What?” I wipe a hand over my mouth in case my breakfast bagel left behind crumbs.
Instead of answering, Manny sidles closer, scoops up my hand, and kisses the center of my palm. “Good luck,” he says.
I snatch my hand back. “Is this a distraction technique?”
His brows dip, and then an evil smirk curves his lips. He hooks me around the waist, and the sneaky wolf presses my back against the closest tree.
“No, Blossom.Thisis a distraction technique.”
Then, his mouth captures mine in a heady kiss that tastes like red wine and man. I moan and let my lips part so I can lick his tongue, wondering what terrible god gifted this wolf with such a tantalizing flavor.
Then, the terrible beast breaks the kiss, but uses his hips to keep me pinned to the tree and clasps my hands above my head, making manacles of his fingers.
“I’m not going to let you win,” he says. “Not even if you say I can fuck you right here and now in exchange for me going easy on you.”
I glare at him. “I’d never offer that!” I struggle to free myself, but Manny keeps me locked in place, nostrils flaring, chest heaving and pressing into mine. “I’m going to win because I’m awesome. And thenmaybeI’ll let you fuck me again. But only if I have time between my Pumpkin Queen duties.”
Manny firms his mouth in a line, trying to stifle a smile and failing. So, instead, he leans in and gently nips my lip.
But when he next speaks, his voice has lost its playful edge. “If you win, will you still stay?”
Will I stay?
The question is too heavy for our snarky banter.
Will I finally come back to this town that calls to me?
Will I come back … to be with him?
But that’s not what Manny asked.
What if I say yes, move back to Folk Haven, and this sultry side of him vanishes?
I couldn’t stand to see him every day, only to get dismissed. Discarded.
With my life now, I’m the one who does the leaving. But that would be impossible if I set down roots in this soil that feels like part of my soul.
Can I trust the side of this wolf he’s shown me since the mating ceremony? Do I believe the words Manny spoke to me last night?
It’s hard to concentrate with his hard body between my thighs and the taste of him lingering in my mouth.
And the urge to battle him, to push back and never give an inch that isn’t earned, rises in me.
“That wasn’t the bet,” I say.
Manny flinches, and his grip on my wrists loosens. When he backs away, allowing my feet to regain the ground, I spy a wounded expression on his face that has guilt spearing through my gut.
But he quickly clears the vulnerability away, replacing it with a smirk. “You’re right. If I want Blossom Fernmore to stay in Folk Haven, I’ll just have to win you.”
Then, he stalks off toward our destination, giving me his back.
“That’s not the bet either!” I call after him as I jog to catch up, feeling off-balance and defensive. “You don’t win me.” When I reach his side, I spy the tight set of his mouth.
“If you don’t shut up, I’m going to kiss you again,” he growls.
“I can talk if I?—”
Manny hauls me into his chest and melds his mouth to mine. Without thought, I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck and kiss him back with equal fervor. When he breaks away, the wolf is panting, and I can see the animal in his eyes.
