“How do you know I’ve been painting?” She laughed and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Because you have paint here…” He brushed a finger over her nose. “Here…” Over her cheek. “And here.” His thumb wiped her chin, and he bent down to place a kiss on her lips.
“What are you up to?” Blythe looked over his shoulder to see what he was working on. There was a pile of flat steel rods on a bench, and the fire in the forge was burning bright.
“I just have a few more shoes to make. They’ll be standard. Once we go to the fittings, we’ll adjust them as needed.”
It amazed Blythe that he could create something like a horseshoe from nothing. It was pure artistry, and she would never be convinced otherwise. She reached around him to pat his rear and tell him she’d see him back in the house, but his hand caught hers.
“Did I say you could touch this?” His side smirk was showing teeth this time.
“Excuse me?” she huffed out, her eyebrows raised in disbelief.
“Remember when I told you all you had to do was ask?” The mischief in his eyes was drowning her.
“Say it…” His head bent down, his nose almost touching hers. “Say…please, can I touch this?”
“Oh, my hell! Justin Forge, stop it!”
“I will not… Ask nicely, sugar.” His voice was low and dripping with not-so-subtle innuendo.
Blythe glared at him, her eyes narrowing. “And if I don’t?”
“Then I’ll just have to teach you a lesson in good manners.” With that, Justin hooked his arms under her knees and hauledher up. He walked them back toward the outside wall, and Blythe felt her back crash into it, his entire body hard up against hers. It didn’t hurt, but it was enough to make her gasp.
With one hand, Justin moved his fingers over his belt buckle, unfastening it with total finesse. In one big swoop, he dragged the leather through each loop and wrapped it around his fist. With her back against the wall, he could use both hands. Clutching her wrist from behind his neck, he gently slammed her arm above her head.
“Ever hear the phrase—Fuck around and find out?” His look was teasing, yet the intensity she could see there was dead serious. Her opposite hand dropped to her side, and he reached down, picking it up and pinning it next to the other.
“Do you like this, sugar? Being pinned against this wall, arms above your head, legs wrapped around my hips?” His chin cocked to one side, his eyes dark—still burning through her—Blythe’s breathing was getting heavy. The shock of what was happening and the position she was in seemed to steal her words.
“How about when I do this?” In another swift movement, Justin unpinned her wrists with one hand and used his belt to tie them loosely with the other.
Her eyes were wide, the O of her mouth so large she could catch flies. Justin’s mouth hovered over hers, his tongue jutting out to softly trace her upper lip. Holy shit, whatever this was, it felt naughty and really freaking good.
He continued to trace her lips. When he’d gone the entire way around, he stopped—his fiery blue eyes falling to her chest, watching it move up and down like she’d just been chased by a wolf. Somehow, this didn’t feel so far off.
“Feel good, sugar?”
“Yes!” Her answer was barely a breath, but there was an exclamation mark at the end.
“Good.” Justin stepped back, letting her legs drop from around his waist. Her back slid quietly down the wall—her shoes landing on the concrete floor. He untied her wrists and started putting his belt back on.
“When you’re ready to ask nicely and politely—we can finish what we just started.” The wink he gave her as he turned and swaggered back to finish his work was cocky as hell.
She wanted to give him a sassy comeback, but everything running through her mind fell extremely short after what she’d just experienced. Who the hell did he think he was? His teasing had never gone that far. But if she was being honest—she wasn’t mad about it.
He woke up feeling sluggish. He’d fallen asleep on the couch. Blythe was on the opposite side of the sectional with their heads touching. He really needed to stop doing this, but he couldn’t help wanting as much time as possible with her. His work days were long, and they only had the evenings to hang out and have fun.
He remembered the fun he’d had with her last night before dinner, out in his shop. He chuckled to himself as he rubbed his hands through his hair and over his face. Two could play games. If she was going to play hard to get, he could, too.
He swung his legs off the side of the cushion and went searching for Bear. He usually gave him food and water early, so by the time he was dressed and fed himself, Bear would be ready to hop in the truck and go.
Bear never missed a day of work with Justin. He sat peacefully to the side during every appointment and lived for rides in the cab with his best friend. Justin whistled, wondering why his dog wasn’t on his bed by the couch. He searcheddownstairs and even went upstairs just in case, but he was nowhere.
Bear always slept inside. Maybe he got up to go relieve himself and used the dog door in the kitchen. Justin made his way out the sliding glass door and onto the porch, then looked over the side and stared out into his yard. His eye caught something off in the distance near the barn—he instantly recognized who it was.
He jogged down the steps and continued his pace toward his loyal companion. But as he got closer, he noticed Bear’s movement was slow. When he reached him, he could see his legs shaking. He knelt down beside him to pet and inspect the hound.
