She grins, leaning in to kiss me. What’s meant to be a teasing gesture turns serious real fast. Maybe because of what we’ve all just lived through, maybe because if I’m honest with myself, I love this girl. Who knows, but it’s out of control before it even starts.
Her lips are soft against mine, but there’s a desperation in the way she kisses me back that tells me she needs this as much as I do. The taste of her, sweet with just a hint of the coffee she must have grabbed from the kitchen, makes my head spin. My hands find her waist, pulling her closer until there’s no space left between us.
“Jesse,” she breathes against my mouth, and the way she says my name sends fire straight through my veins.
I back her up against the wooden wall of the barn, my hands tangling in that honey-blonde hair of hers. She’s so damn beautiful, even with worry lines creased around those deep brown eyes. Hell, especially with them. This woman has seen us at our worst, and she’s still here, still kissing me like her life depends on it.
Her fingers work at the buttons of my flannel shirt, and I let her, too caught up in the feel of her mouth on my neck to thinkabout anything else. When her lips find that spot just below my ear, I groan, my grip tightening on her hips.
“We shouldn’t be doing this here,” I manage to say, even as my body argues otherwise.
“I don’t care,” she whispers, her breath hot against my skin. “I need to feel something other than scared right now.”
I know exactly what she means. The adrenaline from last night is still coursing through me, and having her in my arms is the only thing keeping me grounded. My hands slide down to cup her ass, lifting her slightly so she can wrap her legs around my waist. The sound she makes when I press her back against the wall is enough to make me lose what’s left of my control.
Her fingers trace the tattoos on my chest, and I shiver under her touch. Every nerve ending in my body is on fire, focused entirely on the places where her skin meets mine. I capture her mouth again, kissing her deeper this time, my tongue sliding against hers in a way that makes her moan into my mouth.
“God, Aubree,” I breathe, pulling back just enough to look at her. Her lips are swollen from my kisses, her cheeks flushed, and that birthmark I love so much is just visible above the neckline of her shirt. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”
She reaches up to run her fingers through my dark hair, her nails scraping lightly against my scalp. “I love you, Jesse. I know it’s crazy, but?—”
I cut her off with another kiss, this one slower, more deliberate. When I pull away, I rest my forehead against hers. “It’s not crazy. I love you too.”
The admission hangs between us, weighted with everything we can’t say out loud. That I might not be able to keep her safe. That what we did last night could tear us apart. That loving someone in this life means risking everything.
But right now, in this moment, none of that matters. All that matters is the way she feels in my arms, the way she looks at melike I’m her whole world. My hands slip under her shirt, fingers tracing the soft curve of her waist, and she arches into my touch.
“Jesse,” she gasps when I find that sensitive spot just above her hip bone. Her reaction sends another wave of heat straight through me, and I press closer, letting her feel exactly what she does to me.
Her legs tighten around my waist, and I have to bite back a curse at the friction. We’re playing with fire here, in broad daylight, where anyone could walk in, but I can’t bring myself to stop. Not when she’s making those little sounds that drive me absolutely wild.
I trail kisses down her neck, stopping to pay special attention to the spot where her pulse is racing. She tastes like sunshine and something uniquely her, and I want to memorize every inch of her skin with my mouth. When I reach the collar of her shirt, I push it aside, revealing more of that creamy skin I’ve been dreaming about.
“We need to stop,” I murmur against her throat, even as my hands continue their exploration of her curves.
“Do we?” she asks, her voice breathy and full of want. Her fingers find the buckle of my belt, and I nearly lose it right there.
“Aubree…”
The sound of tires on gravel cuts through the haze of desire like a bucket of cold water. We freeze, listening as a truck door slams somewhere outside the barn.
“Shit,” I breathe, carefully setting her back on her feet. She smooths down her shirt while I button my flannel, both of us trying to look like we weren’t just seconds away from tearing each other’s clothes off.
Heavy footsteps echo through the barn, and I recognize the deliberate cadence before Noah even comes into view. He’s wearing his sheriff’s uniform, hat pulled low over his eyes, and the expression on his face tells me this isn’t a social visit.
“Morning, Jesse,” he says, tipping his hat to Aubree. “Miss Aubree.”
“Noah.” I nod, hoping my voice sounds steadier than I feel. “What brings you out here so early?”
He hooks his thumbs in his belt, a gesture that makes the gun on his hip more prominent. “Had some reports of cattle rustling last night. Trucks and trailers moving around late. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
I keep my expression neutral, even as my heart pounds against my ribs. “Can’t say I do. We were all pretty beat after the day we had yesterday.”
“That’s right, I heard Truett got hurt. How’s he doing?”
The way he phrases it, like he already knows the answer, makes my skin crawl. But I keep my voice level. “He’ll be fine. You know how it is. There’s a danger being out this far and working the way we do.”
Noah’s eyes narrow slightly, and I can practically see the wheels turning in his head. He’s good at his job. I’ll give him that. Too good sometimes.
