He rolls his jaw, breaking eye contact and searching the area around us. I’m forced to drop my hands from his shoulders when he takes one into a tight grip and leads me away from the gate. We move quickly, and he doesn’t show any sign of slowing, even once we’ve made it to the silent parking lot.
“Am I going in a time out or something?” I ask, slightly out of breath.
“If that motherfuckerex-husband of yours ever steps foot in our town, I’m going to kill him, Tilly.”
I almost trip. My toe catches in the dirt, but Rowe’s there, his hold keeping me upright. The big black truck with the Painted Sky brand on the side comes into view a second before my back is slamming against the door. There’s no pain, only surprise. A warm palm is cupping the back of my head, cushioning it.
“I mean it. The version of you I remember from before I went away didn’t give a shit when people judged her. She wore her quirks on her sleeve for everyone to see. If you feel differently now, he’s to blame,” he grates out, bringing his lips to my jaw, mouthing it softly. “I wouldn’t change a fucking thing about you.”
He releases my head and grabs my waist, pawing at it as he tilts me forward at the hips. Our bodies touch, moulding into one while I try to remember how to breathe. We’ve been this close before, but this time . . . it feels different.More.
The last thing I want to do is fight him, so I let myself go loose, propped against the truck. I roll my head back along the window and steady my breathing.
“Not even one thing? I could name a few that you could get tired of pretty quickly,” I say, frowning at the emotion obvious in the words.
Rowe’s fingertips dig harder into me, and I have to press my teeth together to keep from letting a plea for more slip out. His gaze lowers, sticking itself to where our bodies have glued together, and he’s holding me like he’s afraid I’m going to run screaming the moment he gentles.
“Stop playing with me. Is this an attempt to get compliments, or are you really that fucking blind right now, baby?” he grunts, blinking up at me.
The intensity in his eyes shocks me more than the gentle endearment does. It’s dark and so vibrant that I can almost taste the truth in it. His boundaries are down, and fuck, I want deeper. I want my claws in every inch of his mind until I’ve felt and heard and learned every thought he’s ever had.
“I’m not the begging-for-compliments type, Rowe.”
He shakes his head. A rough, calloused hand slips beneath my shirt and up my side. He doesn’t look away as he moves, his large palm swallowing my waist. A ghost of a kiss finds my cheek, then my temple.
I reach for him now, unable to continue holding back. He grunts when I fist his shirt, urging him closer, until our chests connect.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” I murmur.
“I’m not good at this shit, Tilly.”
“You don’t need to be.”
He crushes his mouth against mine. I push up on my toes and press back just as hard. My moan disappears between his lips when he slides sturdy fingers around my thigh and guides it around him. I lurch my hips at the same time he grinds against me, flooding my body with tiny sparks.
“You’re possessive,” he declares tightly, hitching my thigh higher, opening me up for him. “There’s no telling what will piss you off. You’ll act first and think second. It’s impossible to tell if you’re being serious half the time. Despite what anyone tells you, you’ll always follow your heart. You’ll wind up alone and angry at the world, but find peace in knowing that you didn’t sell yourself out just to make anyone else happy. I’ve never met anyone as fucking loyal as you.”
My chest squeezes too tight. I grab his neck and haul him closer to me, fitting my mouth against his with an anger that’s starting to eat at my insides. It takes large chunks out of my soul, exposing me to the betrayal that I feel toward myself.
“I did sell out. I sold myself out, and I lost so much time because of it,” I whisper against his lips.
Instead of answering, he sweeps me clean off the ground and rips open the back door. My eyes grow wide when my ass meets the soft interior of the seat and he gathers my face in his hands. I’ve never felt him touch me this gently in all the years I’ve known him. Even with the callouses and scrapes that haven’t finished healing, his skin is soft against mine.
I hold myself completely still, afraid to spook him and ruin the moment. It’s useless. His next words take away my ability to move all on their own.
“Make up for the lost time with me. Right here. In this fucking shit town that never grows with the people who can never seem to move on. You haven’t lost shit, hellcat. Not nearly as much as you think you have.”
33
ROWE
Tilly doesn’t answerwith words. I never expected her to.
Her hands are rough with my shoulders when she pulls at them, urging me to move with her into the truck. I don’t second-guess it. I’m helpless to anything but following her silent order.
As soon as I’m hitching a foot onto the step bar, she’s laying herself onto the back seats, her face flushed and lips parted. The heavy rise of her chest controls the moment, and I haul myself in with her, closing the door harder than I should.
“Have you ever had sex in this truck before?” she asks slowly, her hat falling from her head and to the leather behind her.
