She stands up so I stand up, too. Her head tips back and I can’t resist cupping her cheek in my hand, “You’re not ruining my good time.” I smile and follow up with, “Promise.”
Her eyes are locked on mine and she doesn’t move away from me, after a few moments she says, “I shouldn’t have drank the cider.”
I smile and slide my thumb across her cheek, “Tucker likes to add a little extra cheer to all our celebrations.”
Her scent is all around me and she’s close enough that I can feel the heat from her body through my shirt. I probably shouldn’t have drank the cider either, because I can’t resist her lips any longer. Holding her face in my hands, I lean over and take her lips.
She doesn’t pull away.
When she parts her lips and lets me in, all bets are off, I snake my arms around her waist and pull her to me. Her warm palms slide up my arms and one moves to the back of my neck, a small moan leaves her lips and my control is near snapping, I turn her to push her against the wall.
The only sound is us breathing as the kiss turns frantic. Grabbing the backs of her legs, I lift her and she locks her feet behind me, her thighs squeezing my hips while pushing her hot apex against my straining cock that desperately wants to break free of my jeans.
The whiskey Tucker so generously mixed into the drinks tonight is pushing me into a place that I don’t need to be in, I’m on the edge of not caring if anyone walks in on us and I don’t want to do that to Sloane. Especially since I know tomorrow she will regret anything that could happen right now.
I break the kiss and lean my forehead against hers, willing my cock to back off.
Her eyes close and I can see the moment that clear thinking takes over, she swallows and her hands rest on the edge of my shoulders as her legs release my hips. I grip her hips and let her slide back down onto her feet.
Her eyes open and slowly move up to mine, her hands slide to my chest leaving a trail of heat on my skin, “We shouldn’t have done that.” She whispers.
I cup her face and kiss her softly, “My only regret is the alcohol in you or I wouldn’t have stopped.”
She kisses me back, “If I didn’t have alcohol in me right now, I wouldn’t be in here with you.” Her hands move on their own accord, sliding up my chest to my shoulders and she rolls up on her toes to kiss me again, “I can’t control my feelings for you with the alcohol in me.”
The declaration catches me off guard and I pull my head back to look in her eyes, but she realizes what she said and I can see the embarrassment and shock on her face as she blinks up at me. Her hands lift off me like I’m burning her palms and hover over my skin as she thinks about what she just said.
Whatever it is that I’ve felt for her this past week grows and warms in my chest. She has feelings for me.
Her whole body stiffens and if the wall weren’t behind her, she would pull away from me. I hold her hips so she can’t wiggle away, “What if I don’t want you to control your feelings?”
She swallows and blinks again, “I have to clean up the mess in the kitchen.”
“Can’t that wait a minute?” Disappointment washes over me because I know she is going to pretend this didn’t happen.
A voice in my head tells me to let her go, I don’t have room for this in my life, so I loosen my grip on her hips.
“I have to go.” She scoots from between me and the wall and I palm the wall, the empty space in front of me still smells like her, and I take deep breaths to get rid of the bulge in my pants.
When I walk into the kitchen, Sloane is at the sink, but Kinley is also there putting the empty eggnog bowl on the counter. She looks up at me with a shit-eating grin and winks at me before she turns and leaves the room.
Well, fuck.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SLOANE
THE HEADACHEI woke up with is still tapping my temples even though I took some pain relief powder when I started making breakfast. I’ve never liked whiskey, for some reason it makes me horny, and it gives me the worst headache the next day.
Every time I think about Mason kissing me last night, I try to push the thought away but it’s immediately followed up by him holding me against the wall with his hard length pressed against my center. My cheeks heat up and that same center starts to tingle.
What I should be thinking about is what happened yesterday with my brother. I skirted Mason’s questions as much as possible without outright lying, I don’t want to lie to him, but the thought of him turning on me makes my chest ache.
The ache caused by him possibly wanting to be rid of mehas eclipsed the ache of losing the warmth and safety of this family and ranch. That revelation came to me last night when I was lying awake, staring at the ceiling, and thinking about him telling me that maybe he doesn’t want me to control my feelings for him.
Shaking the thought from my head, I focus on the pancake batter that I am stirring on the island. I have a feeling that the only person who will be in attendance for breakfast will be Mr. Harlow, everyone else will probably sleep in after all the drinks last night.
When Kinley walks into the kitchen, I’m so surprised I almost stop stirring. She must have slept in her old room last night instead of going back to her cabin.
