Ugh, why did Mom ask me to do this? I don’t want to see him. He’ll just stare at me with those vibrant green eyes…the way he did that night. They’ll travel down my face and to my body, knowing what I look like under all these clothes. Just how I know what he looks like.
I caught myself replaying the events of that night, biting my lower lip. “Ah fuck!” I stomped my foot and grabbed at my head. “No, stop it!”
It was just one night. One moment. Stop reliving it like some lovestruck puppy! Get your shit together, Lucille. You can do this. Just hand the cobbler to Cooper and walk away. Easy peasy. And if you see him, just act like nothing happened. You can do this. You can do this!
With my newfound confidence, I charged towards the bunkhouse. The lights were on inside, and you could hear the men chatting and messing around. “Just drop and go.” I walked over the small hill and down the path until the small building was maybe a few yards away. “Drop and go,” I whispered to myself. And as I walked along the path and towards the front of the bunkhouse, turning the corner, the smell of his cigarette hit me.
“Bit late for a viper to be slithering about.” His voice stopped me in my tracks, and I felt my anxiety instantly double.
Forsythe was leaning against the bunkhouse, still dressed from the day, smoking his cigarette. In spite of how dark it was, I could see his eyes watching me as the tip of his cigarette burned in the night. “What’re you doing out here at this hour?” I noticed the first couple buttons of his shirt were undone, tempting my eyes with a peek of his bare chest.
No! Focus. Do what you came to do and leave.
I cleared my throat and tried to not make eye contact. “I’m just dropping off some cobbler from my mom. She wanted y’all to have it.” He stayed quiet. “I’ll just leave it?—”
“You’ve been gone for a few days.”
He noticed.
“I–I’ve been helping out with Boone. There’s been a lot going on at the hospital, and my mom can only do so much.” He didn’t respond, which made me even more nervous. “The doctors think there’s a chance Boone might come home in the near future.” My fingers picked at the Tupperware, and I tried to ignore the tension I felt. “I–I should take this inside.”
I turned to walk away as he finally spoke. “Not easy, is it?”
“What isn’t?” I asked as I turned back to face him.
He grinned. “Pretending nothing happened.”
My cheeks burned at his words, and my body completely froze. Forsythe walked towards me with the cigarette firmly in his mouth. The smell of it mixed with his scent and wrapped around as I tried to hold my breath and keep my eyes low. He gripped my face, forcing my eyes to his as he plucked the cigarette from his mouth and blew a large cloud of smoke along my face. “You really think you can pretend the other night didn’t happen?”
“Yes,” I answered a little hastily.
His smile grew at my response. “Really?” His hand moved from my face and slowly slid along my body until it rested on my waist. He then pulled my body straight into his as I gasped. “‘Cause by the look of things, I think you’re writhing in pain.” He spun my body around, and my back slammed into his chest. His hands wrapped around my waist and traveled under my hoodie, feeling my bare skin.
My head tipped back into him as I struggled to control my breathing. “You must be seeing things,” I whispered. “I–I’m doing just fine.”
He blew another cloud of smoke before gently placing the butt of the cigarette between my lips. He nestled my hair aside, pressed his mouth along my ear before whispering to me, “Are you?” His hand moved along my breast and pressed against my chest. “Don’t lie to me, little viper. I can feel your heart. It’s racing like a wild stallion.” Without a thought, my back instinctively arched into him.
Fuck.
I nearly choked on the cigarette smoke while doing everything in my power to remain calm, despite my heart beating uncontrollably. He took it back and stepped away, leaving me there, hazy and grasping at what the hell just happened.
“You can keep lying, telling yourself that you can move on and pretend nothing happened, but this wasn’t a fluke.” He stared at me, holding his cigarette. “Let’s see how long it takes before you come knocking down my door, begging for more.” He winked and wrapped his smirk around the cigarette.
I scoffed. “Wow, someone’s a bit confident.” And arrogant.
Forsythe chuckled. “Oh, I’m more than confident.” He leaned in close. “I remember every little sound you made, how your body twitched and moved with mine…and I remember how many times I made you screammyname.” My cheeks flushed.“How many other men have made you howl at the moon as he worshiped your body?” I didn’t respond. He cupped my face, and I watched as he used his teeth to flip the cigarette over onto his tongue and into his mouth, allowing him to kiss me freely. He tasted surprisingly sweet, like a smoky piece of caramel that melted in my mouth.
I felt dizzy, so swept up in the moment that I almost forgot myself. And where I was.
I ripped my body back and wiped my mouth. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I asked, looking around to make sure we were still alone.
Forsythe popped his cigarette back between his lips with a giant smile. “What’s wrong? Scared someone might see us?” I glared at him. “Let them see. I got nothing to be ashamed of, Lucille.”
My brows furrowed as I glared at him. “Look, I think it’s best we just go back to the way things were before.” He raised a brow. “Can you do that for me?””
“Canyou?” I groaned at him. “Fine.” He flicked the cigarette down before stomping it out with his boot. “I’ll play along for now, but let’s see how long you can control yourself.” He walked over and gently played with a strand of my hair. “Because I’m going to take every chance I can to steal a kiss, sneak a glance, and remind you of just how good I made you feel. Let’s see just how long you can pretend, little viper.”
I slapped his hand away. “I’m not pretending.”
