“I didn’t put it there by accident.” His tone was sandpaper over her spiking senses.
The words settled deep in her chest, warm and aching and terrifying all at once.
She lifted a hand to his cheek, her thumb brushing the rough edge of his jaw. “Crew.”
“I know,” he said as if he really did know.
But he didn’t step away.
Instead, he slid his hands down her body, over her hips, tracing her lines like he already knew every curve. When he pinned her against the wall again—this time more deliberately—her breath hitched.
His mouth tracked from her lips to her jaw, down the sensitive skin of her neck. He kissed her there, slow and open-mouthed, and Fern let her head fall back, giving him access without thinking.
She felt him smile against her skin.
“Dangerous thing,” he murmured. “Standing here with you like this.”
Her laugh came out breathless. “You’re the one who started it.”
“Fair.” His teeth grazed lightly over her pulse point, just enough to make her shudder. “And I’m having a hard time stopping.”
His hand slid to her thigh, fingers swishing the denim of her jeans, dragging it against the bare skin beneath. The touch was brief—but electric. Fern sucked in a sharp breath, her body arching into his.
That did it.
Crew stilled, every muscle in his body locking down. He pressed his forehead to her shoulder, breathing hard, his restraint palpable.
“If I don’t pull back now, we won’t stop at kissing.” His voice was tight.
Her heart pounded. She wanted to tell him she didn’twantto stop. That she wanted exactly where this was heading.
She slid her hands down his arms and rested them against his chest, feeling his heart racing beneath her palms. “Then maybe…we pick this up later. When we’re sure we can be alone.”
They were surrounded by so many people who lived on the ranch, they were lucky no one had interrupted them already.
His eyes glinted with something more than desire, something that sent her pulse racing.
He leaned in and kissed her once more—slow, his teeth trapping her bottom lip before he issued a noise that soundedlike a promise. When he broke the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers.
And when he finally stepped away, leaving her breathless and warm and aching in the quiet of the barn, Fern knew one thing for certain.
She was lost.
And she wasn’t sure she wanted to be found.
Chapter Eleven
The training facility smelled like sawdust and oil and fresh paint—proof of work getting done.
Crew stood just inside the open bay doors, hands on his hips, surveying the space with a critical eye. New training mats lined one wall. Equipment had been moved and reorganized. It wasn’t finished yet, but it was close.
“Things are really coming together here,” he said to Upchurch, nodding toward the indoor practice area.
Upchurch followed his gaze and grunted. “Yeah. We appreciate you pitching in.”
Crew shrugged, tugging the brim of his Stetson down against the glare pouring in from outside. “Feels good to get away from the smell of manure.”
They shared a laugh and then walked together along the concrete floor, boots echoing softly. Outside, the mountains loomed. Imposing to some people, but a comfort to Crew and many of those who lived at the Black Heart.
