The resolve I’d clung to didn’t stand a chance.
I kissed her again, slower this time. Deliberate. Worshipful.
“Not here,” I murmured. “You definitely deserve something better than this. A bed or a….”
My gaze flicked to the ranger shed.
She followed it. “Is that?—”
“It’ll work,” I said. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
I took her hand and led her toward the shed.
5
EMORY
The shed door clicked shut behind us, the sound unnaturally loud in the sudden quiet. Dust motes floated in the thin shafts of light slipping through the single small window. The air felt still, like everything had paused, waiting for what was about to happen.
There was no chair or bench. Only a narrow wooden counter along one wall stacked with old maps and a first-aid kit, and the faint smell of pine and old paper.
Kai turned to face me, his broad shoulders filling the space, chest rising and falling too fast. His eyes—dark, stormy—searched mine.
“This isn’t—” he started, voice gravel-rough. “There’s nowhere comfortable. No bed. Nothing soft. You deserve?—”
I stepped into him before the rest of the sentence could leave his mouth, palms flat against his chest. His heart hammered under my hand.
“Kai.” My own voice sounded steadier than I felt. “Fuck me. Right here. Against the wall. Please.”
The word—fuck—felt foreign and electric on my tongue. I’d never said it to a man, never even thought it in this context. Butthe moment it left my lips, something hot and powerful unfurled in my chest. Like I’d claimed a piece of myself I hadn’t known was missing.
Kai groaned—low, guttural, almost pained. His hands flexed at his sides like he was fighting not to grab me.
“You can’t just—” His throat worked. “Say shit like that, Emory.”
“I just did.”
He crashed into me. There was no hesitation left in him—only motion, need, and heat. Our mouths met hard and hungry, teeth clacking before we found the right angle. His tongue stroked mine and I whimpered into the kiss, fingers already fumbling at the hem of his shirt. He yanked it over his head in one impatient motion, and I dragged my nails lightly down the warm, ridged planes of his stomach.
Clothes came off in a frantic, clumsy rush—my jacket, his belt, my leggings shoved down with shaking hands. My shirt followed. Then my bra.
Cool air hit my bare skin and my nipples tightened instantly. Kai’s gaze dropped, dark and reverent, and he palmed both breasts at once, thumbs brushing the sensitive peaks. I arched into the touch with a gasp I couldn’t stifle.
He backed me against the rough wooden wall. The wood pricked my shoulder blades, but I barely registered them. His mouth was on my throat, then lower—hot, open kisses over my collarbone, my sternum—until he sank to his knees in front of me.
My breath caught.
He looked up, eyes locked on mine as he hooked his fingers in the waistband of my underwear and slowly, deliberately, drew them down my legs. I stepped out, trembling.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, voice wrecked. Then he leaned in and put his mouth on me.
The first touch of his tongue was a shock—wet heat, soft pressure sliding over that hidden, sensitive bundle of nerves I'd never even explored myself. My hips jerked involuntarily. He made a hungry sound against me and gripped my thighs, spreading me wider so he could fit himself closer.
Nothing had ever felt like this. It wasn’t just physical—it was like something essential had finally clicked into place. Every flick, every slow circle, every gentle suck sent sparks racing up my spine.
My hands flew to his hair, fingers twisting in the dark strands because I needed something to hold onto. My thighs shook. My knees threatened to give out. Heat coiled tighter and tighter in my belly, unfamiliar and overwhelming andso good.
