There was no mistaking that this was a kiss. There were no soft brushes or teasing nips. Just hungry need as their lips melded together and their tongues greeted each other.
Jaxon had kissed a lot of women, but none had affected him like Tully. It was like the first time he’d eaten cotton candy. As soon as the fluffy confection had melted on his tongue, he knew he would never crave another carnival treat as much.
Just like he knew he would never crave another woman’s kisses as much as Tully’s.
She filled an adult sweet tooth he didn’t even know he had. And like the cotton candy, all he wanted was more. More tempting slides of her plump lips. More lush strokes of her honeyed tongue. More comforting caresses from her gentle fingers that at that moment were running through his hair. When she reached the elastic band, she tugged it off and released a sexy moan as his hair spilled free.
“I love your hair,” she whispered against his lips as her fingers ran through the loose strands. “I want to play beauty salon with it.”
He smiled and sucked on her bottom lip, running his teeth over the plumpness. “And I love your lips and want to eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”
She sighed. “I’ll give you my lips if you give me your hair.”
“Deal.” He took control of those lips, molding them to his as he licked into her hot, wet mouth. She made the sexy moan again as her fingers fisted his hair as if she never wanted to let him go.
He didn’t want to let go either.
He knew he was speeding towards a cliff with a sheer drop off, but he had no desire to stop. Even if he was about to crash and burn. Burning in Tully’s arms no longer felt like a bad thing.
It felt right.
He lowered her back to the couch and kissed his way down her neck, savoring the taste and softness of her skin. “I want you so damn—” He cut off when something pounced onto his back and razor sharp claws bit into him. “Fuck!” He sprang up, sending whatever had attacked him sailing to the floor.
It was a cat. A white fuzzy cat that landed on its feet and then glared at him with mean blue eyes.
“Dumplin’!” Tully got up from the couch and scooped the cat into her arms, cuddling it close. “Are you okay?”
Jaxon didn’t know about the cat, but his back stung like hell . . . which caused his brain to move from his penis back to his head. He realized he owed the cat a full bag of catnip for saving him from making a major mistake.
Poppy was right. He and Tully weren’t in the same league. Sex wouldn’t just be sex to Tully. She was a sweet small town girl who no doubt dreamed about a white wedding, followed by a houseful of babies. He wasn’t ready for any of that. He didn’t even have a place to call home.
Home would certainly never be Promise Springs.
Without saying a word, he headed for the door. But before he reached it, she spoke in soft voice that made him hard all over again.
“You don’t need to run off, Jax.”
But he did.
He needed to run like hell.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Tully stayed home the following day from work to recover from her twisted ankle . . . and kissing Jaxon.
What had she been thinking? Just because he’d said some really sweet things about it being okay to be herself that was no cause to jump him like a desperate love-starved woman. Just thinking about it made her want to hide under her bedcovers for the rest of her life.
Unfortunately, there was no hiding in a small town. A little before nine o’clock in the morning, someone came knocking at her door. Figuring it was either her granny or her daddy, she quickly got out of bed and hobbled into the living room. As she’d predicted, her ankle felt much better and she was able to put a little weight on it.
“Just a minute!” She grabbed the pile of clean clothes and carried them to the spare bedroom where she dumped them on the bed before closing the door. Then she hobbled to the kitchen and grabbed the tub of dirty dishes and shoved them in the cupboard beneath the sink.
She released a shriek of surprise when she turned and saw Magnolia peeking in the window of the kitchen door. Today, her sun bleached hair was in a high ponytail that made her look even more like Malibu Barbie. She flashed her mega-watt smile and held up a tray with two to-go cups and a white paper bag Tully recognized as coming from Grounds For Divorce. If the grease stains on the bottom of the bag were any indication, it was filled with mini deep-fried cinnamon and sugar donuts.
Her stomach growled loudly as she hobbled to the door and opened it. “Hi, Maggie. I was just straightening up.”
“No need to straighten up for me.” Magnolia glanced at the cupboard where Tully had placed the plastic tub of dishes. “Neat trick. I’ll have to remember that for when my daddy comes home from work and I’ve made a mess of the house.” She held up the cup tray and bag. “I brought you a caramel latte and some mini donuts from Grounds For Divorce. The sisters said they were your favorites.”
“They are. Thank you so much, but you didn’t have to do that.”
