“Oh, I do well enough as long as a certain sadist doesn’t drag me from bed at the ungodly hour of four a.m. to pull weeds.”
He shook his head. “It was six a.m., Blue.”
Sniffing, I got up for more paint. “How is that any different?”
Still smiling, he went back to caressing white on the skirting.
I squatted near the cans behind him, set my empty tray on the floor, and poured more white, making sure not to spill, then lowered the container. As I reached for the tray, War shuffled back, knocking into me.
“Eeep!” I squealed, tipping forward, hands flying, trying to brace myself from falling face first—
My palm slammed into my paint tray, splashing white on the plastic covering.
“Shit!” War cussed and shot to his feet, staring at my dripping hand.
I jumped up, looking for a cloth, anything to wipe the paint off and not create more mess.
“You should see your face, Blue.”
At his laughing quip, I glared at him, but that darn smirk tipped me over. Without thinking, I slapped my hand on his chest, leaving a clear, glossy white handprint on his black t-shirt.
He stopped laughing, looked at his shirt, then at me, eyes narrowing dangerously. “You didn’t just do that.”
Smirking now, I leaned closer and stroked his cheek, leaving a trail of white. “There, got most of the paint off.” I grinned and whipped out my phone from my jeans pocket. It was a tad difficult using one hand, but I didn’t care if I got paint on my cell cover. I took a shot of him, looking all riled and utterly gorgeous.
He stalked me. “Tell me this was an accident, and there’ll be no payback.”
I snorted because we both knew it wasn’t. “You started it.”
“Yes, I deliberately shoved my girlfriend into a tray full of paint.”
The way he saidthatword had my heart working overtime. I stepped back and shrugged because I knew War bumping me was an accident, and me marking his shirt at the time seemed like the perfect payback. But with him looking like he’d put me over his knees and spank my ass… Oh, hell no, I wasn’t staying around for his reprisal.
Dammit. He stood in the way of the inside door, making escape impossible. I pivoted, shoving the slightly ajar sliding door open. He growled and came after me.
Eeep!I darted outside, cleared the patio, and sprinted into the rain and across the enormous backyard, drenched to my skin within seconds. Shit, I skated to a halt in the middle of the yard. Where the fuck was I supposed to hide in this massive open space with trees and shrubs all around us? Climb a tree? Yeah, no. With my luck, I’d probably find a snake hiding there, too.
I flashed a look over my shoulder, then pivoted, pushing my phone into my back pocket. He wasn’t running but stalking me. “War—” I stuck out my hands, trying to appeal to his caring side.
Instead, he got out his cell and took a shot of me—to blackmail me? The oaf?
You did so much more.
Ugh. “I’m sorry, okay?” I yelled over the shattering rain, moving backward, watching him warily.
“Too late,” he shot back, slipped his cell into his back pocket, and launched himself at me.
“Eeek!” I shrieked, wheeled around, and ran, only to slip forward, falling face-down on the soggy ground. He pounced, grabbed me by my hips and straddled my thighs, keeping me locked down.
“I’m not your damn puck!” I shouted, trying to buck him off me.
“We don’t tackle the puck, Blue. We whack it.” And he slapped my ass, shocking me motionless. “Like that. But much, much harder. You get my drift?”
Shit! The damn strike stung a little, but enough to startle me, and I spat out, “You hit me, you bastard!”
“I sure did.” His big palm smoothed my wet, jean-clad butt. “I can kiss it better if you like.”
And it wasn’t a question. Gah, I groaned into my arms, the rain pelting me, liking the way his palms moved over my bottom in a slow caress, then a gentle squeeze I felt all the way to my core. My inner muscles clenched, my breath caught—
