And would I still want to leave after he’d held me in his arms?
Everything I wanted in life was thrown up in the air right now.
Could Red Oak Mountain be my future?
More importantly, did Zane love me enough to want me to stay for good?
Chapter 6
Zane
Rain hammered the old barn roof while the air inside grew thick with bad decisions.
But could I help it? Everything about Mallory was teasing me closer.
Her eyes held mine. “Zane,” she said, her voice so quiet I almost didn’t hear it over the rain. “It doesn’thaveto be quick.”
That was it. The last thread of self-control I’d been clinging to justsnapped.
My hands came up, not to push her away, but to hold hers.
My calloused fingers wrapped around her smaller, softer ones. My gaze dropped, drawn to the summery white eyelet blouse she wore. When she’d first arrived today, one button had been undone. Now three were open, and the fabric was clinging to her, wet from the rain.
Just like the other night at her parents’ place, I could see the outline of her bra, and beneath it the dark circles of her nipples, hard and pressing against the wet cotton.
“What was it with you and white shirts?” I growled.
I wanted to see her all in white, her dark mound visible for me so I could bury my mouth on it.
I wanted to drink this woman to her very core.
Make her come undone, then put her back together again.
Make her reconsiderallher life choices.
But the most I could expect was this fleeting moment. I was a pit stop to her, a place to rest between the life she’d just left and whatever new one she planned to build for herself far away from here.
“One time,” I rumbled, the words rough. A warning for her, or maybe for me. I didn’t know anymore.
My hands left hers to slide up her arms, over her shoulders, then down to settle around her waist.
Mallory was built of curves. Soft, generous padding that felt like heaven under my hands.
She let me explore, her eyes fixed on mine as I traced the swell of her hips and the dip of her waist.
My cock hardened, aching and insistent, demanding to be let out of my jeans soitcould explore too.
She leaned into me, her body pliant, unresisting,inviting.
“Damnit, Mallory. This is going to end bad,” I growled as I cupped her face, my thumb stroking her cheek.
Then I finally gave in, bending my head to cover her mouth with mine.
This was the kiss I’d thought of for so many years.
We fit each other perfectly.
Her lips were warm and yielding as we explored each other, giving in to so much need. It was when her hands came up to clutch at the front of my flannel shirt that the kiss exploded.
