“It’s permanently imprinted in my mind.”
“It was just one night,” she whispers, repeating the same line I’ve heard more times than I can count. The same line I’ve told myself more times than I can count.
But tonight, it doesn’t seem like a reminder.
Instead, it seems like a challenge, especially as her body betrays her words, her hips shifting closer, head tilting back, lips parting like she’s waiting for me to take what we both want.
From the moment I first laid eyes on her, she cast a spell on me. I had a feeling once I had a taste, I’d never be satisfied with anyone else. It wasn’t just the sex. It was the trust she put in me as she shared her deepest desires.
The trust she put in me to give her what she craved.
“It wasn’t just one night,” I growl. “And you know it.”
She licks her lips and arches closer still, her mouth nearly skimming mine. It sends a wave of electricity through me, my body throbbing with need.
Then the sound of footsteps cuts through, snapping us back to reality.
Claire jumps away from me just as Dylan rounds the corner
“Oh.” She comes to an abrupt stop when she sees us. “Declan. I didn’t realize you were here.”
“I guess we have the same taste in bars,” I say, forcing my eyes away from Claire.
“I was just giving Declan a few ideas for Joshua’s Christmas gift,” Claire offers without prompting. “I guess I got carried away.”
“Right,” Dylan draws out, floating her suspicious gaze between us, as if trying to put together a puzzle.
“I’ll be right out,” Claire offers.
Dylan continues to scrutinize us for several more nerve-wracking seconds. Then levels Claire with a look I can’t quite read. “It’s your turn, so hurry back.”
“I will.”
Once we’re alone again, Claire pushes out a long exhale before turning her fiery eyes toward me.
“This…” She gestures between us, “can’t happen again.”
I push out a breath and run my fingers through my hair. “I know.”
Even though nothingdidhappen. If Dylan hadn’t interrupted, something very well could have.
“I’ll let you get back to your friends.” I increase the space between us, hating to let her go, but I don’t have a choice. “I’m sorry for my behavior. You should feel free to flirt with whomever you want.”
She gives a subtle nod, then spins around, slowly making her way back to her friends. But just before she turns the corner, she glances over her shoulder and meets my gaze one last time. She parts her lips, as if she wants to say something. But she doesn’t.
Instead, she shakes her head before disappearing from view.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CLAIRE
The gravel crunchesbeneath my tires as I pull into the lot at McKinley’s Tree Farm. The scent hits me the moment I step out of my car, a breath of something sharp and fresh, like it’s trying to clear away the clutter in my head. If only it were that easy.
The wind nips at my cheeks as I make my way toward the barn to pick up the centerpieces Mrs. McKinley is donating for the kids’ holiday carnival this week. Frost sparkles like crushed glass along the wooden fence posts, the sun barely clearing the tops of the trees. I tug my coat tighter around myself, willing the cold to drown out the thoughts still buzzing like static in the back of my brain.
It’s been over a week since the bar. Since Declan.
Since he hovered over me, his lips a breath from mine.
