Page 89 of Crazy Thing

Ziggy stands and slips on her sandals. “Oh, you’re plenty tough and cool and I know it. And very pretty. With a very big dick, too. No mountain lion will want to mess with you.” She strokes my ego and I love it.

“That’s right, it won’t.”I snatch up Ziggy’s picnic basket as she leads me into the shadowy forest.

She weaves her fingers with mine as we venture further into the woods. We take our time as we stroll in and out of high, overgrown bushes and climb over the knotted roots of giant trees.

There are no trails around this area. I’m discovering that Ziggy prefers carefree, unbounded walks the best.She’s a path least traveled kind of woman. And it’s largely what makes her so damn attractive to me.

“Now tell me what’s happening with Robert Ross. You’re having lunch with him this week, right?” she asks, as we stroll.“His assistant emailed me after the gala. I have it in your calendar for Wednesday.”

“Actually, I’ll have to reschedule with Ross,” I inform her.

“Reschedule?” Her eyebrow quirks up.

I nod. “He called me yesterday afternoon when you werebusy with a customer at the shop. He’ll be traveling for business next week so we’ll try to figure out a different time to meet.”

That brings her feet to a halt. “What?! You didn’t tell me? Your assistant needs to know these things.”

“Well, I was going to, but then we got a little preoccupied when you attacked me in the storage room.” I grab her waist, press her up against a tree and smirk at her. “Now I’ll forever have to explain why mopping gets me hard.”

Her face turns red and I’d bet she’s recalling the way I hoisted her up on that wobbly wooden shelf and made her come apart.

“Poor you. Such a sad life you lead,” she mutters with a chuckle. “So, what’s the plan?” she asks, sounding anxious as she returns to the topic of the waterfall. “Is Mr. Ross going to sell the land to you?”

I give a shrug. “It’s implied.”

She urges me on. “Meaning?”

“Meaning, we’ll figure it out.” Before she can ask another question, I cover her lips with mine. I don’t want to think about business right now.

The basket slips from my hand, landing on the forest floor with a dull thud. My fingers slide into her hair, angling her face just right and I kiss her dirty.

She grabs the front of my shirt, pulling me closer than close. I reach for the back of her thigh, slipping my fingers under the hem of her flimsy little athletic shorts, getting the fabric out of my way.

Slipping two fingers beneath her panties, I hiss with arousal when her wetness drenches my digits. “Shit. You’re soaked for me.” In an instant, all the blood in my body has somehow migrated to my groin.

I sprout a boner like it’s my superpower.

“God, yes,” Ziggy wheezes, her lips open against mine. “Touch me, Darius.”

My brain wades through a blinding fog as I push one finger inside her and then another. I’m fucking her mouth with my mouth, fucking her pussy with my hand.

Ziggy is squirming against the tree and making sweet, angelic noises that sound like harps to my ears. I’m convinced this forest must be heaven.

But then I go and open my stupid mouth.

“Let me ask you a question,” I say, breaking the kiss.

“Go ahead,” she responds, her blue eyes starry and dazed.

“Do I make your heart beat fast?” I ask, genuinely curious. “Because every time I’m around you, my chest starts beating like it’s in the goddamned Olympics. And when I’m not with you, you’re always in my head, which is pretty fucking inconvenient, to be honest, because I’m a busy man with shit to do.”

Ziggy chuckles, but then she places her hand on her chest. “Well, my chest is beating pretty damn fast right now.”

Out of nowhere, anxiety hits me like a ton of bricks.

I’m in love with this woman.

Holy shit. I’m really, truly, genuinely in love with her.

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