Page 106 of Firecracker

“Brannon.”

“Whatever.”

“Maybe.”

“What?” He stared at her.

“Okay, no, I wasn’t. But you pissed me off, interfering like that.”

Okay, that was good. She hadn’t been interested in him.

“I’m sorry.” He gritted his teeth and met her eyes. “Like I said, I was looking out for you.”

“I don’t need to be looked after. I’m a grown woman.”

Right, right. He’d heard this before. How she was determined to prove she could do this adulting shit on her own. He studied her face, the firm set of her chin, the flash in her eyes. This was important to her.

He closed his eyes briefly. “I screwed up. I know you can look after yourself. I just…well, the truth is, I was jealous.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Jealous.”

“Yeah.” He blew out a breath. “I guess I have no right to be. I mean, we went out once. So…I’m sorry.”

Her face softened. “Thank you.”

They eyed each other, still standing just inside the door of her apartment, the light above them creating an illuminated circle. Christ, he wanted to touch her. His palms tingled and his muscles twitched. The air around them hummed.

He didn’t know who moved first, but somehow she was in his arms and his mouth was on hers. Heat exploded inside him, obliterating thought, and he crushed her to him, kissing her as deeply as he could. Her fingers slid into his hair, her soft breasts pressed against him. She tasted so goddamn good, spice and sweetness. He stroked his tongue over hers, lifting her higher against him, pressure building in his groin.

“I want you,” he breathed. “Right now, yeah, but…more than that.”

“Tyler. I want you too. But I can’t…I can’t make promises.”

“Promise me I can fuck you right now.”

She huffed out a laugh. “Okay. I can promise you that.”

He bent his knees, picked her up, and threw her over his shoulder. She squealed and he set a hand on her ass as he carried her into her bedroom. Somewhere along the way, her shoes fell off.

He tossed her onto the bed and she bounced, her hair falling all over her face, but a smile on her lips. He knelt at the foot of the bed, hands on her ankles. “That dress is sexy as hell.”

“You said that last night too.”

“I did? Okay, correction.You’resexy as hell. Whatever you’re wearing.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Since Arden didn’t have to work until later that night, they spent a leisurely morning in bed, even eating breakfast there—coffee, juice, and banana nut muffins Arden had made yesterday. She watched Tyler devour three of them, his enjoyment of them pleasing her.

“Are we celebrating anything today?” he asked with a smirk.

She grinned. “Ha. You’re going to like this one.”

He lifted an eyebrow, licking butter off his thumb.

“It’s National Grab Some Nuts Day.” And she shoved her hand under the covers.

He choked out a laugh as her hand closed over his junk. “Seriously?”

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