Page 66 of Taking Denver

Ranger had been protecting me.

I hurt him in response.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

His dark gaze burns into me, and a well of words overflows between us.Thank you. I’m sorry.

I love you, too.

Instead, he says, “Come here.”

The rush of blood in my cheeks overtakes the guilt. My body bursts to life, my chest gripped tight by two words, by his cologne, his eyes, his presence. I move close. He runs his fingers through my hair, and I close my eyes, his fingertips soft as he cups the back of my head.

He kisses my cheek and groans softly, the sound a rumble through my heart. A gasp almost falls free as he whispers, “How long do I have to wait until I can have you again?”

Have me.As if he doesn’t already own every piece of me.

“Ranger—”

“You’re fighting it, and I don’t know why.” He kisses my earlobe. “Wyatt is gone. So is Ethan. And even if they weren’t, we both know you wanted me long before either of them.”

My toes clench, my shoe thudding to the floor. Ranger’s hand sweeps up my calf, lifting my leg onto his lap.

“Stop fighting me,” he whispers, and when he bites my neck, I press my palm to his chest. His hand creeps higher, squeezing the back of my thigh, massaging the skin there. He tugs me closer so abruptly that I gasp, my leg now over his lap. He kissesmy cheek, my neck, my shoulder. “I think about that night. The sounds you made, the way you felt. You took me so well, didn’t you?” My body thrums with delight at the praise, and I grip his tie to steady myself. “You were so fucking powerful, and I’ve never wanted anyone more.”

I’m drifting into a dream world because I felt the same about him. Every fantasy I’d had about Ranger came roaring to life that night. I’d come against his mouth, his fingers, his cock, and he’d been relentless in pleasing me. Our need had torn free and destroyed everything around us. As the world burned and bullets were swept up, he’d devoured me, and I’d let him.

“Would you let me fuck you on this table?” he asks, and I whimper. He chuckles softly against my shoulder. “You would, wouldn’t you?”

I swallow. “I think they’d probably ask us to leave.”

“I’d make you come first.”

I had no doubt he would. I run my hand down his arm, squeezing his hand tightly, when I notice the dark thread protruding from beneath his watch. I turn his hand palm up and hold my breath when I see the bracelet I made for him years ago.

“You still have this.”

He nods and kisses my temple.

“But… it’s crappy.”

Ranger laughs, his breath warm on my skin. “You made it for me, so I kept it. I always will.”

Now, it’s my turn to groan. My forehead drops against his shoulder. “Stop it.”

“Stop what?”

“Being fucking sweet. It’s unnerving,” I grumble, and he laughs again. “You’re making me like you.”

He inches back and lifts my chin. His smirk is beautifully confident. “No, I’m reminding you why you fell in love with me in the first place.”

“Sorry to interrupt.”

My cheeks warm as I lock eyes with Cal, but I don’t pull from Ranger’s grasp.

“The paparazzi have doubled,” Cal says. “You can’t leave through the front, so I’ve parked in the alley behind the restaurant.”

Ranger hums. “Fine. We’ll be out in five.”

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