Page 43 of Rocky Top

She blinked up at me, green eyes wide. “I didn’t ask you to stop.”

That almost broke me.

Almost.

I leaned in, pressed my forehead to hers, breathin’ her in slow and deep. “You don’t know what you’re askin’, Sunshine. Not really.”

She opened her mouth to argue. I kissed her instead, slow, lingering, full of the promise I couldn’t keep tonight. I poured it all into that kiss. All the hunger. All the restraint. All the shit I couldn’t say because I hadn’t told her the truth yet.

When I pulled back, she looked dazed.

Wrecked.

Just like me.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, voice barely more than a whisper.

I stepped back and off the porch before I changed my mind.

Her porch light buzzed overhead, moths dancin’ in circles around it like they didn’t give a damn they were about to burn.

I knew how they felt.

I made it to my bike, swung a leg over, and revved the engine like I could outrun what was clawing at me from the inside.

The wolf didn’t understand why I’d left her behind.

Didn’t understand caution. Or timing. Or the human need for permission.

All it knew wasmate.

All it felt wasloss.

And as I tore off into the dark Tennessee night, heart thunderin’, hands tight on the bars, all I could think about was how close I’d come to losin’ control.

One more minute with her and I would’ve ruined everything.

And the scariest part?

I wasn’t sure I’d have regretted it.

Chapter 10

Birdie

I wasn’t expecting Rocky to leave last night. When he did, I checked my pits, my teeth, and even smelled my panties. Nothing was off. Still, I frowned into my mirror. And I sure as hell didn’t expect a knock on my front door the next day at noon. But there was Rocky standing there with that smug, sexy half-grin and two brain buckets, like he called them, dangling from his tattooed fingers.

“Get dressed, Sunshine,” he said, voice rough like whiskey and smoke. “You’re comin’ with me. And Knox.”

I blinked at him, still in pajama shorts and a tank top with a coffee stain on the chest. “This some kind of twisted biker menage?”

He chuckled. “Don’t tempt me. We got plans. Knox wants help pickin’ out a ring for your bestie.”

“Eliza?” My hand flew to my mouth. “He’s gonna propose?!”

“At the prom she’s chaperonin’. Man’s got a flair for the dramatic.”

I squealed, already backing into the house. “Give me five minutes and a gallon of dry shampoo.”

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