Page 17 of Bad Boy in Her Bed

In case of what, he didn’t want to think about.

Because ‘in case’ meant looking ahead.And looking ahead meant hope.And hope was far easier to lose than it was to find.

Jocelyn continued to watch him, her view almost clinical as she tilted her head and licked her lips.“Do you realize you haven’t kissed me yet?”

His hips shifted under her, the evidence of his growing arousal pressing against her.“Kissing is kind of intimate.I didn’t want to push my luck and get tossed out on my ass.”

“How about I push your luck and mine?”She moved in close, her mouth a fraction away from his, her voice low and a teasing glint in her eyes.“Kiss me, Birch Baker.”

Despite the desire lighting every cell in his body on fire, he held back, sliding one hand up the back of her neck and tangling his fingers in her hair.“Why do you use my full name?”

“So you understand I know exactly who I’m with, who I want, and who I’m kissing,” she murmured as her lips brushed against his.“In case you think I don’t know who you are.”

Any reservations he was clinging to evaporated with his first taste of her cherry lip gloss.His mind was completely overwhelmed by the sensation of her skin under his fingers as she melted against him, allowing his tongue to slide against hers in long, swirling strokes.His body warred with his head, one wanting to barrel forward with the finesse of a jackhammer and the other relishing in the leisurely seduction of her mouth on his.

Her small hand gripped the collar of his shirt in a fist, as though she was trying to keep him from retreating.With a growl, he tightened his own hold on her and devoured her until they were both panting and breathless.

Nipping softly at her bottom lip, he cupped her chin and looked into her eyes.“You really do fuck me up, you know.I know you’re only here for a few weeks and this will end sooner than I’ll probably be ready for, but I’ve been thinking about you all day.You’re in my head and it’s fucking me up.”

Uncertainty erased the flush of her cheeks and she looked away for a moment before the confidence she usually carried returned.“Are you okay with that?”

Was he?

He wasn’t lying when he said he’d spent all day thinking about her.But his mind hadn’t been solely on taking her on his desk.Or against the wall.Or in his bed.He wondered what she was doing.What she was having for lunch.Whether she’d want to spend his day off with him, maybe take a drive into the countryside or hang out with him while he took a look under the hood of Grey’s car.

He thought about plans.Normal plans guys around him made, not the balancing act he’d been living for years.

Plans that, if he was honest with himself, went beyond the few weeks she would be around.

Lifting her hair and watching it fall from his fingers, he nodded.“Yeah, I am.As long as you keep fucking me up and don’t fuck me over.”

Chapter Eight

Birch sauntered intoSerpent’s Tongue with two cups of coffee in hand and a grin on his face.“Thanks for opening on short notice,” he said to Ryder, as he placed one cup in front of him and took a sip of his own.“How does the schedule look?”

Ryder leaned back in his chair.“Look at all the rainbows and sunshine just flying out of your ass this morning.”He slid the calendar over.“You have a touch-up arriving in twenty, then you’re free for the rest of the day.”

Yanking the desk drawer open, he lifted his organized stacks of paperwork out and turned to the filing cabinet on the hunt for a manilla envelope.“In that case, text your uncle and let him know I’ll be by this afternoon with the tax stuff.The sooner I drop it off, the sooner I can stop thinking about it.”

The morning flew by, his mind occupied with memories of waking up on the sofa in Jocelyn’s hotel room, her lithe body draped over him.Her hair had tickled his arm as she huffed and resettled on him, sending a wave of contentment through him and erasing all thoughts of the outside world simply because of one kiss.

One toe-curling kiss.

One toe-curling, addictive kiss, a lukewarm steak, and a movie with more explosions than actual plot had him riding a goddamn rainbow into work despite his frantic text letting Ryder know he’d be late for the first time since Serpent’s Tongue opened its doors.

Double-checking the envelope, he collected his phone and keys and popped his head into the back room where Ryder was working on a guy’s leg, the outline of a skull taking shape.“I’m out of here.Want me to come back and lock up tonight?”

“Nah, I got it.Enjoy your day off tomorrow.”

Checking out the detailed stencil, he gave his partner an impressed nod.“You too.See you Thursday.”

The drive out to Hullenshead was long, the pavement riddled with potholes and poorly sealed cracks.Unwilling to destroy his truck’s suspension on a tax run, he slowed down and cranked his music to combat the extra drive time.

Ryder’s uncle Trevor lived on an acreage on the outskirts of the town, the road leading to his Tudor-style home lined with towering maple trees.Birch had been there a handful of times over the past three years, and every time he pulled up to the house, he was impressed with the care Trevor Drayson and his wife Cora took of the place.Unlike his own house, this one didn’t have a single paint chip or mismatched shingle.The covered porch had wicker seating and hanging flower baskets interspersed with tiny lights, while his had two cheap lawn chairs and a bike chained to the rails.Although overwhelming to think about, his visits to the property always amped him up to make a few updates to his own, his could-do plans so often thwarted by must-fixes.

Trevor was a decent guy if not overly friendly, and his wife more than made up for it with her baking.Parking beside the oversized garage at the east end of the property, he tucked the overflowing manila envelope under his arm and walked across the lush grass to the front door.

“Birch!Lovely to see you again.”Cora smiled, swinging the door open before he could even knock.“Come in, honey.Trevor is just taking a call but he’ll be out shortly.”

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