Page 14 of Wicked and Claimed

He laughed. “Wait until I prove you so fucking wrong.”

“Do those delusions make things hard for you?”

“No. But you do.”

She stifled a giggle. No way would she tell him how much she enjoyed their banter. Sparring with him was dangerous, and she was playing with fire…but everything about the man excited her. He was tall, rugged, confident, muscled, tatted, and sexy as hell. That sounded shallow, but she was drawn to more than his looks. Since she’d known him, he’d proven he was also smart, resourceful, protective, and funny. The whole package.

If love wasn’t mostly BS and she was looking for it, he’d be a major catch.

But it was, and she wasn’t. Besides, according to local rumor, he’d blown through half the single women in his town—at least. She liked to have a good time as much as the next girl, but she wasn’t eager to be the next notch on his bedpost.

On the other hand, she’d heard the whispers that he wasreallygood in bed. After a string of lousy lays, she couldn’t deny that she was curious—and interested as hell.

Haisley forced herself to turn away and headed to the backyard, fanning her flushed face. But it was useless. Nash always got her hot and bothered. And the way he looked at her—like she was the only woman in the world—made her heart stutter.

She definitely needed to avoid him.

Grabbing a burger from the barbecue, a beer from the cooler, and some chips from the nearby buffet table, she settled beside Charli and Gracelyn. But her gaze kept straying to Nash. And every time she looked at him, he was staring straight at her. He wasn’t even trying to hide it.

Being this close to him made her feel dangerously alive. He seemed to invade every corner of her body—the pounding of her heart, the tingling of her suddenly sensitive skin, the ache throbbing between her legs.

She needed a breather to catch her equilibrium.

Once she’d finished dinner and her friends were occupied with conversations, she slipped off behind the cabana for a breath. She didn’t see Nash, but he’d probably gone into the house with the other guys to shoot pool.

In the shadows behind the structure, she exhaled out her tension and closed her eyes. She could steer clear of Nash—and avoid temptation—for another hour or two, right?

“Hey, baby. Looking for me?” A familiar, gravelly purr sounded low and close.

Nash.

He was here. And no one else was in sight.

She risked a glance over her shoulder. Bad idea. He leaned against the cabana wall, his muscular arms crossed over his broad chest, watching her with those molten eyes that promised all sorts of sin. Haisley swallowed hard.

“Nope. I wanted a moment alone.” She silently cursed the tremor in her voice. “So maybe you’d be a good boy and skedaddle?”

“I was here first.” Nash pushed off the wall, taking a few deliberate steps closer. “And I’ve been wanting you all to myself.” He raked his gaze up and down her body, leaving behind a scorching trail of sensation. “Looks like I succeeded.”

Anticipation raced through Haisley. She opened her mouth, but her retort died as he closed the distance between them.

“This dark little corner back here gives us the perfect opportunity to…misbehave.” Nash traced his finger along the low neckline of her bikini top.

His whisper-light touch raised goosebumps and turned her nipples hard. Secluded together, where all she knew was his gleaming eyes, his musky scent, and his teasing caress, Haisley was painfully aware that he was all man. “I don’t need you to misbehave. I can do that all by myself.”

A slow grin stretched across his rugged face, complete with a flash of white teeth. “Oh, I’d love to watch you.”

Was he insinuating…? Yes, and the idea sent her heartbeat skittering. “I’m not masturbating for you.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to misbehave together.” He skimmed his thumb over her lower lip. “You want to be bad with me, Haisley. Don’t you?”

She forgot how to breathe. This man was sin personified, and she struggled to resist his magnetic pull and the undeniable spark of desire between them.

Screw it. She had to know—just once—what his kiss felt like.

Haisley grasped the front of Nash’s shirt, using it to tug him even closer until their bodies were flush against each other. “If we’re going to misbehave, you should talk less.”

A wicked grin curled up Nash’s full mouth as he pinned her against the stucco wall, his large frame caging her in as he brushed a lock of hair from her face with maddening tenderness. As her heart thudded wildly, she found herself lost in him.

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