Page 113 of Bad Cowboy, Tennessee

“Youbring it out in me.”

“Or maybe it was already there,” he said, leaning in and kissing the spot below my ear.

The deep well of desperate frustration built inside me again.

He was so close. And I wanted one thing that should have been so simple, but instead, with Draven, felt like an impossibility.

I wanted that last bit of distance between us to be gone.

To move just a few more inches, and have his lips onmine, rather than on my neck, or my nipples, or on my cock.

As he kissed my neck I reached up, gripping his hair with my fingers the way I knew he liked it—a little rough, and deeply possessive. I moved backward a little on the seat of the bay window, giving myself more space.

And then I tipped my head back, moving roughly as I kept my hand planted at the back of his hair.

I could see a hunger in the green of his eyes. See howtiredhe was, just like me.

I fucking knew he wanted it, too.

I closed the distance between us and moved in to kiss him, knowing that this time, he was going to give it to me.

My lips were almost touching his when he moved to the side, biting down on the edge of my jaw instead.

My stomach hardened. I let out a breath and closed my fists in on themselves, biting back every word I wanted to say.

I pulled away from him, putting the distance back between us. I carefully controlled my tone as I spoke, holding back my anger like a dam about to burst.

“Still, huh?” I said.

Putting a crack in the dam.

Draven lifted an eyebrow at me. “You good, Max?”

The words were white-hot as they came out of me.

“I’m done.”

Chapter 18

Draven

I’d known that I might regret bringing Max to Montana. But I never knew just how bad of an idea it truly was.

It only took an hour for the mistake to become obvious.

Max shouldneverhave had to be brought to this place.

And I never should have let him believe that I was someone worthy of his affections.

I knew he wanted to kiss me.

I couldn’t fucking say it, though.

I couldn’t give it to him, over and over again, because I knew the moment I did that, it would be over. I would never be able to let him go. He would be trapped in the golden cage that was my life.

Or would I just be trapped with him, forever?

Wanting him? Needing him? Even when he inevitably realizes that I am nothing but bad news?

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