Page 73 of Hooked
The slight red tinge to her cheeks told Jeremy she was thinking about the night they’d spent together in her room. She glanced at the house. “Where’s your grandpa?”
“Up in the mountains. He and my dad are trying to outsmart bass.”
“Is that difficult? Outsmarting bass?”
“Harder than you might think.” What was he doing? Why was he torturing himself? He should be the one to end it. She was going to leave, which would just leave him… where? Looking like the small-town chump the glamorous heroine leaves behind. In the movies, she changes her mind and comes back, sets up shop in the small town, and marries the chump.
Life wasn’t a movie.
“Tayla—” He was about to turn and tell her to go when he felt her arm sneak around his waist and a carabiner clip onto his belt loop.
“Gotcha.”
Jeremy could hear the smile in her voice. It was irresistible. She was irresistible. He slowly turned. She had backed away to the other side of the garage, holding the end of the rope, a smile on her face.
“You’ve hooked me.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Now what are you going to do with me?”
She hopped up on the woodworking bench. “I’m reeling you in.”
“Is that a figure eight knot?”A really good figure eight knot?
“I told you I took a lot of classes at the yacht club. They occasionally come in handy.”
He unlatched the carabiner from his jeans when he reached the bench and hooked it in her belt loop. “There. Hooked you back.”
“Yeah.” Her voice was breathless. “You have.”
Jeremy took her mouth in a hard kiss that left no room for argument. She kissed him back, digging her fingers into his neck. The edge of her nails hurt, but Jeremy didn’t care.
Fuck it.
He was going to get hurt either way. While she was still here, he wanted to do everything, feel everything, indulge in everything.
If it was going to hurt, at least give him the thrill.
He released her mouth. “Come inside.”
“Yes.”
They leftthe ropes in the garage, and she followed him into the dark house; he locked the door behind him. Tayla walked upstairs and into a spacious bedroom on the second floor that smelled like clean linen and cedar.
She watched him in the darkness, her emotions a riot inside her.
This is a bad idea!
This is a great idea.
You should tell him before you—
Shut up, Inner Tayla. I’ve been listening to you all day.
She wanted him. She wanted him with no reservations, no second thoughts. He was good and sweet and sexy as hell. Jeremy Allen was the guy romance books made you dream about. The thought made her simultaneously giddy and irritated.
Stop being so perfect!
Maybe he’s bad in bed.
She found the idea improbable, based on their earlier recreational activities, but maybe that would be his one imperfection. He had come awfully fast the one time before. Granted, she’d been teasing him all night and she’d been giving him a blow job.
