Page 75 of When Fences Fall
“Nothing terrifies him,” she replies with an even tone that loses all the warmth she had before. And I can’t stand that. I want to give her the reassurance and support she needs, even if she doesn’t know that. “Because he’s a narcissist and thinks the whole world bows to him.”
“That’s about to change,” I vow quietly, making her brows slowly rise.
“Is it?” She rolls her lips like she wants to ask something else but doesn’t want to let it slip.
I start slowly walking toward her around the island. She’s maybe ten steps away, but I take them deliberately slow.
“It is.” I nod. “I’ll make sure of it.”
She starts smiling. “Will you?”
“I will.” My voice is laced with confidence. I know I can back it up. It just depends how far I’m willing to go to deliver my promise, and this is where the understanding settles in—I’m willing to go very far for her. Maybe even further than I went for my brother.
“You don’t like Richard that much, huh.” She bites her lips while her eyes narrow a little.
Richard. Not Dick. Richard.
I stare at her, taking the last step that’s separating us.
“Nora—” I growl a warning.
“Yes, Jericho?” There’s a mischievouslight in her eyes. “You don’t want to talk about Richard at all.” She bites her lower lip, placing her hands under her thighs.
“Nora.” My voice is lower.
“Yes, Jericho? Why don’t you like him?” Her lips twitch so much, she can barely contain her laughter. She knows what she’s doing, and she’s damn well enjoying it.
My pulse slams behind my ribs. My hand jerks forward and wraps around her throat. Not hard. But firm enough to hold her in place and feel her swallowing under my palm.
“Nora,” I growl into her face. “Shut.” I lean a hair closer. “The fuck.” Even closer, until our noses almost touch. “Up.”
She lets out a loud exhale, and I catch it with my mouth. Without hesitation, my tongue meets hers. She’s warm. Welcoming. She tastes like sunshine and cozy evenings. Like a favorite drink during a drought.
My free hand lands on her stomach, feeling the softness of it. I like it. I like how I can dig my fingers into her flesh. I like imagining how her softness will be molded onto my hard ridges.
My hand moves lower. To her thigh. And pushes it open. I step forward, and both her legs are now on either side of me. And I fucking swear I can feel the heat between them inviting me over. Her arms land on my sides and then move to my back.
I like how they start tracing my muscles. How hungrily they touch every single ridge. How hard her fingers dig into my skin.
She shivers, and I feel it in my body. I intensify the kiss, molding myself closer to her. Her legs wrap tighter around me. My hand releases her throat and moves to her back because I want her to be tighter against me. Closer. I want her to be one with me.
My hands slip under her sweater, and the warmth of her skin burns mine. I angle my face for a deeper?—
A loud crash on the window makes us bothjump. I grab her and shove her behind me away from any danger. Years of being on high alert have trained my body to react without thinking.
“What the heck was that?” Nora whispers behind my back.
A loud cock-a-doodling makes me see red. The damn rooster is sitting on my windowsill with his eye focused on us.
“How the fuck is that cockblocker standing there?” I mumble under my breath, making Nora press her face between my shoulder blades with silent laughter. “It’s time we finish this motherfucker.”
I normally don’t curse that much around ladies, but the stiff rod in my pants is making my mood sour. I walk to the window, hearing Nora’s footsteps behind me.
“He’ll run away as soon as you open that window. He’s not dumb,” she says.
“Whose side are you on?” I throw grouchily over my shoulder.
She throws her hands in the air in a surrendering gesture. “Just saying. I’ve been hunting that thing for months.”
