Page 30 of The Love Lie
Much better.
Except, no.
No. No. No.
Cooper settles in behind her, close enough she can feel a hefty bulge between her ass cheeks. He drops his hands to his meaty thighs for a second, then hovers them on either side of her waist, before finally reaching forward to grip the handles too, as if that’s better, safer.
It’s not.
His whole front presses against her whole back. His arms stretch alongside hers. His fingers mold around the outer edges of her hands. He’s like her own personal cocoon. Warm breath brushes against the back of her neck. Goose bumps rise along her skin. The area burns with awareness that his lips areright there, and—
Abort.
ABORT.
“Got any idea what you’re doing, Cuj?”
Goddamn it, why is the cockiness in his tone so attractive? And why does it go against every fiber of her DNA to let his implied challenge go? She’s answering before she can stop herself. “You’re not the only one who knows how to ride, cowboy.”
A soft chuckle spills through his lips, puffs of air splashing against her neck like a tide. The deep rumble reverberates across his chest and down his arms, touching every part of her. Sam squirms, trying to fight the sudden tension in her core. But it has the opposite effect when she feels one very specific appendage harden in response.
“I bet you do,” he murmurs, almost more to himself. Then he clears his throat. “But do you know how to ride one of these? Because I’d prefer to know exactly how close to death I’m traveling today.”
She turns her face to the side. The tips of their noses graze. His eyes darken.
“No faith,” she whispers, the sound huskier than she intended.
“Oh, I believe you can do anything you set your mind to. Trust me.” His gaze dips to her mouth before he swallows and looks back up. “But I also believe you’d break into the gates of hell just to prove you could.”
His pupils dilate, edging out the emerald. She snaps her face forward.
“I like to go fast,” she warns.
“Darlin’,” he murmurs, lips brushing the outer edge of her ear. Tingles cascade down her neck and across her shoulders, making her shiver. Something inside her chest swells. “I already knew that.”
Sam hits the throttle, a sudden need to go, to run, to get away drowning out the rest.
They don’t move.
She wrinkles her nose and holds down the throttle again.Come on.
Nothing.
She squeezes as hard as she can, then shakes the handles in frustration, one second from punching the stupid thing.
“Cuj?”
“I’ve got it,” she snaps, wound way too tight.
“I know.” Amusement simmers in his voice. “But it might help to turn it on first.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
She turns the key. The engine rumbles to life, which isn’t really helping thingsdown there, so she guns it. They jerk forward with a burst of speed. Sam flies back, saved only by the human cage wrapped around her. Cooper grips the handles, his forearms flexing so tightly his veins pop. It’s a more absorbing view than the aqua waves surrounding them on all sides. Water droplets glide over muscular contours. Tan skin glistens in the sunlight. She may or may not lick her lips.
“Christ,” he mutters as he snatches her hand off the throttle. The engine cuts and they slow to a stop, bobbing up and down in the water.
Cleared from her daze, Sam elbows him in the ribs and retakes control. Speed is what she needs right now. A thrill. A distraction. “Not even he can save you now, cowboy.”
