Page 43 of Wrangling Hearts
I fisted his shirt in my hand and pulled him closer. His arrogant smirk was to die for, and so close that his every exhale was my inhale, imprinting him in every piece of me with every breath we shared. “Kiss me.”
“But I thought you didn’t want me?”
“Beau,” I whined in frustration.
His voice darkened. “Beg for it.” It was that authoritative tone that had me folding instantly.
“Please,” I begged. “Please, kiss me. I need?—”
His mouth muffled our moans as he slipped two fingers inside me, his thumb on my clit. Stars danced along my skin as he worked my body to perfection, like I belonged to him, and I may as well have with how good he felt inside me. My jaw dropped, a string of whimpered cries leaving me when he hit that spot that nearly pushed me over the edge.
“Right there,” I groaned, my head falling back against the hay. He hit that spot over and over. It was relentless. It was everything I imagined and more.
“Show me how much you want me, baby. Let me hear it.” He yanked one side of my tank top and bra down. His tongue was hot and wet on my nipple, licking and sucking, until I shook against him.
“Fuck, I’m gonna”—I gasped—“Oh God, I’m gonna come.”
He groaned against my neck, pressing kisses along my skin, as I tightened around his fingers. “Yeah, that’s it. Give it to me.” His words only pushed me higher. Wave after wave of it slammed into me until I was trembling in his arms, chanting his name.
I could hardly stand by the time he pulled his hand out of my jeans, his fingers glistening. He brought them to his mouth, and I watched in a blissed-out daze as he sucked them clean. It might’ve been the hottest thing I’d ever seen.
Beau let out a contented hum, reaching for me again. His mouth was on mine before I could comprehend what was happening, and his kiss seared itself like a brand on my heart. “Such a good girl for me, baby.”
His husky whisper gave me chills, the praise unlike anything I’d ever felt before. Just like everything else that I had felt regarding him, and that terrified me.
My movements were slow and shaky as I straightened my clothes. Reality crept back in, turning this perfect moment into something sour. I was disappointed. Disgusted. Not with Beau, but with myself. I was only more attached now, more conflicted.
I sighed, shaking my head. “I shouldn’t have let you do that.”
“I’m certainly glad you did.”
My eyes pricked with the familiar burn of incoming tears at the happiness in his voice. “Don’t be,” I rasped, my voice broken.
“Claire?” He reached for me, confused.
I ripped my arm out of his grasp. “I can’t do this. I told you it was too much, and you didn’t…you didn’t listen,” I choked out and bolted. My truck whirred to life, and I sped off. His concerned face blurred with my tears in my rearview mirror.
The bell to the Wild Creek Diner rang over my head as I walked through the door. I beelined straight for Gran and Louise at their usual table.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Gran asked, worry thick in her voice when she saw me, tear-stained and lost.
I slumped over the table, burying my face in my folded arms. I couldn’t even say it out loud. How could I explain to them that I was pretty sure I was in love with the man who could ruin my family’s legacy? The man who could take away my dream as soon as tomorrow? What kind of person did that make me? Mine, Emmett’s, and now Delilah’s livelihoods were at stake, and I was letting Beau work his way into my heart instead of figuring out how to beat him.
“This is bad,” Louise said when I didn’t answer. “We need a chocolate malt and fries over here. A lot of ‘em.” She had done the same thing when I caught my junior prom date with another girl. And then she helped my sisters and me egg his car.
“Thanks, Miss Louise,” I murmured, my voice muffled and weak. My throat grew impossibly tight, trying to shove all my emotions down.
When I couldn’t hold it anymore, I burst into tears. Right there in the fucking diner for everyone to see. I just couldn’t wait to see what theWhispershad to say about this tomorrow.
“I’m just so confused,” I whimpered.
Gran pulled me into her side, rubbing my back. “Oh, sweet pea. It’s okay.”
I sat up, wiping my face. “It’s not okay, though. Nothing about this is okay. I don’t know what to do.” This wasn’t me. I didn’t get torn up like this over men. I got shit done and took care of my family. But now it felt like I was failing them.
Louise handed me a napkin. “Tell us what’s goin’ on and we’ll figure it out.”
The fries and chocolate malt came, and I scooped some of the shake up with the fries and popped them into my mouth. “It’s Beau.”
