Page 28 of Chasing Wildflowers
“I can’t believe you won,” I huff, arms crossed over my chest in fake annoyance as we cross the dimly lit parking lot, our boots echoing against the asphalt.
Did I actually think I’d win? Not really. But a tiny, desperate hope had flickered that beginner’s luck might favor me. Turns out, ax-throwing is way harder than it looks. Every swing, every spin, everythunkagainst the wood proving it.
Jameson pulls my door open when we reach his Bronco, something I could very much get used to. “I wasn’t going to let you pay me back either way, baby,” he murmurs smoothly, closing the door with a muted thunk before rounding the hood.
Baby.
Normally, I don’t like that term of endearment; it feels too generic, too overused. But when he says it, in hisdeep timbre, goosebumps spread over my body. My thighs press together instinctively, and I shift in my seat, trying to play it cool. But yeah, I like it. Way more than I should.
Jameson slides behind the wheel, the leather creaking beneath him. “I figured you wouldn’t,” I mutter, sinking back in my seat.
He turns toward me, the streetlights casting shadows across his handsome face, his eyes darkening. “Then why did you bet me? Did you hope I’d ask for a kiss, Wildflower?”
My breath hitches. Jesus. That voice, that look. My whole body hums like he’s tuned me to a frequency only he can hear.
I look away as heat rushes to my cheeks, my ability to form words becoming nonexistent.
His tone sharpens just enough to make me obey. “Eyes up here, Lane.” My eyes snap to his. “Did you hope I’d ask for a kiss?”
Did I? Is that what I was hoping for?
“I-I don’t know.” I stammer, because I don't. I don’t know anything at this moment.
He doesn't speak, doesn’t move. His eyes hold mine, pinning me in place.
I squirm under the heat of his gaze. How am I supposed to function when he’s looking at me like that?
“Yes.” The word slips out in a rush, shaky and raw.
“Good girl.” He turns the key, the engine roaring to life.
I press my thighs together, the vibration making the ache worse. I never thought I had a praise kink, butthe wetness between my thighs says otherwise. In fact I would say yes to just about anything right now just to hear him call me a good girl again.
By the time we’re standing on my front porch, the cool night air against my overheated skin, I’m dizzy with want and anticipation.
I roll my bottom lip between my teeth. “I had fun tonight,” I say, my voice too quick, too nervous.
He smirks knowingly, his right hand coming up to cradle my face. His thumb grazes across my lipstick-stained mouth, smearing the color with a featherlight stroke. My lips tingle in his wake. “Are you waiting for me to kiss you, Lane?”
I nod, biting my lip.
“Use your words, baby,” he commands, his voice dropping. Velvet edged with steel. He guides me back until my spine presses against the cool wood of the door, his body heat enveloping me. He braces his left hand above my head, caging me in. “Is that why you’re so nervous? Because you want me to kiss you?”
“Y-yes.”
The word has barely left my lips before his mouth crashes against mine. The kiss isn’t soft or tentative, it’s all-consuming. His tongue teases the seam of my lips, urging me to open. When I do, a low growl reverberates from deep in his chest, vibrating against my skin.
I fist the back of his shirt, the fabric soft and warm beneath my fingers, dragging him close. The clean mix of soap, whiskey, and leather that clings to him. His tongue tangles with mine. Demanding. Teasing.
He nips at my bottom lip, then soothes with a swipe of his tongue. When his hard length presses againstmy stomach, a needy moan slips out before I can stop it, swallowed by his mouth.
Weeks of fantasizing about him crumble into insignificance. Nothing I imagined prepared me for this; the heat, the need, the all-consuming pull of him.
I roll my hips against him, a soft whimper getting caught in my throat. He tears his mouth away and presses his forehead to mine, his breathing ragged. “I have to go, Wildflower.”
I pant, my body burning with need. “What? Why?”
He pulls back just enough for his eyes to lock with mine, molten and unsteady. “Because if I don’t leave right now, I’m going to take you inside and fuck you until neither of us can walk.”
