Hard to Handle (Caine Cousins #2)(26)

Her eyes widened, her mouth falling open as she realized the ferocity behind his declaration.

Could she handle this man and everything he would do to her?

If she’d thought it would only be sexual, Reagan could’ve easily said yes. Her sex drive was intense and she knew she could match this man orgasm for orgasm. However, when it came to her heart…

“Put me down,” she insisted. “Right now.”

Something passed in his eyes, but Lynx didn’t argue. His fingers slipped from her body and the next thing she knew, her boots were on the floor, her chest heaving as she tried to battle back the mixture of frustration and need.

She righted her clothes and met his eyes once more, fully expecting a mischievous smirk, some smartass retort. But that never came and what she saw on Lynx’s face this time…

Looked a hell of a lot like regret.

And her stupid heart squeezed in her chest.





11


__________


Lynx could smell her sweetness on his fingers. His tongue itched to plunge deep into her pussy, to drive her as insane as he’d been all this time just thinking about it.

But he couldn’t.

More importantly, he wouldn’t.

Because once would never be enough.

Hell, a fucking lifetime with Reagan wouldn’t be enough for him.

And Lynx damn sure wasn’t going to settle. Didn’t matter how fucking hot she’d been, how fucking much he craved seeing her come apart in his arms. Didn’t even matter how many nights he’d jacked off to thoughts of Reagan.

Only once wasn’t an option.

“I should go,” she finally said.

Unable to find his voice, Lynx simply nodded. He needed a minute anyway. Some time to process what had just happened, to figure out how she’d so easily dissolved his self-control.

Without another word, Reagan headed for the door. Lynx turned to watch her go, their eyes meeting briefly when she reached the door. It looked as though she had something to say, but nothing ever came. The next thing he knew, he was alone in the warehouse. He took one look at the steel beam and had to battle back the urge to punch the damn thing.

Taking a deep breath, then another, he waited until he managed to get his temper under control. He wasn’t pissed at Reagan, he was angry with himself for allowing things to go that far. He should’ve walked away when she’d first kissed him, held out until the time was right.

But his self-control was so thin when it came to her.

Always had been.

His gaze swung to the rocking chairs and he sighed heavily.

Several more minutes passed, and when his body stopped vibrating, Lynx grabbed one of the chairs and carried it out to his truck. After he’d loaded them both and tied them down, he closed up the shop and hopped in his truck.

He had no idea where Reagan had run off to, but he was going to deliver the chairs to Amy’s. They belonged with Reagan, and even if she never spoke to him again, at least she could enjoy the chairs. Lynx knew he had to do one of two things. Go balls to the wall and get the girl, or let go of her completely. This in-between state was tearing him apart.

As he drove, he thought back to that night on his father’s front porch. He still didn’t know why Reagan had showed up, but after his mother died, it seemed Reagan had established a steady presence in his life. After that first night by the lake, Lynx had never touched her again, but that hadn’t stopped her from coming around and it hadn’t stopped him from wanting her to.

“Where’d your dad get these chairs?” she asked, tapping her foot and rocking the chair steadily.

“I made ’em,” he admitted, not looking at her.

“You… Really?”

He grinned. “Hard to believe?”

“No. It’s just … these are awesome.”

She looked out into the distance and Lynx took a moment to stare at her. She was so damn pretty with her long, silky hair pulled back in a ponytail, that white tank top hugging her perfect tits, showing off her smooth, tanned arms.

“I love it out here,” she said softly. “Sitting on the front porch, under the stars. I’ve watched my mom and dad sit outside like this. They always look so happy.”

Odd that she said that because Lynx detected some sadness in her tone.

“I think it’s the only time they really get along. They’re always arguin’ and yellin’. Then my dad’ll leave and stay gone for a coupla days…”

Well, that explained the despondency.

“Yeah,” he said. “My mom used to sit out here with me.” He smiled at the memory. “We didn’t have these chairs at the time. I made these for my dad. Thought maybe it’d get him outside some.”

“He still not leavin’ the house?”

“Nope. Not since…” Not since the night his mother died a couple of months back. The pain of the loss still radiated inside him, burning hot and painful. His chest squeezed. God, he missed his mom.

Lynx felt more than saw Reagan’s eyes on him, but he fought the urge to look at her. He knew if he did, he’d want something she couldn’t give him. She was too sweet for what he wanted from her. More importantly, she was too young.

The technical term … jail bait.

Avoiding Reagan hadn’t been easy, and once Lynx found out she had a steady boyfriend, he’d nearly lost his mind. Most people thought that losing his mother was the reason he’d gone off the rails and that was true, but only partly. Reagan had played a big part in it as well. For the longest time, she’d offered him hope, made him believe his world wasn’t crashing down all around him.