Irresistible (Cloverleigh Farms #1)(36)

I was rinsing out the bowl when I heard a knock at my door.

That’s weird, I thought, checking my phone to see what time it was—after ten—and whether someone in my family had tried to get ahold of me. No one had.

My heart tripped a little faster as I made my way to the door, and I held my breath as I pulled it open.

Mack stood in the hall, his hands fisted at his sides, his expression tense. He was breathing hard, as if he’d just run up a steep flight of stairs.

Suddenly I was mad at him. How dare he show up here? He knew I was trying to avoid him. This just felt mean. “What do you want?” I asked, not bothering to disguise my anger.

“I want you to tell me to leave.” He spoke quietly, but firmly.

“Leave,” I told him, folding my arms over my chest.

Without another word, he rushed toward me and crushed his lips to mine.





Mack





Things happened fast.

I kicked the door shut with my heel. I backed her into the room. I tore at her clothes, and then my own, although I only succeeded in removing her hoodie and pants, and though I was shirtless, my jeans were still tight around my knees.

Didn’t matter. Within five minutes of arriving at her door, I was fucking her mercilessly on the living room carpet, driving my rock-hard cock into her soft, warm body again and again and again. It was almost like I was punishing her for refusing to let me be.

And she clearly wanted to punish me too.

She wrapped her legs around me and clawed at my back. She whispered my name against my lips and cried out with every deep, hard thrust. She moved beneath me, rocking her hips in tandem with mine, pulling me closer to her body until we were gasping and shuddering and clinging desperately to each other through a simultaneous orgasm so intense, I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see, couldn’t think.

It was obvious the other night hadn’t been a fluke—whatever this thing was between us was real. And powerful. And not going anywhere.

When I finally opened my eyes, I saw her face beneath mine. She turned her head to the side, giving me her profile, chin slightly raised. Then I realized she wasn’t holding on to me anymore.

Fuck. I was such an asshole.

I detached myself from her and sat back on my heels, head hanging low. “Jesus. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I could have stopped you.”

I wasn’t so sure about that. “Why didn’t you?”

She didn’t answer.

I leaned over her again, bracing myself above her shoulders. “Hey. Look at me.”

She didn’t, so I put two fingers beneath her chin and turned her head. Her lower lip trembled, and I had to kiss it.

“Stop,” she said softly.

A smile hooked up one side of my mouth. “Now you want me to stop?”

“Yes. You’re confusing me.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m confused myself.”

“Why did you come up here, anyway?”

“Because I’ve been fucking miserable all week. Because that night with you was the best I’ve felt in years. Because it doesn’t matter why I should stay away from you—I can’t.”

“Don’t tease me. Do you really mean that?”

I nodded. “I got all the way out to the parking lot tonight. I got in my car. I turned the fucking engine on, and I sat there, getting more and more furious with myself that I couldn’t go.”

“Really?”

“Really. Finally I gave in. But I knew it wasn’t fair after what I’d said, so I promised myself that if you told me to leave, I would.”

She looked amused. “I did tell you to leave.”

“Uh, yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Clearly that was a promise I should not have made.”

“It’s okay.” Her hands swept up and down my back, her touch sending warm shivers across my skin. “I want to be with you.”

“I want to be with you too.” I brushed some hair back from her forehead that had come loose from the knot on top of her head. “But I’m not going to be able to make any promises, Frannie. I meant what I said—I’ve got nothing to offer you.”

“That’s not true,” she said with that irresistibly stubborn tilt of her chin.

“You say that now, but just wait. My life is complete chaos. Most days I feel like I’m hanging on by a thread.”

“You don’t need to worry about me, Mack. I don’t want to be another responsibility in your life. And I don’t need promises or labels.” She took a breath. “I just want to feel like I’m somebody to you.”

I smiled down at her. “You are. But we’ll have to be careful. I don’t want the kids to—” Suddenly I realized something—we hadn’t been careful tonight. I panicked, backing off from her again. “Oh, shit, Frannie. I didn’t even think. I—”

She silenced me with one hand. “No worries. I’m on the pill, and I’m very, very good about taking it.”

I relaxed a little. “Okay. Whew. That’s good.” The last thing I needed was another baby right now. Or ever.

“Give me a few minutes, okay?” she asked, getting to her feet. “If you want a drink or anything, help yourself. I don’t have any beer, but I’ve got wine, whiskey, vodka, tequila …”