Crazy Girl(27)

“That was…” she paused, lifting her brows, her cheeks rosy, “nice.”

“Yeah,” I managed, scratching the back of my neck. Pulling my lower lip between my teeth, I groaned a little. “I can still taste you.”

Something flickered in her eyes, her mouth parting slightly. This time she didn’t lean, she slammed into me. Pulling her up, she wrapped her legs around my waist as I held her up with one hand and blindly let my tailgate down with the other. I set her on the tailgate and yanked her toward me by the hips as we kissed, and sucked, and tasted one another. I couldn’t get enough. She gripped the back of my belt, then pulled me closer making me hiss against her lips.

“Damn,” she murmured as I nipped at her jawline and kissed down her neck. Pushing my chest again, she created distance between us as we caught our breath. Why was she stopping? “I’m sorry,” she panted. “I…I don’t usually do that.”

I needed a breather. Taking a step back, I put my hands on my hips attempting to calm myself. I hadn’t expected, of all women, for her to get so lost like that. I liked it. A lot. And not because I’m a man and all things led to sex, but I liked that once again she’d shown me she could get lost in a moment, that she didn’t always overthink everything.

“I’m sorry about that,” I told her. As much as I had enjoyed it, I never wanted to make her feel pressured or forced, or taken advantage of.

“Don’t be sorry.” She scowled. “I was in it, too. I wanted it, too.”

I wanted to ask her why she’d stopped, but I didn’t. She got spooked too easily. She wanted to let go. Get lost with me. Then she’d stop, not giving herself permission. Her hands were gripping the tailgate, her legs dangling over the end as she peeked up at me. Our stares locked, a soft and nervous smile lighting up her features. Seeing how I felt through the expression on her face felt good. Too good. I knew she wanted me as much as I wanted her. I couldn’t help it, the urge was too strong, I had to taste her one more time. Leaning in, I kissed her once more; a soft and lingering brush of her lips. It would have to be enough.

As I pulled away, her head remained tilted up, her dark lashes resting against her pink cheeks as if she were relishing the moment; absorbing it, like someone who hadn’t seen the sun in days and was lifting their face to the sky to feel the warmth. She was stunning. But she wasn’t ready. When I gently brushed the back of my knuckles against her delicate cheek, her eyes fluttered opened, the smile on her face matching her gaze. “I had a good time tonight,” I told her.

“I did, too.”

It was one of those moments you hated to see end. I could have stood in that parking lot all night and kissed her. But it was time to say goodnight. She saw our connection. Had felt our chemistry. If she wanted more, she’d say so. “I’ll call you tomorrow?”

Her face tightened, her smile becoming more forced than natural as she looked away. “Yes,” she said before clearing her throat and sliding off my tailgate. “That sounds good.” When she took a sidestep to move around me, she pushed some hair behind her ear. I narrowed my eyes at her, wondering what had just happened. It almost seemed as if she’d recoiled; shut down. Shit. Was I reading the signs wrong? If I kept going, she’d stop. Yet when we stopped, she’d grow quiet. If this kept up, I was going to be in a world of hurt in more ways than one.

“Be careful on the drive home.” She waved a hand and turned to head to her car. I stared after her for a moment feeling like I should call after her, but what would I say? Hey, why’d you just get weird like that? In the end, I decided not to question her about it, hoping maybe it was just me reading too much into it. I waited until she was safely in her car and driving away before climbing into my truck and pulling out of the lot myself. She was a hard one to figure out. Looking to my right, I growled. “Shit.” I’d forgotten to give her the damn scarf back. Picking it up from where it sat balled up in the passenger seat, I held it to my face. Yep. It still smelled like her.

Tossing it back in the seat, I inhaled deeply and gripped my steering wheel tightly. Why did I keep smelling her scarf?

“Keep it together, Wren,” I mumbled to myself. “Keep it fucking together.”





“Start writing, no matter what.

The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”

-Louis L’Amour





“Looks like all the hens are clucking tonight,” Allen jested from the screen of Deanna’s laptop. He’d just Skyped her from his hotel room in Dallas to check in and say hi to all us “hens.” A calm ladies’ night was what was in order as I waited to hear from Wren.

“We’re in full force,” Kate agreed as she raised her wine glass.

“What’s the latest gossip tonight, ladies?” Allen inquired. He wasn’t really asking because he was a guy and couldn’t care less, but more he was making fun of us.

“Mostly just the weather,” Courtney replied. “Deanna did go on a bender about how huge your penis is right before you called.”

I had just taken a sip of wine and choked on it, coughing and sputtering out a laugh.

Allen grinned awkwardly as we laughed, his face reddening a little as Deanna shook her head grimacing.

“And on that note, I think I’ll say goodbye,” Allen murmured.