Reckless Hearts (Oak Harbor #2)(39)

“I know.” I don’t want to ruin this moment with the shadows of the past, not waste a single moment with him. I twist around, leaning in close to drop a kiss on his bare shoulder. “Can we not talk about it right now? I can think of a million better things to do . . .”

Will smiles. “Like what? Reading?”

“Mmmm, maybe . . .” I kiss along his collarbone.

“Sudoku,” Will suggests.

“Not quite,” I laugh, teasing my tongue up to his jaw. Will yanks me into his lap, so I’m straddling him, and bends his head to claim my mouth. “Gin rummy,” he murmurs into my mouth, and I silence him with a kiss, sliding my tongue to tangle with his as our bodies fuse closer. I rock my hips to bring me against his hardness, and Will makes a noise of pure desire. His hands slide up my waist, closing around each breast to stroke and toy and tease until my nipples are stiff and aching for his touch.

I squirm, impatient, that hollow need pulling at me again. “Condom?” I ask breathlessly, breaking the kiss.

“Nightstand. Drawer.” Will busies himself with caressing my bare shoulders, my hips as I reach across and grab one. I ease the rubber onto his stiff length, then position myself above him, straddling his lap. This time, I’m the one to make him groan as I brace myself against his shoulders sink down, taking him inside.

Yes.

I arch my back, god, feeling the fire consume me, his lush hardness invading every inch. Will grips my hips tighter, his eyes dark as I rise up again, holding the pace, then sinking back down. This time, I’m the one in control, and I take my time, rocking against him to feel the pressure between us, the sparks igniting just right. Will bends his head, licking over my breast and sucking my stiff nipple in his mouth. I let out a moan, rocking faster, feeling the imprint of his fingertips digging into my skin, and how his body thrusts up to fill me with every stroke. Deep. Deeper. God, it’s incredible, taking him like this: seeing the fire in his eyes and feeling that inferno take me over. I ride him, wild now, unleashed to the pleasure, until I almost can’t take it anymore.

“Baby,” Will grinds out, his mouth hot against my neck. “Come for me, baby.”

I whimper, slowing. I’m close, f*ck, so close to the edge, but I can’t reach it, not yet. And then Will slips a hand between us, stroking possessively as he thrusts up inside, and my whole body explodes in a rush of sensation. I come hard, gasping in his arms as Will flips me back on the bed and surges inside me, hard. Deep. Oh god. I’m already reeling but he f*cks me through my climax, and all I can do is hold on for dear life, shuddering with each new wave of pleasure as he cries out my name and falls with me into the rush.

*

The next time I wake, sunrise is streaming through the open drapes. Will lies passed out beside me, his face buried in the pillows, one arm slung across my body. He looks as relaxed as ever, even in his sleep, and I gently push hair from his eyes, struck by the unfamiliar ache in my chest. I remember how he held me last night; the feel of his body surging inside me, how I wanted to hold him so tightly and never let go.

I belong to him now.

Panic grips me, a sudden clawing in my veins. I want him too much. God, I already need him too much. But what happens now? What happens if he hurts me, or lies, or cheats and lets me down? How am I supposed to just put my heart on the line and blindly trust everything will be OK when I’ve spent so many years determined to never take that risk?

My heart beats faster, but this time with an anxious rhythm. It’s too much, too soon. Will came crashing into my life barely a month ago, and now . . . ?

Now I’m falling in love with him.

The realization sinks through me, as unlikely as it is unfamiliar. Me. The queen of casual, no-strings, “never get involved” is falling headlong in love with William Wyatt Montgomery.

And even worse, I want it to happen. I want this to be different; I want so badly to believe everything he says.

But I don’t know how to do this part.

The panic claws deeper, restless, and something in me snaps. I slide out from under his arm and climb quietly out of bed. My underwear is strewn across the floor, and I wriggle into it as I tiptoe out of the room. My pulse thunders in a sick staccato beat as I hurry downstairs and find my dress in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the stairs with my sandals and bag. Five seconds, and I’m dressed again and out the door, walking away in the cool morning air.

Running away, more like.

I walk fast down the track through the woods, my arms hugged tight around myself, and an epic battle waging in my head.

Every instinct in my body is telling me to leave—but there’s an ache in my heart with every step that takes me further away from Will. I don’t know what I’m doing, only that last night was different. Dangerous. I already revealed too much of myself, and it makes me cringe to remember how vulnerable I was with him.

How free.

I reach the turn to the main highway. A car passes by; I could go flag it down and hitchhike back to town, but instead, I watch it sail past. I sink back against the gatepost. Tears are stinging in the back of my throat, but I don’t even know why I’m crying. I should be on top of the world right now, but instead, all I feel is this panic galloping through me, driving me to get further away, just leave it all behind.

I need to get it together.

I force myself to take a deep breath, and another. The countryside is so quiet in the dawn light, just birds and the crickets sounding, and the far-away rush of the creek. Will is still probably passed out back at the house, smiling safe wrapped up in dreams.