Wicked Force (Wicked Horse Vegas #4.5)(20)

“Do me a favor and keep the sliding glass door closed,” I tell her, not discounting those very slim odds someone would try to get at her that way. She’s too precious to take that risk.

Yes, I’ve come to learn that about Joslyn.

She’s precious to this world.

To me as well, but that can never go anywhere except the interior of my heart.

Joslyn laughs at my overprotectiveness, but it trails away naturally until there’s nothing but silence for a moment. I think I could probably stand out here with her all night and just be quiet with her.

“I can’t believe how much I’ve missed this place,” she murmurs and I lean to one elbow to turn halfway toward her. She gives me a slight smile then looks back down to the town. “You know... if I never make it big, I do believe I could come back here and be very happy living as a normal, small town girl.”

“What would you do?” I ask her curiously. We never talked about dreams she might have outside of singing.

“College for sure,” she says as she tilts her head my way. “But what I’d study, no clue. I was never all that interested in school when I was in it. Always wanted to just be off singing.”

“It’s your passion,” I remind her, something she knows deep down inside. “I don’t think anything else will fulfill you. Damn good thing you’re superb at it, because I think you’re not going to have any problem becoming a star one day.”

She blinks at me in surprise. “You really think so?”

“I do,” I tell her confidently, at the same time hating it will inevitably take her away from Vegas and me.

“I wish I had that same confidence in myself that you have for me,” she says wistfully as her gaze darts off to the side.

I wait for her to look at me again. When she does, I tell her, “I’ll make sure to remind you several times a day until you know it’s true.”

I know the words are wrong the minute they leave my mouth. Her brow wrinkles and her eyes fill with emotion. “You really do believe in me, don’t you?”

Walk away, McGrath, I tell myself. Walk the fuck away.

I take a step closer to her. “Yeah... I do.”

Is it my imagination, or does she move closer to me?

I can’t really figure it out, because my gaze is focused so intently on her face that everything else seems hazy.

“Do me a favor, Kynan,” she whispers, and yes... I’ll do anything she asks.

“What?”

“Kiss me.” Her voice is feather light and yet her words almost knock me backward. My gut tightens, only to be swiftly followed by my groin.

Walk the fuck away.

“Not a good idea,” I tell her, even as my hand touches her face. She leans into it, closes her eyes and purrs.

Fuck.

“Kiss me,” she murmurs once again, opening her eyes and pinning those crystal blues on me. “Please.”

And I’m done.

My fingers slide into her hair, wrapping around the base of her neck. I pull her gently toward me, leaning down at the same time.

Those lashes are so fucking long, I think, as her eyelids flutter and then close. Her hand comes up to wrap around my wrist, and she holds on to me tight.

Lips parting, breath hitching—that would be both of us—I am powerless to stop myself. My mouth touches hers, hesitates a moment, and then presses in. Joslyn opens for me just enough that I can give her a kiss that’s not so deep as to say, “I want to fuck you” but is way more than a brush of possible desire.

But because there is a part of me that wants to pull her closer, crush her mouth under mine, and possess every single fucking inch of her, I let her go and back away. The kiss lasted but a few moments and yet they were the best moments of my life so far.

And that is why I have to fucking back away.

“We can’t do this,” I tell her, my voice gruff with lust and disappointment.

“Why?” she asks, the slight lilt of disgruntlement evident.

“Because you’re my client, Joslyn. It’s inappropriate. I’m here to protect you... not to... just... I can’t.”

The warmth in her eyes dies and her mouth flattens. “I don’t think that’s a good excuse.”

“Maybe not,” I tell her. “But I can’t get involved with you while I’m protecting you.”

“What if you weren’t protecting me?” she asks.

“Were you not just participating in that kiss with me? What do you think?” My tone is sarcastic but teasing.

It makes her smile. It goes from amused to almost evil. She lifts her chin and says, “Then you’re fired. Now kiss me.”

Chuckling, I shake my head at her. “Not going to happen, Joslyn.”

I turn for the door, intent on going to my room and taking a shower so I can jack off. Her hand shoots out and latches onto my forearm. It would never stop me but I give her the respect of my attention. I’d never walk away from her until she was cool with me walking away from her.

“What could possibly be wrong with you kissing me?” she asks, genuinely perplexed.

I step into her, backing her up against the railing. Bending down to put my face near hers, I tell her what she needs to know about getting involved with someone like me. “Joslyn... if I kiss you like I really want to kiss you, it’s not going to end with anything less than me fucking your brains out.”