“I think there’s just a bad connection. It was like the car lost all power. I’ve been meaning to get it into a shop for a while now.”
I look at where the wires connect to the battery and see how corroded they are. “Hang on,” I tell her, rushing back to my truck. I open the backdoor and pull out the small toolbox I always keep in here. I look for a wire brush, and after I find it, I take it back to her car and start brushing off the corrosion.
About fifteen minutes later, I hook them back up and tell her to try starting it. She climbs behind the wheel and twists the key. It fires right up. She steps back out and walks up to me while I lower her hood back in place.
“Thank you so much!” She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me in for a hug.
When her body presses against mine, it feels like I’ve been soaked in gasoline, and she’s the match. My entire body erupts in an explosion of tingles as I breathe in her scent. She’s warm pressed against me, and so soft.
“Anytime,” I manage to get out through my dry lips.
She pulls back with a smile, but when her eyes lock on mine, the smile fades. An electric current exchanges between us. Maybe she’s feeling the exact same thing I am. I wet my lips because they’re suddenly drier than before, even though I can’t figure out how that happened. Her eyes move down to my mouth, and she wets her own. I don’t even realize I move until our lips are pressed together.
Her soft lips part for me as her tongue comes out, demanding entrance. I know this is wrong, but maybe one kiss won’t hurt. I mean, we can blame it on the drinks if we need to. This could be the only shot I have at tasting her. Maybe it will help me work her out of my system.
My hands tighten on her hips, pulling her closer. If this is the only chance I get, I’m taking advantage of it. My lips work faster, and hers have no trouble keeping up. She tastes of sweetness, with a hint of bitter wine and her scent mixed in, creating the perfect combination. I let out a slight growl as I pick her up against me and set her on the hood of her running car. Her legs part for me, allowing me to stand between them. Her hands roam up and down my back, rubbing my shoulder blades and squeezing my lower back, almost like she’s trying to pull me closer. But her tiny body is no match for mine.
I’m completely lost in her. Wrapped up in everything about this woman. I think of taking her right here on the hood of her car, or dragging her back to my truck, where we’d have a little more privacy. I think about taking her back to my place. I think of everything except why this shouldn’t be happening in the first place.
A car goes speeding by, blaring its horn and ending the moment. I pull back, and she pushes her skirt down her legs as she stands, trying to catch her breath.
“I’m sorry,” we both say in unison.
She lets out a giggle at the awkwardness of the whole situation while I rub my hand over my head and down the back of my neck, unsure of how to fix this.
“We should probably get off the side of the street. It’s dark. I don’t want either of us getting run over by a passing car.”
She nods, eyes wide with nervousness, or fear, or maybe excitement. I’m not sure. “Right.” She spins around to walk around the car but pauses and turns back to me, pointing her finger my way. “Thanks again… for stopping and helping with the car.”
I wave goodbye. “Anytime.” I stand back and watch as she climbs behind the wheel and drives away, leaving me standing all alone in my headlights.
Seven
Nina
As I drive away from him, my lips are still tingling with pleasure. In fact, my whole body is. That man can kiss! And his hands, his strong hands, felt so good pulling me closer. The way he let out that deep growl from within his chest when he lost control and picked me up, settling between my legs as I sat on the hood of the car…I let out a dreamy sigh just thinking about it. I have been wondering if this attraction I feel toward him was one-sided, but after what happened, it’s clear to see that it’s not.
However, it doesn’t exactly make it right. He’s my boss. Well, technically, he’s not my boss. I wasn’t hired by him. I was hired by the state police. But he is the sheriff. He’s the manager of our station. So, he kind of is my boss. Ugh, I don’t know anymore. Either way, I work with him. I can’t be in a relationship with him no matter how I try to justify it.
Damn Red. This is all her fault. Get to know the guy. Become his friend. If I weren’t trying to be his friend, this never would have happened. I’d still be sitting alone and dreaming of this crush I have on him, but eventually, it would fade away. Now that he’s kissed me, I don’t see it fading away any time soon.
When I get home, I grab my phone and call Red.
“Hey, sweet cheeks,” she answers.
“This is all your fault, you know?”
She giggles. “No idea what you’re talking about. Care to fill me in?”
“He kissed me! He really, really, really kissed me, Red.”
“Who? The sheriff?”
“Yes, keep up!”
“Okay, I’m sorry. So the sheriff kissed you? I don’t see how that’s a bad thing. You said he was sexy.”
I flop down onto my couch. “He is sexy.”
“Then, was he a bad kisser?”
“He’s a freaking amazing kisser, Red.”
“What’s. The. Problem. Then?” she nearly yells.
“He’s my boss! I work with him. I can’t be kissing my boss! Before, it was just a little crush. I could ignore it and wait for it to fade away. But instead, I listened to you and tried to become his friend. Well, a lot of good it did me because he kissed me! And it was amazing, Red. His hands tangled in my hair, they roamed my body, and then he let out this growl as he picked me up against him and set me on the hood of my car. He stood between my legs and kissed the life out of me. It was easily the best kiss of my life. But it’s also bad because he’s my boss!”
“Okay, calm down. Just breathe.”
And I do.
“We talked about this, remember? He’s not always going to be your boss. Right now, just consider this as laying the groundwork. You’re friends now, so you know you’ll get along. You’ve kissed, and you found out you have amazing chemistry. So now, just hang back and wait. When you’re no longer working there, ask him out. Then you’ll be free to do as you please. Just be patient, Nina.”
I snort.
“I know patience isn’t your strong suit, but hang in there. Just think, if you can just be patient, you can have everything you’ve ever wanted.”
I sigh. I know she’s right, but damn it. I don’t want to wait. I’m pretty sure if he would’ve tried screwing me right there, I probably would have let him. It’s been years since I’ve had sex—well, since I moved to this town, and I’ve lived here for two years. It’s been way too long since I’ve been with any man, but he’s nothing like the men I’ve been with in the past.
I’ve always been the shy girl—the extroverted introvert, which meant the sexy guys didn’t want anything to do with me unless they needed tutoring. But Bryce? Hot damn, is he sexy! His tall body hovering over mine makes my knees shake. His muscles rippling has me ready to drop my panties and throw them at him. In my mind, I picture them landing on the top of his head.