She met my eyes, not looking away for a second, as her body squirmed against mine. I shouldn’t be holding her like this. I shouldn’t be crossing this line with her. But I had Tate in my arms for the first time in over three years, and I wasn’t letting go. The more I looked at her, and the more she let me touch her, I was completely hers.

And I hated and loved that at the same time.

“You f**ked me up today.”

“Good,” she challenged, and my hold on her tightened.

I jerked her into me again. “You wanted to hurt me? Did you get off on it? It felt good, didn’t it?”

“No, I didn’t get off on it,” she answered way too calmly. “I feel nothing. You are nothing to me.”

No. “Don’t say that.” I hadn’t pushed her away completely. I still had her, didn’t I?

I could smell her sweet breath as she leaned in, her lips moist with heat and sex. “Nothing,” she repeated, taunting me, and I was instantly as hard as a f**king rock. “Now, get off—”

I took her mouth, eating up her sweet little whimper. She was f**king mine, and that was it. Her smell, her skin, everything invaded my world, and I couldn’t see straight. My head felt dazed, like I was underwater, weightless and quiet. God, she tasted good.

I sucked on her bottom lip, tasting what I’d been f**king dying to get at for years. And I wanted to taste her everywhere. I went too fast, but I couldn’t control myself. It was like I needed to fit in all the lost time right now.

Her chest was pressed into mine, and I was between her legs. I tried to catch my breath between kisses. This was where I wanted to be, and why the f**k hadn’t I seen that sooner? She wasn’t fighting me, and I smiled as she stretched her neck back for me, inviting me in. I released my hold and dug my hands into her body, pulling her into my hips, so she could feel how much I wanted her.

She’d wrapped her legs around me, and I ran my hands up her thighs, in complete awe of her soft, hot skin. We weren’t going to f**king move until my hands or mouth had been on every part of her.

As I kissed her neck, she brought my face back up to her lips, and I reveled in how she responded. She wanted this as much as I did.

Hell, yes.

I knew I didn’t deserve it. I knew she deserved more. But I was going to bury myself in this girl or spend my life trying. I couldn’t get her close enough or kiss her fast enough. I wanted more.

I dove for the little spot under her ear, smelling and aching for her. I felt freer with her body wrapped around mine than I had in years.

“Jared, stop.” She pulled her head away from me, but I just kept going. Nope. You. Me. And a f**king bed. Now.

I was about to carry her off when she yelled, “Jared! I said stop!” And she pushed me away.

I stumbled back, shocked out of my trance. Blood raced through my dick like Niagara Falls, my body screaming for her so hard. I stood there, trying to f**king figure out what to say to her to bring her back to me, but she didn’t give me a chance. She just leapt off the counter and ran out of the house.

Goddamn.

I had no idea what the hell I was going to do now, but one thing was for damn certain.

We weren’t done.

Chapter 19

“Are you serious?” I leaned down to Madoc’s car window, where he sat in the driver’s seat listening to Pink.

“My music is none of your business.” He ended the conversation right there and continued staring out onto the track ahead.

It was Friday night, a long two days after my kiss with Tate, and we were at the Loop, getting set for Madoc’s race against Liam. His was listening to chick music, and I was trying not to laugh.

Not that Pink wasn’t hot as hell, but personally, I need something louder when I got zoned in.

K.C. rode with me tonight. I glanced over to the side, where I knew she was standing, and I tensed up when I saw her talking to Tate.

My chest swelled with a rush of heat.

“Dude, why are you smiling?” I heard Madoc’s voice.

I blinked and darted my eyes back down to him. He sat there, holding the steering wheel and narrowing his eyes at me.

“Was I smiling?” My face fell back into position.

“Yeah, and it’s weird. The only time you smile is when you’re pulling the wings off of butterflies,” he mumbled but then pinched his eyebrows together and twisted to look over his shoulder out the back window. “Is she here?”

“Who?”

“The butterfly you like to torment,” he teased.

“Fuck off,” I grumbled and headed back to my car.

My game plan with Tate had changed, and I had no clue how to explain myself to him.

So I didn’t.

But my lips curled up as flashes of how my idea of tormenting Tate had changed.

God, I wanted her.

That was it. Plain and simple.

That kiss—our first—was f**king torture, and I wanted more of it.

She had punished me with that kiss. Showing me what she could do to me. What we could do together. And that was just a taste.

K.C. sauntered over to me as I leaned back on the hood of my car. “Hi, ya.”

Tate followed behind with….fucking Ben Jamison. I let out a low sigh and averted my eyes to K.C.

“Hi, yourself.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, but I had no idea why.

K.C. and I were still keeping up the pretense of a relationship, but while she wanted to piss off Liam, I didn’t know what I was getting out of it.