Page 6 of In Their Hearts
When I come back out, I go straight for my truck, toss the bags in the back, and fire the engine.
With the snow off my truck, it’s time to get Miss Independent buckled in.
“Well,” she starts, “I see you’re finally taking my?—”
I don’t let her finish. I’m done with whatever words she wants to spit at me.
I step into her space, close enough that she has time to feel me there, time to pull back if she wants to.
She doesn’t.
I tilt her chin up with my fingers and seal her mouth with mine. I kiss her slowly at first, deliberately, nothing rushed. Not a claim, but a question.
Her breath catches.
I wait. A second. Two.
Then her lips part on a shaky exhale, and that’s all the answer I need.
I deepen the kiss, my mouth moving against hers in an unhurried slide that makes my pulse kick hard in my throat. She stays right there, frozen and burning all at once, until her hand fists in the front of my jacket like she’s steadying herself.
Fuck.
That’s when I pull back just enough to look at her. Her eyes are wide, dark, searching my face like she’s trying to decide if she should bolt or beg.
She doesn’t do either.
So, I kiss her again. Firmer now, warmer, my thumb brushing her jaw as I keep it grounded, controlled. No teeth. No rush. Just enough pressure to promise I’m not stopping unless she tells me to.
She doesn’t.
When I finally break away, her breath is uneven, lips flushed, gaze locked on mine like she forgot how to look anywhere else. Forgot how to think. Perfect.
Now it’s time to go.
I scoop her up, the shovel clattering to the ground as I carry her to the truck and strap her in.
I straighten and give her a smirk. I’ve won.
For now.
Time to show my husband what’s been keeping me.
4
Jolee
The door shuts with a solid thud.
Too loud in the quiet.
My head is spinning, and I can’t stop it. I can barely register what just happened. Can I pretend that never happened? A new feeling aches low in my body that I’m trying to ignore.
I stare straight ahead. Ignoring the warm air from the heater and his scent. Leather, winter, and something unmistakably Clay. It wraps around me before I can stop it. That ache trying to grow stronger.
The engine roars, taking us forward. It’s the strangest out-of-body experience. This can’t be happening to me. I was shoveling just fine before he showed up.
I should be protesting, but no words escape my lips.
