Page 55 of Wild Lies

She chuckles, smoothing her hands up my arms until her fingers are playing with the hair at the nape of my neck. “So, you wouldn’t be weirded out if I took the job Maddie offered me and rented an apartment in town?”

I want to jump for joy, but I need to know that this is real. “Are you being serious? Don’t mess with me, buttercup. Not now.”

She can’t contain her grin as she leans back, scrunching up her nose. “I just signed the lease on your cousin Autumn’s apartment.”

I open my mouth, lost for words. A noise I’ve never heard myself make leaves me as I exhale; it’s a mix of relief and elation. “You did?”

Chloe nods, her throat working on a swallow as her face falls serious. “Yeah. I know I probably should have spoken to you before invading your hometown, but I’m not ready to leave, and I needed to take action for myself. Besides, the offer she made me was too good to turn down.” She rests a palm against my chest, tilting her head to the side. “That being said, I still have to go back to Seattle tomorrow. There are some things I need to sort out, but I thought I could get them all done and then be back on Saturday to watch you at the rodeo.”

If that isn’t the best news I’ve had all day. She’s staying. Our time is no longer limited, and we can see where this thing between us goes. I capture her lips with mine; it’s a testing kiss, making sure this is real. That her staying in Coldwater isn’t a dream.

Chloe pulls away, resting her forehead on mine as she cups my face. “So you’re not mad or freaked out?”

I turn to kiss her palm. “Not at all. In fact, you’ve made my year, buttercup.”

Her body visibly relaxes as she exhales. “Good. On the drive over here, I managed to convince myself that you’d think I was a crazy person.”

“I mean, it is a little stalker-ish. We barely know each other,” I tease.

Chloe swats at my chest, and I break out into laughter, rubbing at the spot. “You know I can take myself back to Autumn’s and tell her I changed my mind. I can turn Maddie down.”

I grab hold of her hips to stop her from moving when she goes to stand. “No fucking chance, buttercup,” I growl against her throat.

She angles her head away, giving me better access, and I take full advantage. Kissing and nipping at her fluttering pulse point. “Now that…” She pauses when my tongue darts out, as if she’s lost her train of thought. After a moment, she clears her throat, continuing distractedly, “Maybe we can go to Yellowstone another day?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea,” I growl, changing position and flipping her onto her back so I can hover over her on the couch.

When I pull away to look down at her, something in my chest tightens. The look in her eyes is awfully close to how I feel about her, but I don’t think it’s something either of us is ready to acknowledge. Not right now.

34

CHLOE

Have I lost the plot and my heart over a man I’ve known for a little over ten days?

Absolutely.

Do I care?

Not at all.

Kade settles between my legs, his hard cock pressing against my clit in the most teasing and torturous way. The more time I spend with him, the harder it is to come up with reasons why staying in town would be a bad idea. For once, I’m doing something for myself and trying to figure out who the real me is. Being with Kade is just a perk of that. A huge one.

He brushes the back of his palm down the side of my face as I angle my hips to increase the pressure of him against me. His voice is low with a hint of concern layered in it when he asks, “Are you sore from yesterday?”

For a moment, I consider lying to him, but the second he enters me, he’ll be able to tell by the grimace on my face. Dragging my teeth across my bottom lip, I flutter my eyes closed as I nod. I don’t think I can stand to see his disappointment, especially when it mirrors my own. Feeling Kade fill me is quickly becoming my new favorite thing, even if I need a day or two to recover afterward.

I feel him move down my body and open my eyes to watch him. He settles between my thighs, pushing his hands up and under my dress.

“Too sore to take me at all?”

My hips lift on their own, seeking him out. He seizes the opportunity to pull my panties down my legs before throwing them to the floor. He lightly presses against one of my thighs, silently instructing me to open wider for him, exposing my bare pussy to him.

“Buttercup, I’m going to need you to answer me.”

Kade runs a finger through my slit, resting the thick digit at my entrance. I groan, arching my back as any semblance of a coherent thought abandons me. He chuckles, amused at the effect he has on me.

“No,” I breathe, and Kade freezes, pulling back and sitting on his heels. The sudden absence of his touch leaves me with a chill. My eyes shoot open, confusion no doubt clouding them as I lean up onto my elbows and search Kade’s face. “Why did you stop?”