Page 40 of Tracking Wolfe

He looked confused. “What?”

“I didn’t come looking for you as a job, Wolfe. Fuck. I came because I was worried.”

His hand waved dismissively. “Whatever.”

I straightened from the wastebasket and stepped closer to him, reaching for his face to tilt it up until he was forced to meet my eyes. The warmth of his skin was like a drug, sucking me into a strange, soft kind of haze.

“Not whatever,” I said through gritted teeth. “I was fucking worried about you. Because I care about you. I need you to be okay. Do you get that?”

I resisted the urge to swipe a thumb over his full lower lip, to disengage it from where it was pinned under a tooth.

Wolfe’s inky-black lashes fluttered over his cheek before he opened his eyes to meet mine again. “I am okay,” he breathed. “Just lost track of time. Forgot to check in with Rosie.”

I held his face in one hand while bringing up the other to smooth his messy locks off his forehead. “You’re important to me,” I confessed too softly.

He blinked again, like he was the one being drugged this time. “Trace. Please.”

My cock was already swelling. Probably had been the entire time we’d been talking. “I want to kiss you again so fucking badly,” I croaked, forcing myself to let go of him, to step back. “I’m sorry.”

Before I could move out of reach, Wolfe grabbed my wrist and yanked me forward. “Stop goddamn apologizing and just do it.”

I stumbled over the cursed wastebasket, accidentally kicking it against the cabinet with a bang and falling forward into Wolfe. He guided my face to his, and then we were kissing again.

I wasn’t strong enough for this. The taste of him, the feel of him… the fucking intoxicating scent of him were enough to ruin any rational thought I’d ever possessed. How was I supposed to deny myself something so tempting when it was offering itself up on a fucking platter?

So I folded.

I reached for his face and kissed him back, hard. Then I kneed up onto the bed and pushed him back into the blankets as I laid part of my weight on him.

He let out a breathy moan as he reached around me and shoved his hands up my shirt to feel my bare back.

As soon as the edge of my shirt lifted, I felt the cool breeze from outside, enough to remind me of the open van door.

“Wait,” I murmured against his lips. I pulled back to climb off him, just long enough to close the van door, but he misinterpreted it.

“Please don’t leave again!” His voice sounded desperate, anguished.

As soon as I slammed the door closed, I moved back, making shushing noises and reassuring him. “Baby, I’m not leaving. I’m right here.”

I climbed on the bed and propped myself over him again, hating the distress in his eyes. “I’m right here,” I repeated, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “Right here.” Another kiss to his cheek. “Not leaving.” One to his forehead.

Wolfe blew out a shaky breath. “You don’t need to make any promises, Trace. Just… just don’t go right now. Okay? I don’t want you to go.”

Fuck, he was so sweet. So incredibly vulnerable. The man had never been able to hide his emotions from me, and right now, they were clear as day.

“I’m not leaving,” I said again, but I held myself back from adding the word promise.

Instead, I kissed him once more, ignoring the screaming warning sirens blaring in my head.

I could only be strong for so long. And apparently, my strength had finally run out.

11

WOLFE

I’d fantasized about Trace so often, I was nearly convinced this was a dream. Any minute now, I would wake up alone in a cold van with nothing but my memories and a raging hard-on. It had happened too many times to count.

“Baby, take a breath.”