Page 51 of Jillaroo from Jacaranda

Rose almost escaped in the nick of time, but Ty whirled her back to him before she could. Now helpless to him in almost every way, she smacked into the solid wall of hard male flesh. He inhaled a sharp breath at the exact moment she did. Then, their gazes met and held. Possibilities passed between them, and in that tender moment, she knew there was no way she was absconding. She wanted to do this as much as he did.

With the first line of the poignant love song resonating through her, she found herself looking up into his arresting gaze as they floated in each other’s arms. She could tell he was barely holding himself back from taking her in ways she couldn’t afford to think about but couldn’t help wanting to. A shiver skittered through her and up her spine, making every inch of her tingle. Could this man get any hotter? Flames of longing licked her insides. Her voice of reason cried, No, don’t do this. Run. Now. But it was too late to make her escape. His hands dropped to the curve of her lower back and her body instinctively swayed with his. His warmth radiated through her, sending dizzying spirals of desire twirling through her belly.

And then, without hesitation, she reached up and met him as he brought his lips to hers. An addictive heat flooded her, a raw hunger fuelling her burning need for him. Teetering on her tippy toes, she wrapped her arms around his neck, almost knocking the hat from his head. She fleetingly lost her footing, but his arms slipped around her waist, holding her in place. Her lips parted, inviting him to go deeper, and their tongues circled in the most suggestive ways. Ravenous passion fuelled her hidden wild side, making her want to consume him. The kiss was full of what they’d left unspoken, and it was blowing her mind. She wanted to be alone with him so she could look into his eyes and see her reflection as he slid inside her and they finally become one. She wanted him. Needed him.

God, he felt so good, so right, so hers.

Holy shit!

What in the hell was she thinking?

She pulled away from his delicious lips and her boot heels went back to the floor. In an attempt to stop the world spinning, her hands came up and pressed against the hard walls of his chest. Her eyelids fluttered open and she met with the same mixture of confusion and longing within his. Embers rose from the fire they’d just lit within one another, sparking the power of his stare, and in that all-consuming moment, she wanted more than anything else to grab him by the collar and draw him back to her. But, instead, they just gazed at each other for a long moment, one where she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of lover he would be – wild, giving, dominating, gentle, probably all of these, and more.

As if under a spell, she again met him halfway. Her hands travelled up to his chest as their lips played upon one another’s. Disco lights danced across their faces and the slow music had them swaying in time as they kissed and caressed like the first-time lovers they were. Everything about him was so damn tempting. She could feel the beat of his heart on her fingertips, matching the frenzied pace of her own.

This is so wrong. You shouldn’t be doing this. Stop now, before it’s too late …

Her voice of reason screamed loud enough to finally listen. Untangling from his arms, she stepped away, out of his reach. The sudden look of pain in his eyes tore at her heart. How could this man affect her so deeply, and so swiftly? Maybe she needed to make her wall of armour stronger instead of working on taking the bricks down. But how, without disconnecting every single part of her heart and soul that made her who she innately was?

She said a silent prayer, hoping that what she was about to say would come out right. ‘I’m so sorry, Ty. We can’t do this.’

* * *

Not having realised he’d stopped, Ty sucked in a sharp breath. ‘You’re right. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.’

She bit the lip that had almost set him on fire, blinking fast.

Oh god, please don’t cry …

Caught between beating himself up for giving in to his desires and wanting to throw her over his shoulder so he could take her to some private place and slip deep inside of her and send her to euphoric heights, Ty found himself at a loss. It had felt so completely right to kiss her in the heat of the moment, yet now it felt so completely wrong of him. With his heart kicking at his rib cage as if trying to get to hers, what was he meant to do to fix this?

Wiping tears from her cheeks, Rose turned and fled. Briefly frozen to the spot, Ty felt as if he was in an elevator that had just dropped fifteen storeys. But he wasn’t going to let her get away without first explaining to her just how sorry he was. He couldn’t let this get any more out of hand – she meant too much to him to lose her altogether. So, one stride after the other, he tailed her through the crowd.

He’d been a little on the tipsy side, but stepping outside sobered him like a sharp slap to the face, the sting of reality bringing him to his senses. A man on a mission, he strode past people sitting on tailgates with drinks in their hands, their laughter and chatter echoing into the night.

He finally got close enough to call out to her. ‘Rose, please, slow down.’ He reached her and placed a hand on her back, halting her. ‘Hold your horses, would you?’

She spun to face him with tear-filled eyes. ‘What do you want from me, Parker?’

His heart sank to his boots. ‘I don’t want anything from you.’

Her green eyes narrowed. ‘Then please go back inside and just leave me alone.’

‘No.’

Her gaze turned fierce. ‘What did you just say?’

He made sure to soften his tone. ‘I’m not going to leave you alone until I know you’re safely tucked up in your trailer.’

Huffing, she crossed her arms, her tears now thankfully drying up – it killed him to know they were because of him and his stupid lack of self-resolve. Trying to lighten the mood by going out on a limb – one that could badly backfire – he mimicked her stance and folded his arms over his chest, praying to god it would make her smile. It was the only thing he could think of doing right now, other than taking her into his arms to try to soothe the heartache he’d just caused. And he knew where that would lead.

To his relief, his approach worked a treat.

Rose’s frown faltered, and her lips almost curled upwards. ‘Oh, far out, Brussels sprout.’ She rolled her eyes and huffed again. ‘I honestly can’t stay mad at you.’

He curbed his urge to burst into laughter. ‘What did you just say?’

She tapped her boot tip. ‘You heard me.’