He followed her voice to a storage closet at the far end of the shop and found her reaching for a tube of paint on the top shelf.
“I figured I’d tidy up while I was in here and I saw a box of paint I’d forgotten about. Could you get it down for me?” Half in the shadows of the small, musty room, she looked back over her shoulder. “I’m not quite tall enough.”
Zane walked up behind her and grabbed the box. His body brushed up against her, his hips against her ass, his chest to her back. And before he could stop himself, he slid his free hand around her waist and pulled her against his chest.
“Zane!”
“You’re not with Mark?” He leaned down and pressed his lips to her ear, inhaling her scent of jasmine as adrenaline streamed through his veins.
“No. But…”
His hand splayed over her stomach, pulling her close, and he nuzzled the hair away from her neck. “You got a man, Evie?”
“No.” Her voice wavered. “But … I kinda…”
He shoved the box onto a lower shelf and reached around to catch her jaw in his hand, pulling her head back against his shoulder, exposing her neck to the heated slide of his lips. Somewhere, in the foggy recesses of his mind, he knew he was being too rough, but he was barely in control and rough was as gentle as he could be. “So no one’s gonna shoot me between the eyes if I do this?” With his thumb he gently stroked the underside of her breast. Evie sucked in a sharp breath, but didn’t move.
She answered in a breath whisper. “No.”
His hand slid higher, tracing over her ribs until he held the full weight of her breast in his palm. “You gonna stop me from touching you, sweetheart?” He feathered kisses along the column of her neck, praying she didn’t deny him because he was already so far gone he didn’t know if he would be able to stop.
“Zane.” She shuddered, her nipples peaking beneath her thin cotton tank top. He circled one taut nipple with his thumb and she groaned and wiggled her ass against his erection, nestled tight in the crack of her cheeks.
“Stop me, Evie. Because I can’t stop myself.”
She melted against him with a sigh, her body softening, and for the briefest of moments he soared, higher and higher, soaking in her light, her warmth, her essence …
He should have known what would happen if he flew too close to the sun.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Castille is an award-winning author who writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense featuring blazingly hot alpha heroes and the women who tame them. Her books have appeared on the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists. You can sign up for email updates here.