Summer Nights (Fool's Gold #8)

ANNABELLE HAD BEEN THINKING Shane would either say he liked Charlie fine or that she wasn’t his type. Honestly, she’d sort of been hoping for the latter, what with the tingles she’d started feeling when she was around him. But she hadn’t expected this.

His mouth was warm on hers. Firm, a little demanding, but only enough to keep things interesting. He smelled good, tasted better and he held on like he would never let go. A quality she could appreciate in a man. He was—

Need shattered her. One second she was enjoying how much she liked him kissing her and the next she was beyond frantic. Desperate, actually. She wanted to crawl into his lap and maybe inside of him. She wanted more kisses, along with some touching and even taking. Taking would be good. Very good.

She’d felt passion before, but nothing like this. Nothing had ever been so…desperate.

Moving as one, they stood, which was better. Now she could wrap her arms around his neck and lean into him. Now he could pull her even closer, then slide his hands up and down her back. She nestled against him, feeling the hard planes of his body against her curves. He wasn’t the kind of man who yielded easily. A characteristic she could get used to.

She angled her head so she could deepen the kiss. He moved the opposite way, then stroked her bottom lip with his tongue. She parted for him, hanging on to his shoulders, knowing it was going to be a wild ride.

He didn’t disappoint. At the first sweep of his tongue, fire danced through her. Her thighs heated, then went weak. The tingling returned, racing around her body before it settled in her br**sts and between her thighs.

He kissed her deeply, teasing her tongue with his. She met him stroke for stroke, becoming more aroused by the second. His large hands settled at her waist. She wanted to pull them higher, to have him touch all of her. Tension made her surge against him, rocking her belly against his erection.

The proof of his need thrilled her. Although she’d managed to avoid being slutty for her entire life, right now the thought of doing it on the desk, right here, in the construction office, seemed feasible. Sensible even.

Shane broke the kiss and took a step back.

They stared at each other, their sharp breaths the only sound in the otherwise quiet room. A small measure of sanity returned, dulling the regret that he’d pulled away. Yes, it would have been amazing. Double yes, she would have had regrets.

But a girl could dream.

She cleared her throat, not completely sure she could speak in a normal voice.

“So, that would be a no on Charlie?” she asked.

“That’s a no.”

CHAPTER FIVE

“ANNABELLE! YOU’RE not listening.”

Annabelle pulled herself out of the delicious daydream that had haunted her pretty much all day. The instant replay of Shane’s kiss was nearly as powerful as the actual event had been. She wasn’t sure if that spoke to chemistry or the empty tragedy that was her love life. Maybe both.

“Sorry,” she said, smiling at the girl in front of her. “What is it, Mandy?”

“Is Shane a real cowboy? When we were at the Fourth of July festival last week, my mom said Shane was a cowboy and a half. I don’t know what that means.”

Annabelle held a smile, thinking it meant Mandy’s mom had an appreciation for a good-looking man. Having a beautiful garden of one’s own didn’t mean a person couldn’t admire someone else’s garden.

She frowned, not sure why that metaphor sounded weird, then deciding to go with it.

“Shane is a real cowboy,” Annabelle assured her. “Very much so. He has horses and knows how to ride. Oh, he was helping another cowboy with his rodeo skills, so I guess he teaches them, too.”

“He’s teaching you to ride, isn’t he?”

“Uh-huh. For the Máa-zib festival at the end of summer.”

“I want to learn to ride.”

“Okay.” Annabelle wasn’t sure what to do with that information.

“My brother says only boys can be cowboys and that I can’t learn to ride a horse.” Mandy’s blue eyes darkened with worry. “Is he right?”

“Of course not. You can ride as well as any boy. There’s not much to do. Honestly, the horse does most of the work.”

Mandy brushed her blond bangs off her forehead. She was maybe ten or eleven, a good reader who was always up for trying a new author. Even better, from Annabelle’s perspective, the other girls listened to Mandy. If she liked a new book, they would try it as well.

“So I could try?”

“Yes. Of course. Riding is fun.” Annabelle thought about her experiences on Khatar. “They’re kind of big, so it’s a little scary when you’re first on them, but then it gets fun. You have to hold on with your legs and wow, was I sore afterward. But in a good way.”

“Thank you,” Mandy said with a grin. “I’m going to tell my brother he’s wrong.”

“Enjoy yourself.”

* * *