asked, skimming her hair off her cheek.
“Mmm hmm.” Better than okay, actually.
He tipped up her chin. Looked deeply into her eyes. “So no more flirting with Ennis?”
“Not if you keep doing that.”
She could have bitten her tongue, because he stiffened, and then he did. He pulled away. “Shit,” he muttered, running his hand over the pate of his head. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.” Judging from his tone, he wasn’t complaining. Just reminding himself.
Tina’s lips curled. “It was awesome,” she whispered.
He stared at her, his eyes haunted. “What the hell are we going to do about this?”
“Um, keep doing it?” she suggested helpfully. Like again and again and again?
“Shit, Tina.” He threaded his fingers in her hair and pulled her close and kissed her. “We can’t.”
“Why not?” She nestled closer.
“Cody.”
That was it. Simply, Cody.
“I could disown him.” This, she said teasingly, but in some small part of her soul, she’d do it. She’d do it for Dane. If she could. She’d give up just about anything for him. Maybe even her breath.
The thought should have frightened her.
It did not.
The thought of losing him, however, did. He was everything she’d ever wanted, everything she’d dreamed of. Everything.
He laughed, but she could tell it was forced. He buried his face in her hair and sucked in a deep breath, as though drawing in her essence. “I just gotta keep my hands off you. That’s all.”
Her heart clenched. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. Breathed in his scent as well. “Or we could…”
He lifted his head and looked at her, hope flaring in his expression. “What?”
“Gee, I dunno, tell him?”
His eyes widened in horror. “ Tell Cody ?”
Okay then… “Man up and tell him.”
“Tell Cody I’m fucking his sister?” This he squealed like a preteen at a Bieber concert.
“Tell Cody you’re…interested in his sister. He doesn’t need to know about the whips and chains—”
“I never use whips and chains—”
“At least not yet.”
He gaped at her. Shook his head. Scrubbed his neck. “I can’t… I don’t… He would…”
She patted his arm to calm him, but the move backfired, because it reminded her how delicious his arms were and she ended up stroking. “Tell him we met and something flared. Some magic…something. And we want to see each other and you are asking for his blessing.”
“His blessing?” His tone implied he’d never heard the word before.
She shrugged. “Yeah. His blessing.”
“I don’t know—”
“Dane.” She waited until she had is attention. His full attention. “I don’t know what all this is to you, but for me, well, it’s pretty amazing. Unlike anything I’ve ever known.”
His face went slack. “Ever?”
“Ever. Oh my God, the way you make me feel? Your touch, your scent.” She winked. “The feel of your palm on my ass…”
He shuddered.
She barreled on. “I don’t know what all this means to you, but I, for one, would like to explore it.”
His fingers fluttered over her cheek. “I would like to explore it too.”
“Without worrying about Cody.”
He nodded.
“So you need to tell him.”
His Adam’s apple worked. “Tell him. Right. Tell him.”
She stroked his shoulder, soothing him. “There you go. It’ll be all right. Just tell him.”
How the fuck was he going to tell Cody he wanted his sister? Wanted to—what had she said?— explore his sister. Cody was going to pop a gasket. But he had to. This hunger, this insanity, was too strong.
He’d walked away from his mother, for God’s sake. Just stood up and walked away in the middle of a conversation. He’d been raised better than that. Fortunately when he found her and apologized, she hugged him and said she understood. That she said the words with a glimmer in her eye was horrifying.
It meant she understood more than he’d intended. It meant she’d seen him grab hold of Tina
“Mmm hmm.” Better than okay, actually.
He tipped up her chin. Looked deeply into her eyes. “So no more flirting with Ennis?”
“Not if you keep doing that.”
She could have bitten her tongue, because he stiffened, and then he did. He pulled away. “Shit,” he muttered, running his hand over the pate of his head. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.” Judging from his tone, he wasn’t complaining. Just reminding himself.
Tina’s lips curled. “It was awesome,” she whispered.
He stared at her, his eyes haunted. “What the hell are we going to do about this?”
“Um, keep doing it?” she suggested helpfully. Like again and again and again?
“Shit, Tina.” He threaded his fingers in her hair and pulled her close and kissed her. “We can’t.”
“Why not?” She nestled closer.
“Cody.”
That was it. Simply, Cody.
“I could disown him.” This, she said teasingly, but in some small part of her soul, she’d do it. She’d do it for Dane. If she could. She’d give up just about anything for him. Maybe even her breath.
The thought should have frightened her.
It did not.
The thought of losing him, however, did. He was everything she’d ever wanted, everything she’d dreamed of. Everything.
He laughed, but she could tell it was forced. He buried his face in her hair and sucked in a deep breath, as though drawing in her essence. “I just gotta keep my hands off you. That’s all.”
Her heart clenched. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. Breathed in his scent as well. “Or we could…”
He lifted his head and looked at her, hope flaring in his expression. “What?”
“Gee, I dunno, tell him?”
His eyes widened in horror. “ Tell Cody ?”
Okay then… “Man up and tell him.”
“Tell Cody I’m fucking his sister?” This he squealed like a preteen at a Bieber concert.
“Tell Cody you’re…interested in his sister. He doesn’t need to know about the whips and chains—”
“I never use whips and chains—”
“At least not yet.”
He gaped at her. Shook his head. Scrubbed his neck. “I can’t… I don’t… He would…”
She patted his arm to calm him, but the move backfired, because it reminded her how delicious his arms were and she ended up stroking. “Tell him we met and something flared. Some magic…something. And we want to see each other and you are asking for his blessing.”
“His blessing?” His tone implied he’d never heard the word before.
She shrugged. “Yeah. His blessing.”
“I don’t know—”
“Dane.” She waited until she had is attention. His full attention. “I don’t know what all this is to you, but for me, well, it’s pretty amazing. Unlike anything I’ve ever known.”
His face went slack. “Ever?”
“Ever. Oh my God, the way you make me feel? Your touch, your scent.” She winked. “The feel of your palm on my ass…”
He shuddered.
She barreled on. “I don’t know what all this means to you, but I, for one, would like to explore it.”
His fingers fluttered over her cheek. “I would like to explore it too.”
“Without worrying about Cody.”
He nodded.
“So you need to tell him.”
His Adam’s apple worked. “Tell him. Right. Tell him.”
She stroked his shoulder, soothing him. “There you go. It’ll be all right. Just tell him.”
How the fuck was he going to tell Cody he wanted his sister? Wanted to—what had she said?— explore his sister. Cody was going to pop a gasket. But he had to. This hunger, this insanity, was too strong.
He’d walked away from his mother, for God’s sake. Just stood up and walked away in the middle of a conversation. He’d been raised better than that. Fortunately when he found her and apologized, she hugged him and said she understood. That she said the words with a glimmer in her eye was horrifying.
It meant she understood more than he’d intended. It meant she’d seen him grab hold of Tina
Similar Books
