CJ flicks his tongue on my neck then sucks just enough with his lips that my thighs tense, which just rubs his erection harder against me.
It’s just like that night in the Sweetwater. My body tense with longing, with need.
“No rushing this time,” he says, nipping at the edge of my jaw. “I want to kiss and suck as slow as I please.”
“Oh,” I say in a breathy exhale. I realize how badly I want him to mean it. I want to be desired like that. And I want to be free to reciprocate. To explore. To savor.
Has there ever been a more delicious promise?
He combs through my hair, slowly, his eyes earnest, almost serious. “I need to know you want that too.”
I’m sure I look like lust on a stick right now. I’m panting, my heartbeat creating a tightening ache between my thighs, my body pressed to his, seeking that friction I know he can give me.
“Yes.” I close my eyes and kiss him. His lips are warm and tender as they press back into mine. I tug on his lower lip a little, and he groans, his fingers tightening in my hair. Our tongues meet, just a barely-there caress, and then he’s kissing me again. It’s hungrier this time, deeper. Another shiver rattles down my body.
He leans back, concern shining in his eyes. “Cold?”
“A little.” My toes have lost their feeling. Unlike the rest of me, which is feeling very much alive.
“Then let’s get you warm.” He turns for the truck, and this time, I let him help me inside. A layer of snow coats the windshield, creating a diffuse, dim ambiance inside the chilly space.
CJ climbs behind the wheel, snowflakes stuck to his hair and shoulders. He turns the engine and cranks up the heat. “You want to call in our order while I take care of the snow?” He slips his wallet from his back pocket and thumbs a red credit card from one of the sleeves.
I blink at the card for an instant before taking it. He trusts me with this? “Sure.”
He leans over and plants a kiss on my forehead, flipping my heart end over end like a tumbleweed. While I try to find my composure, he makes quick work of clearing the windows, each brush of his sleeve letting in stripes of light from the street.
When I pull out my phone, a text from Dad catches my eye:
They’re closing Lost River Road due to avalanche danger
I’m nowhere near Lost River but I give his message a thumbs up so he knows I’m safe.
CJ climbs back in the truck, his gaze flicking to my screen. “Everything okay?”
I’m not ready to broach the topic of my dad, so I just nod and search up Mountain Pie.
On the drive there, while I place our order, CJ offers his hand across the console. I take it, the comfort of his touch soothing my skittish thoughts.
I feel like I can trust CJ, but can I trust myself?
Chapter Twenty
While we waitfor our pizzas and with my arm slung over her shoulder, Linnea and I browse the mural of customer photos, each of them wearing Mountain Pie tees or hoodies in exotic places. There’s a woman riding an elephant. A kid holding a cup of gelato in a cobblestone square. Two middle-aged ladies hiking in Machu Picchu. I can’t help wondering what a picture of me and Linnea would look like up here. Are we white water rafting? Sailing on a sparkling ocean? Kissing beneath the northern lights?
It’s a better place for my thoughts than worrying about what I need to say to her. She’s finally letting me in, and I’m not ready to start making demands. Not yet.
I meant what I said earlier, but I don’t just want to take my time with her, I want that time to last longer than tonight. But how can I make that wish come true if she won’t tell her dad about us? Maybe it wouldn’t be so urgent if he lived far away, but he’s my boss, and I’m currently spending a good chunk of my waking hours in his company.
The clerk calls our number, breaking me from my thoughts. I pick up the pizzas, and we walk to my truck. Once Linnea’s settledon the passenger seat with the pizzas on her lap, I can’t help leaning in for just one kiss.
Her lashes flutter closed and the way her plush mouth embraces mine is enough to make me want to drive her straight back to my bunkhouse and keep her there.
She breaks away, laughing. “If you don’t get going I cannot be responsible for the amount of pizza I’m going to consume before we get there.”
I press a kiss to her temple and close her safely inside the cab.
Once I’m driving, I offer her my hand. To my delight, she takes it, kicking off another wave of the staticky lightness vibrating under my skin at her touch.