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My breath catches in surprise at the sight of the man who walks in instead—tall and broad like he almost can’t fit through the door, his hair dark and shaggy, a thick beard on his face just the same, and a hard look in his eyes like he’s not the kind of man to mess with. I ain’t never seen a man like him.
“I’m going to let you go, and you’re not going to say a goddamn word. You’re going to get into your truck and drive away, and you’re never going to so much as look in Sterling’s direction again. Understood?”
“They’re simple instructions,”
“Let’s try it again. No words, just get your ass in the truck and leave.”
“Let me see,” he says, his voice still gravelly, but gentler now. Like the soft way the road crunches under your tires after a rainstorm.
“Let me see,” he says, his voice still gravelly, but gentler now. Like the soft way the road crunches under your tires after a rainstorm.
“Sterling.”
“You’re going
to be a good boy and let me take you home.” I feel like I should bristle at the words good boy. It’s a condescending thing to say to a grown man. But the tender way his mouth forms them makes me want to be...
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“What’s your name?” I ask as soon as he gets in on the other side. “Barrett.”
“Barrett,” I repeat, testing the way it feels. It suits him, and it feels shamefully right on my tongue. Something hot flashes in his eyes, and for a second, it looks like he wants to add something, but he doesn’t.
No, Sterling is guileless, which makes him all the more intriguing.
“And, hopefully, I’ll be home within a week.” If I can convince Sterling to come with me.
It’s a little after ten when he steps into the bar. I’m so surprised, I let out an embarrassing squeak and nearly drop the glass of beer I’m filling. “Watch it,” Roy Jenkins scolds me as beer cascades over the rim of the glass and down my fingers.
“A beer is fine, pre-” He must see my glare because he stops himself, giving me a wry smile before finishing. “Sterling.”
“Tell me, Sterling, do you have a boyfriend?” A startled laugh bursts from my lips,
“Why would you ask me a thing like that?”
“What kinda man would want someone who looks like me?”
“I would,” he says, and my heart about leaps out of my chest.
He takes a sip of his beer, and I watch the bob of his Adam’s apple as he swallows, wishing I could feel the motion under my lips.
his eyes fixed on me the entire time in a way that’s as arousing as it is unsettling. I’m not used to having so much of anyone’s attention. It’s kind of…nice.
I scoff. “Dreams are a real good way of getting your heart broken,” I tell him honestly. I gave up dreaming a long time ago. It’s safer that way.
He catches me watching and winks at me, making my belly flutter all over again and my skin heat and prickle.
“I’m going to give you a ride home,” he says firmly, like he did earlier, leaving no room for argument. If I agree, will he call me a good boy again? “Yeah, okay.”
He cups my jaw in his large hand, and I lean into his touch, nearly whimpering at the feeling. I can’t remember the last time anyone touched me. Probably not since my gran died.
“Such a good, sweet boy,” he murmurs in a low, deep voice. Liquid heat replaces the blood in my veins and tightens around my groin.
“Good. Now go inside. I need to get back to my motel; I’ve got a busy night of lying awake thinking about you to get started on.”
“You don’t mean that,” he insists softly. My heart aches for him. He truly doesn’t see himself as worthy. That won’t do. More than seducing him, and more than getting him the hell out of Billow, my new mission presents itself—making Sterling see what a truly beautiful man he is.
I wish someone would whisk me away from this godforsaken place. You can bet I wouldn’t be coming back like she surely will.
“If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?”
“Oh gosh, anywhere,” he answers, leaning on the bar, bringing himself closer to me seemingly unconsciously. “I’ve always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower. But, heck, I’d be just as glad to see snow, or to dip my feet in the Atlantic Ocean.” I make a mental note to make every single one of those things happen for him and then some.
How on God’s green Earth does the man manage to even sit better than anyone else I’ve ever laid eyes on? It’s unfair is what it is.
“You look absolutely stunning.”
“The clothes look great,” I agree. “Thank you for them.”
“You look stunning,” he repeats, and my heart aches, unsure of how to take such a statement. “Thank you,” I manage to rasp, even though more denials force their way to my lips. He rewards me with a smile, and I swear my whole body feels like it could melt into a puddle right at his feet.
“You are pure temptation,” he says in a low, deep voice. It doesn’t sound like a complaint. “Yes,” I surprise myself by agreeing.
He holds incredibly still, not breathing a single breath or making a sound until my lips press against his cheek where his skin is a shade of purple-ish red. The strangled gasp that he makes sounds like a near sob, and my heart breaks for him all over again.
“If you’re uncomfortable, we can go. Pick any restaurant in the world, and I’ll take you there,” I promise.
“You really would, wouldn’t you?” he asks. “If I told you I wanted to go to some place in Rome or New York, you’d find a way to take me there right now.” “Say the word.”
I couldn’t a dreamed up a better first date if I had a whole lifetime to try to do it. And our food hasn’t even come yet.
“I’ve been told I can be a bit eccentric, yes. The thing is, I know what I want, and I’m relentless until I get it.” “What do you want?” I ask warily. What’s the catch I’m missing? Because last I checked, handsome billionaires don’t often waltz into backwoods towns and sweep ugly bartenders off their feet. “Right this second, I want you,”
“There is one thing you should know before you agree to come with me though,”
“Have you ever heard of Daddy kink?”
It only takes a second for me to panic that he might be about to confess to me that he’s my own danged father who left when I was born. The math don’t make sense since he told me yesterday he’s thirty-six, which makes him only eleven years older than me.
“Sterling.” The way he says my name feels oddly like a caress. I like it more than I should. “When I date, I don’t have boyfriends; I have boys. I like to take care of my partners in every way I can, in every way they need me to, and I like it when they call me Daddy.”
“It would be an honor to share any of your firsts, Sterling, and once you make your decision, I fully intend to worship every inch of your body.” His breath catches at my proclamation. “But for tonight, how about we take things slow.” “Slow?” He swallows hard, tilting his head up enough to meet my eyes.
“Have you ever been kissed, little rabbit?” I ask, stroking my thumb over his bottom lip.
“Tell me you want a kiss, and it’s yours,” I murmur, too mesmerized by his mouth to stop staring at it. “Please…Daddy.”
I groan, my cock hardening against his belly, his own answering arousal pressed against my thigh. Slipping a hand behind his neck, I drag him to me so I can claim his mouth. He lets out a little whimper as our lips meet, his whole body relaxing into mine in an instant.
“Aw, hell, Sterling, don’t tell me you’re takin’ up your mama’s bad habit of yo-yoing in and outta town.”
