“Na-na-na-boo-boo!” he crowed, arrogantly standing over her.
“Dustin … I think I sprained my ankle.”
Dustin immediately dropped to her side. “Let me see.”
Jessie struck when he turned the flashlight toward her foot. Grabbing a handful of leaves, she threw them at him, crunching several to shove under his jacket.
Laughing hysterically when he blew a leaf out of his nose, she fell back, grabbing more leaves to throw at him.
Dustin grabbed her hands as he pinned her to the ground. “You’re a nut.”
Blowing a tendril of hair out of her mouth, she reached out, using her fingers to rake the leaves out of his hair. “Truce?”
Dustin eyed her with misgiving. “I don’t trust you.”
Jessie widened her eyes in pretend innocence. “Now, that just hurts my feelings.”
“Yeah, right, I ain’t buying that either. Fool me once …,” he quoted.
Jessie quit pretending, baring her soul to him. “I never could fool you. You’ve always known I loved you. You had no reason to be jealous of Rider.”
“Jess …,” he groaned, burying his mouth in her neck.
“I love the way you look in that hat. You’re the only man in Kentucky who wears a cowboy hat. I love that you’re a good father to Logan. I love how you treat your family … I pretty much love everything about you, except when I see you with another woman, even Holly. Then I hate you. Then I really, really hate you.”
She stared up at the stars as he moved his mouth from her neck to whisper in her ear, “Don’t hate me. It rips me apart when you tell me you hate me.”
“I can’t help it. You bring out the best and the worst in me.”
“Love does that sometimes.” Dustin nipped her earlobe before sliding his lips to her cheek, then to her mouth, pressing his down firmly. He traced his tongue along the contours of her lips before raising his a hairsbreadth away. “It makes it so damn good.”
Lowering his mouth again, he parted her lips, delving his tongue inside to demand a response from her. The last time he had kissed her, he explored every centimeter of her mouth. Tonight, he wasn’t exploring; he was set on conquering.
Jessie wound her arms around his neck, opening her mouth wider to give him what he wanted. She would always give Dustin whatever he wanted.
He made her feel weak when she was in his arms, but at the same time, protected.
Igniting a melting need that had her thighs parting so his could slide between them, molding them together, didn’t raise her guard. She was with Dustin. She was willing to give him anything he wanted if he would just be willing to reach out and take her.
Raising her hips, Jessie could feel his hardness behind the stiff material of his jeans. She unwound her arms from his neck and went down to stroke his back when she felt him rise, getting to his feet in one movement and taking her by the arms, lifting her to her feet.
Standing numbly, she felt Dustin brush the leaves from her dress. When he was finished, he gave her a quick kiss before putting an arm over her shoulders as he lowered the flashlight so they could see.
“Why’d you stop?” she asked through trembling lips.
“Because it’s not the right time or place. Logan is expecting me back to put him to bed, and Holly and Greer are waiting for me to help with the cleanup.”
“You’re lying. Would you have stopped if it had been another woman?”
“No.”
Jessie tore herself away from him. “Go home. I can make it the rest of the way by myself.”
“I wouldn’t have stopped … because they wouldn’t have been you, Jessie.”
She froze at hearing an emotion in his voice that she had never heard before when he was talking to her.
“I don’t want our first time together in rotting leaves, and I sure as hell don’t want our first time together within hearing distance of Asher, who’s behind that big oak tree. I want to make it special when you tell me you’re ready.”
“I don’t need special—”
“It’s not only for you that I want to make it special. I want to make it special for both of us.” Dustin moved a step closer, cupping her cheek with hard fingers. “You remember the night you got so angry at me that you told me I didn’t save firsts for you?”
“Yes.”
“You got my first smile. You were the first girl I fell in love with. The first one who broke my heart.”
“How’d I break your heart?” Becoming flustered at his admission and the way he was staring at her, Jessie nervously rubbed the leather cord under her fingertips, making sure not to pull the full length out from inside her dress.
“Let me finish. I’ve given you your say several times. It’s my turn.” His jaw firmed, changing his appearance.