He nodded before she felt his Adam’s apple move against her upper arm. Thankful of all those long days working on the farm, she was proud to have a firm grip on this giant of a man.
Flint—the traitor, scurried off back into the foliage. She was on her own now, but somehow that idea didn’t unsettle her.
“Okay, I’ll let you go,” she finally said, proud of herself when the words came out strong as she let go of him and jumped down.
He instantly turned around and shot his hand out as in a reflex, his fingers curling into the sides of her throat. “Are you insane?” Devlin roared in a cracked voice before he coughed.
She swallowed and realized how the tables had turned since he now must have felt her throat working against his fingers. He would have a fine knowledge of how her pulse quickened by his closeness.
“Do you even realize what could have happened?” His blazing eyes held her captive. A vortex of emotions flared in his dark pools. His thumb mindlessly caressed the side of her throat and she realized he was indeed mad, but more so about the situation.
A whirlwind of feelings took over her body and shocked her to her core. She wasn’t afraid of him. What unsettled her most was how her body automatically leaned into his touch, proudly and ready to take whatever he would give her in punishment.
He’d awakened a flame deep inside of her. For years, she’d tried so hard to keep that pilot flame as small as possible. It had been seven years since she was alone with someone from the opposite sex. Could it be that she was ready?
She licked her lips and watched how his chocolate orbs followed her tongue.
His hand released the pressure on her throat and slid to the back of her head. He held her in place as he placed the gun back in its holster.
He leaned in and said, “I could have hurt you, Little Bird. Fuckin’ hell. Never jump on a guy holding a gun in the air. Promise me you’ll never do that again.”
“It’s safe to say I don’t think it will happen again, yeah.”
His lip pulled, amused by her sarcasm. She hated she wanted to see what his face would look like when this beginning of a grin would morph into a smile.
Teagan had no business thinking about this man smiling. What would her parents have to say about that? She instantly turned around and stared at the spot in the greenery Flint had disappeared into. No leftover veggies for him today. That would teach his deserting ass.
She felt his eyes boring into her from behind. She wondered what he thought about her loose peach sundress that came mid-thigh. Did the women he dated were like those biker chicks she’d seen on television? Wearing almost next to nothing with everything on display? Did the man even date at all?
“What possessed you to do that?” he asked, his annoyance clear in his voice.
“Flint is my wild boar,” she said, already knowing he would find her ridiculous, so she didn’t bother to turn around and talk to him. He wouldn’t understand. How could he? His whole appearance screamed city boy. He most likely never even owned a fish in a bowl because he probably was on the road all the time on his motorcycle.
“That’s impossible.” Devlin’s breath fanned over the spot where her shoulder and neck met, giving her gooseflesh.
“W-what?”
“You can’t own a wild boar. It’s either a wild beast or a tame pig. Can’t have it both ways.” His resolute tone of voice made her believe he wasn’t talking about Flint anymore.
“I take it you—”
He tsk’d before whispering in her ear, “I’ll never be tamed, sweet girl. You’d better forget all about me. This wild hog would tear you up and swallow you whole. Fuck. I would love playin’ with you before doin’ so.”
She rested the back of her head against his hard chest and closed her eyes, breathing in his scent. His groan vibrated through her, making her heart race even more.
His large hands gripped her sides. “If you weren’t friends with my half sisters, I would scrunch up this silly dress of yours, nudge your cotton panties to the side before slamming home. Over. And. Over. Again.”
She couldn’t believe his boldness. But what shocked her most was that she wanted it all. Could Devlin be the one who could make her forget? No matter how much time passed, her faults were always on her mind.
Teagan questioned her sanity when a little devil on her shoulder whispered in her ear that she should go for it. He’d been the first man to trigger something inside of her after all those years. Maybe it was fate. Or just time for her to move on. And what would be a better way to move on with a man who made her weak in the knees by just looking at her?
She turned around and had to stop herself from laughing at his wide eyes. She poked her finger in his chest and said, “My dress isn’t silly. It’s a warm day, so I can wear a short sundress if I want. You’re the one wearing a leather jacket—”
“A cut. It’s called a cut, not a jacket,” he said with a smirk.
Teagan lifted her chin and stepped around him. She would check up on Flint another time. If she weren’t careful, history would repeat itself and she didn’t want to be that girl anymore. She wanted to take him up on his offer, but this time around, she wanted to keep her wits about her.
She took a few steps towards the ranch and just couldn’t help herself as she said over her shoulder, “Just for your information: the red silky underwear underneath my silly dress would give your pig ass a heart attack.”
His hearty laugh warmed her from the inside. She had him laughing, and it was a glorious rumble that made her heart pitter-patter. The man didn’t know what he’d gotten himself into. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d tamed a wild boar.
Devlin had just sealed his fate.