“Thanks for feeding me. I love pancakes.” Scooting back and reclining on the thick blanket I situated before we hopped up here on the flatbed of my truck, she lets out a contented sigh. “You can make up almost any offense with a good helping of sugar and carbs.”
“My pleasure. Before I forget”—I pause to reach into my back pocket—“thought you might need this.”
“You found my phone.”
I think she’s reaching for it, but instead she grabs my wrist and pulls me down onto the blanket next to her.
Chuckling, I brace myself on my elbow. “You make me laugh,” I whisper as I brush a strand of mermaid hair out of her face.
“Yeah?”
Nodding, I dip my finger down her neck and over the delicate strap of her top. “Logan says I never laugh anymore, but you make me laugh.”
“I’ve just put you under my spell with my cooking. It’s been my evil plan all along.” She blinks up with playfulness tilting her lips, and I’m overwhelmed by how right this feels.
For some reason, I want to remember every detail of this moment.
How she glows in the moonlight.
How the chirp of crickets swells in the meadow around us.
How the scent of cedar and wet earth permeates the air.
And, for the first time in years, how alive I feel.
With her wild hair going every which way, her sleepy, dreamy eyes staring up at me through those thick lashes, and her skirt barely clinging to the tops of her thighs, I’m inclined to agree—this woman is wielding some powerful magic.
Clearing my throat, I lean in closer. “Whatever it is, I think I’m addicted.”
She hums in the back of her throat. “I like the sound of that.”
Our eyes meet. “Do you do this often? Hypnotize men with your spells?”
It’s her turn to laugh. The soft, sultry sound hits me square in my chest. “I haven’t had great luck in the relationship department, so my spells might need some work.”
Her confession surprises me. Tori is a drop-dead beautiful woman. Feisty as all get-out and playful as sin. I’m not sure why men aren’t falling at her feet, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to change her luck.
And maybe mine too.
She toys with the button on my shirt. “Have you wooed many women in the back of this truck?”
“Can’t say that I have. If anything, I’m pretty rusty when it comes to all this. Been outta the dating scene for a long time.”
“I thought country boys were all about seducing women with their big trucks and Southern charm.”
I drag my finger along the hollow of her throat, loving the way her breath picks up. “You looking to test out my stick shift?”
Her sexy laugh draws me closer. “If you think you can handle my speed.”
I’m pretty sure we’re not talking about my Ford.
When my lips graze hers, I tell her the truth. “I’d love to find out.”
Tori
Above us, ten thousand stars shine bright in the night sky. Parked in the pasture, with my arms full of this man as we make out in the bed of his truck, I’m a bundle of contradictions.
Burning hot but shivering.
