Page 105

“I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to pry.”

“No, it’s fine,” she said, taking a sip of her whiskey. “It’s old news by this point.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, my dad was wasn’t around much either. Drank himself to death, but not before running Wilder Whiskey right into the fucking ground.”

Valentina stiffened slightly, but I waved a hand to comfort her.

“Old news on this end too, darlin’.”

She nodded, tipping her head back and downing the rest of her drink. Waving the bartender over, she ordered another round, eyeing the liquid remaining in my glass. With a smirk, I downed the rest of my drink too, just in time for our tequila shots to arrive.

“You sure about this?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

“We’re supposed to be celebrating, aren’t we?”

Two shots and three rounds of banter later, Valentina slid off her stool, smacking my arm with the back of her hand.

“Ay,pendejo, come dance with me,” she said, taking my hand as she swayed her hips to the twang of country music blasting from the speakers.

How the hell am I supposed to say no to that?

Following her onto the dance floor, I let my hand drop from hers as she lifted her arms over her head, her body gyrating in a way I’d only seen in music videos. Watching it happen in person was ten times sexier.

I did my best to keep up, but my small-town country boy moves were no match for her Latin roots. The liquor loosened both of us up, and no matter where the music took her, she kept coming back to me. And trust me, just about every pair of eyes in that shithole was watching her. She could have had any man she wanted.

And it felt damn good watching her choose me.

The music slowed, and Valentina brought her body close to mine, looping her arms around my neck. Placing my hands loosely on her hips, I finally took the lead, guiding our movements in time to the country song playing on the speakers. Feeling her body against mine, even to a song this slow, brought me right back to that night we kissed, how much it killed me to leave her when I wanted so much more. She rested her head on my shoulder, the sweet, citrusy scent of her hair making my desire for her skyrocket.

I just needed to make sure she wanted me too.

Dipping my chin, I brought my lips to her ear.

“Wanna get out of here?”

She raised her head and nodded, a small smile spreading across her lips.

I pulled her in for a quick kiss before leading her to the truck. She might have been warned about my “ways,” but I wasn’t about to show her my hand. Not on the dance floor of a shitty bar.

When we pulled into my driveway, I led Valentina to the front porch, my favorite part of my new place. The moon was full that night, the silvery light playing with her dark hair.

“Charlotte said you built this place yourself after they got married. Is that true?”

“Well, I had a full crew helping me out, but yes, the design and some of the craftsmanship are all me.”

She wandered to the far end of the porch, her fingertips trailing over the wooden supports I’d shaped and sanded by hand. I stood by the doorway watching her, my head swimming with all the things I wanted to do to her.

Lifting herself onto the porch railing, she beckoned me toward her with her index finger. I closed the distance between us, taking her jaw in my hands and crushing her mouth against mine. She melted into me, wrapping her legs around my waist,her tongue wrestling mine for control. It was hot—too hot, almost. All the passion, all the tension that had been building between us since the moment I found her in my kitchen? We were finally letting it out, taking it out on each other in the most satisfying way possible.

Well, maybe not themostsatisfying. Not yet, at least.

Valentina clawed at my chest as I brought my hands to her hips, carrying her from the railing and through the front door without missing a beat. With every step, my cock pressed into her belly, growing harder by the second. Once inside, I pressed her up against the wall, hands still gripping her ass as I descended on her neck, licking and nibbling her delicate skin until she quivered under my tongue.

With her feet finally on the floor, Valentina ground her pelvis against my thigh, her long fingernails raking through my hair. I slipped a hand under her shirt, quickly unclasping her bra before cupping her breast and pinching her nipple between my thumb and forefinger. She gasped at the unexpected sensation, throwing her head back and exposing even more of her neck to me. Massaging her breast with one hand, the other moved to her waist, undoing the button of her jeans. Before moving any further, I paused, pulling back to look her in the eye.

“Is this okay?”

Valentina smirked. “Of course you’re a gentleman when it comes down to it.”