Page 24 of Charmed, I’m Sure (Witches of Bellevue #1)
After I’d changed into leggings and a tank-top sports bra, I threw my hair into a ponytail and pulled it through the back of my favorite hat before heading outside to help Taylor clean up my yard.
A satisfied smile spread across his lips when I confessed to telling my sisters about him being at CharCutie with me during the storm.
His brows rose in disbelief when I swore up, down, left, and right that I hadn’t told them anything else.
I hadn’t… not really. But Maddie could read it on my face as easily as revisiting her favorite novel.
We worked in relative silence for most of the morning, but when my muscles started screaming at me from overuse, I slipped inside to grab us some sweet tea.
That led me here—leaning against the column at the top of my porch steps, glass of tea pressed against my neck as water dripped down between my breasts, my eyes glued to the man loading wood into a wheelbarrow.
He’d stripped off his shirt hours ago, and I watched each muscle flex beneath his golden skin as he worked.
I swear it was the heat that made me want to lick the sweat off his pecs.
When his eyes met mine across the yard, I stood a little straighter, trying to pass off my blatant ogling as casual. But the smirk on his lips told me I had failed. Miserably.
I couldn’t even keep myself from muttering “sweet baby cheeses” when his eyes locked onto mine as he twisted his hat backward and started crossing the yard toward me. Don’t ask me why that’s sexy. I have no clue. But it is. Always has been, always would be.
My eyes roamed over his frame of their own accord. My teeth bit my bottom lip without my permission, and my thighs clenched together when his gaze honed in on the movement.
Slow. We’re supposed to be taking this slow, I reminded myself as he drew closer.
“See something you like, sunshine?” he asked, propping his foot on the bottom step as he tugged off his gloves and pulled the rag I’d given him earlier from his back pocket, swiping it across his brow.
A shudder ran through me as I descended the steps on uncharacteristically wobbly legs, holding out his glass for him to take; nearly dropping the damn thing when his fingers brushed mine.
I’d just opened my mouth when Aunt Evie poked her head out the front window and yelled, “Hey, y’all! Yard’s looking great, but come on in and grab some lunch. I made cold-cut sandwiches.”
Before either of us could reply, she slipped back inside, and I was left with a grinning, half-naked Taylor staring at me expectantly.
“Meeting your family already? Gee, Mags, I don’t know. We’re supposed to be taking this slow.”
My mouth dropped open in an astonished gasp as I slapped his shoulder. “Shut up. You hungry or not?”
“Starving.”
Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure we were talking about Aunt Evie’s cold-cut sandwiches.
His eyes perused my frame languidly before landing back on my face.
His hand wrapped around my waist, the rough calluses on his palm rasping against the thin strip of skin that poked out between my top and leggings as he pulled me down one more step and into his body.
“What are you doing?” I asked breathlessly as my hands came to rest on his chest.
“Kissing my girl.” He ran his nose up mine, our breaths mingling between us.
My girl. With just those two words and his mahogany and vanilla scent mixing with the sweat on his skin, I was a puddle of goo. It shouldn’t have been as intoxicating as it was, but once again, this man rendered me stupid.
“Someone might see.” I knew it was a stupid excuse. No one but us was outside, and I really didn’t care if my aunt or sister saw us kissing.
His chuckle vibrated in my chest as he banded his arm around my lower back. “It’s been four days, Mags, and I’m dying over here. And I know you are too. Don’t think I missed the way you’ve been eye-fucking me all day. No one will see us, plus it was a ground rule we agreed to, remember?”
Fucking ground rules. That had simultaneously been the best and worst idea I’d ever had.
“Where’d you go, baby?”
“What?” I asked, watching as his eyes flicked between my own.
“You retreated somewhere inside yourself. I don’t know where you went, but if this is too much…”
When his grip loosened on my waist, I slid my hands up his chest and wrapped them around his neck.
“It’s not too much.” Then I pressed my lips to his, his arm tightening around me, pulling me flush against him as his fingers dug into my side in the most delicious way.
I could feel him hardening in his jeans, and try as I might, I couldn’t keep my moan to myself.
Taylor’s hand slipped down my body, gliding over my ass until he could palm one side, giving it a hard squeeze as he pressed his hips into mine.
Giggles from inside the house filtered into the lusty haze clouding my brain, and I pulled back with a groan, resting my brow on his.
A disbelieving chuckle rumbled out as he palmed both sides of my ass, grumbling, “One of these days, I’m going to get you alone, and there won’t be another living soul around to get in my way.”
“We’ll see about that,” I chuckled, spinning his hat back around as I pulled out of his hold.
If the way he’d palmed it said anything, it was that he would probably be staring at my ass as I walked away.
So I made sure to put a little swing in my stride as I sauntered up the steps, laughing when I threw a glance over my shoulder and caught him red-handed.
“Come on, cowboy. Let’s get some lunch.”
“Cowboy?” he barked, eyes wide as he took the steps two at a time to catch up to me. His hands gripped my hips as he hauled me back against him, his breath hot on my ear as he whispered, “Save a horse, baby.”
Sweet baby cheeses.