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Say It's Forever (Redemption Hills #2)(4)

Author:A.L. Jackson

Just like the man.

Jud Lawson moved ahead of me. Each step of his boots across the black bamboo floors sent a shockwave of heat blistering through the cool air.

I fought for conviction. To remain unaffected and aloof.

Not to be the fool that melted on the floor in a puddle of need at his feet.

Accomplishing it would be a feat of nature because the man was outrageously gorgeous.

Forbiddingly so.

So ridiculously tall and wide he had to double me in size.

Intimidating and raw.

Nothing but a beast of a man with this sexy, devilish smile.

And somehow, he seemed soft at the same time, rippling with this charm that tweaked the edges of his plush, sexy mouth and sent a skitter fumbling through my chest.

The hardest part was the way he kept looking at me with these obsidian eyes that were darker than the night. That gaze left no question that if I gave him the chance, he would devour me.

Sucking in a deep breath, I stepped into the loft on shaky legs. I was soaked through, dripping, unsure of what to do.

I wrung my fingers.

The man felt my pause, and he shifted to look back at me with mischief playing across his handsome face.

My stomach twisted in a show of want.

Crap.

I knew better, I knew better.

But attraction was something you couldn’t control.

It was instant.

Unstoppable.

Awakened in a beat before you even knew what was happening.

So, I’d deal with it. Not act on it.

Lifting my chin, I gestured at myself.

I shouldn’t have.

Because those eyes swept over me, head to toe.

Energy lashed.

A crackle in the air.

A whip of lust.

“I’m wet.” I said it like a challenge.

His tongue darted out like he was suddenly thirsty.

Shit.

I took a slippery step back, realizing what I’d said. Where his mind had gone. My thighs pressed together because with the way he kept looking at me, it was the truth.

But seriously, he just wanted me to go parading into this ridiculous luxury that he called a house? It looked like a friggin’ showroom for pretentious masculinity.

Except the man—the man didn’t look so uptight.

A rough chuckle scraped from his throat, and I was wishing it didn’t sound so nice.

“As am I, darlin’。”

He gestured at the giant wet footprints he’d left in his wake.

My throat tremored and my tongue swept my dried lips.

Double crap.

He chuckled more, the deep sound mixing with the pour of the rain on the roof. It was a low whirr that whispered and cast a hazy tone over the space. Lightning flashed at the windows and thunder rumbled through the heavens.

“Wait right there.”

He turned and hulked away, across the living area that took up the right side of the open-concept loft, through the kitchen, and toward the set of double doors at the far back wall.

The man was nothing but bristling, thick muscle, arms and legs bound in overbearing strength.

The exposed skin on his arms was covered in a labyrinth of ink.

His stride was long and purposed, easy, but still, there was a hint of harshness in his stance. I knew in that confidence the man was no stranger to hazard and jeopardy. He would strike in the face of danger, and his opponent was unlikely to make it out unscathed on the other side.

He disappeared through the double doors.

My pulse thudded and beat while I stood there waiting like a fool. I glanced at my phone again, cringing when I saw I still hadn’t received a word.

They’d be worried.

Hell, I was worried.

But if my calls weren’t going through, neither would theirs.

A minute later, Jud came striding back out, though he’d ditched his boots, and his feet were bare. He carried a stack of clothes and a towel.

“Not much, but at least you can grab a shower and get into something dry until the storm blows over. We’ll get your clothes into the dryer.”

A soft smile hitched his mouth as he moved my way.

My spirit flailed.

Sweet and intense and intimidating.

That combo promised he might be the most dangerous man I’d ever met.

This flirty charm that radiated from his being, sure to wrap every unsuspecting female around his fingers. Salivating for a taste of what he had to offer.

That shock of pitch-black hair on his head was wet, longer on top, sticking to the stony angles of his face.

His thick beard was the same color as his hair. A beard I had to fight the sudden urge to run my fingers through when he offered me the pile of fresh clothes.

The man was nothing but a tease and a trap.

“There you go.” He tipped his head toward the row of three doors on the opposite side of the room. “Guest room is third door on the left. Get yourself a shower.”

Our fingers touched when he passed me the stack. Shivers raced, a flashfire across my flesh.

He angled in, his voice so low and rough, “You need to get warmed up, darlin’。 You’re cold.”

A fingertip trailed my wrist where a rash of chills lifted.

He eased back, those obsidian eyes sparking with mirth.

Jerk.

He knew exactly what he was doing to me. Still, I mumbled, “Thank you.”

“My pleasure, gorgeous. Like I said, make yourself at home. I’m going to grab a shower, too.”

I leaned down and twisted the stupid heels off my feet so I didn’t leave a trail of pockmarks on his floors. I dangled them from my fingers and clutched the pile of clothes in the other hand. I padded as quickly as I could across the floor in the direction of the door he had pointed to, feeling the warmth of his gaze on me the whole time.

This was insane, but truth be told, I was freezing, the trembling starting from deep within.

It didn’t help when the AC came on and started to pump cold air into the space.

At the doorway, I paused to peer back. The man remained across the room.

His stare intent. His being profound.

There was something about him that was so big and overwhelming, and it didn’t have a thing to do with his size.

No doubt, I should fear it, so I figured it was a big, big problem that I suddenly felt comfort under his watch. Safety in his refuge. Damned stupid.

I knew better than to trust anyone, and here I was in this stranger’s house, and not a soul knew where I was.

I tore myself from the hook of who he was and rushed the rest of the way into the bedroom. It was dark inside, and I shut the door, quick to lock it. I turned and rested against the door, struggling for a breath. To get myself under control. To shake myself out of whatever fantasy I felt like I might be falling into.

But there was something about tonight that made it feel like none of this was real.

Outside reality.

Because I didn’t do things like this. Was never so reckless. The last four years had been lived in complete caution. One foot moving and one eye over my shoulder. No room for mistakes or missteps.

But my brother had convinced me it was safe to come to this small town where he’d brought our grandmother to live three months ago.

Years had passed.

Years of running.

Years of barely existing.

He’d insisted it was time, and we couldn’t keep on the way we had.

My chest clutched, and I rocked my head back against the wood of the door.

God, I had to believe him. Had to cling to the hope of that truth.

Laughing off the confusion of it, I pushed from the door and moved to the en suite bathroom.

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