Chasing Desire (Chasing Love 3)

Now she needed to stay away from him, because being with a guy like that beyond one night was bad news waiting to happen. The smoldering gaze he threw at her said he was interested in a second round, but she’d just have to let him know there was no chance of a repeat performance.

Last night had just been sex. Mind-blowing sex? Okay, yes. But nothing more. No emotions. No attachment.

So why did she feel so…needy? Like the pleasure had been so beyond amazing that it wasn’t enough? She craved more. And craving was not what a one night stand was about.

God, all the more reason to get away from him.

“You’re thinking about me, aren’t you?” he said, and took a step toward her.

She went to readjust the bolt again. Anything to take her mind off her tingling body. Her breasts seemed to perk up on every sway of her tank top, and her scalp prickled at the thought of Huck and the night they’d had.

No way was he having this effect on her. It must be the curlers. They were cutting off circulation to her brain. With a huff, she stood and started unpinning them from her hair.

“I was thinking about how I’m doing all the work while you stand there,” she said, dropping the curlers onto the short, manicured grass. Jenna could give her shit later, but these damn things were coming out.

Huck came so close to her that his skilled mouth was a whisper away from hers. He reached up, slowly unfastened one of the remaining curlers, and let her long black hair unwind. “I’d be happy to do all the work, honey,” he whispered. “Just say the word and I’ll show you. Again.”

His gaze caught hers. The scent of pine and spice and all man wafted from him, and good lord, her body wanted to take him up on his offer. She reached up to touch his chest—

But thankfully she realized what she was doing and disguised the motion by unwinding another curler from her head. She needed to keep her hands busy before she did something she’d regret.

“Why are you set on having a repeat?” she said. “We don’t even know each other, much less like each other.”

“I like you. You’re a pain in the ass, but that has nothing to do with wanting you.”

“Charming.”

He grinned and continued to help her unwind her hair. “I want the opportunity I missed out on. Which is you. Our friends seem to think you deserve all two weeks with me, but I figure you’ve got to earn your time. We’ll see if you can behave. For one night. Completely.”

“We had a night.”

“No, we had a couple of hours. Then you left. I want one whole night.”

“Not going to happen.”

“Why? I can tell you’re thinking about it. Hell, it’s all I’ve thought about.” He leaned in closer, his mouth against her earlobe. “Remember how you moaned when I licked your sweet pussy and you felt my tongue ring for the first time?”

Her nipples instantly shot to alert, and her chest struggled on a heavy inhale. Oh, she remembered. But she needed to remember the facts, too.

“Yeah, I do. I also recall us agreeing up front that this wouldn’t go beyond last night.”

That made him pause and Autumn took the opportunity to gain a few feet of distance and finish unraveling her hair.

One night she could handle, but more? No. She could handle a lot of shitty things, but the reminder that she wasn’t a priority to anyone was an experience she never wanted to repeat.

He let out a long breath that sounded almost like a growl. “What we agreed was to scratch each other’s itch. It?

??d be fine if last night had done it. But I can tell you right now, you’re too delicious not to taste again.” Her hair was finally down and hung in long curls. Huck picked up a tendril, and the back of his fingers barely brushed her breasts as he did. “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he said.

Beautiful.

The word made her ribs tighten and her heart beat a little faster. People didn’t usually call her beautiful. Or a woman for that matter. She was known back home as one of the guys. Freddie’s daughter who worked on cars. No one looked at her the Huck did. Like she was desirable. Like she was more than what she appeared.

She closed her eyes and took a minute to refocus. Clearly the makeup was seeping into her pores and causing her to have crazy thoughts. No one wanted her for much of anything—sometimes it seemed not even for sex—and the fact that this guy was asking to spend more time with her said something about his state of mind. Eventually, he’d see what she was really made of.

“I didn’t know you were going to be at the same wedding,” she said, as if somehow that made it okay that her skin was buzzing from his nearness.

“Colt is one of my best friends.”