I suck in a shallow breath, unable to focus on what he's saying. He's so close I can feel the heat of his body and smell the faint aroma of cologne as his cheek brushes against mine. The light scruff on his face sends a chill down my spine as it rubs my skin.
Oh lord. My body starts to buzz. A tingle runs through my body, spreading outward from my chest and down my legs.
“Now, I want you to make sure you're holding it tight.” Hardin steps back and instantly I miss him. My body grows cold, screaming for him to come back. “I'll hold the stake,” he says.
“But what if I hit you instead?” I ask.
“You won't.”
“You don't know that.” The hammer is hovering over my shoulder. My palms are sweating, making the wood handle slippery in my hands. “I could slip.”
“Yes I do.” He kneels down behind the stake and looks up at me. “Go on, give it a good smack.”
I lift the hammer, ready to let it go, but stop. “I'm so afraid I'm going to hit you.”
“You got this. Don't think too much about it, just go for it.”
Inhaling a deep breath, I tighten my grip even more, and swing. Instinctively, I close my eyes. My hands vibrate as the hammer makes contact. The vibration radiates up my arm and moves down through my chest.
I hit something, that I know. I'm just not sure what. Cracking one eye open, I look down and see Hardin with a grin on his face.
“See? I told you I could trust you.” He rises to his feet, resting his hands on his hips proudly. “And you were worried.” Hardin chuckles, thumbing his lip as he looks at me. “Want to do it again?”
“Hell yeah,” I say quickly.
We stare at each other for a long moment. There's something so naughty about this, something so dirty and sexy it's making me hot. I love the sweat on his skin, and the streaks of dirt that highlight his muscles. I love the redness on his cheeks from the hot sun, and how his hair is messy in just the right way.
But his eyes. . . They're blue as sapphire, sharp as glass, and drawing me in deeper and deeper like the strongest undertow I've ever experienced. I'm completely trapped in the vortex, and not even daring to get away.
My heart is racing inside my chest. There's a wave of adrenaline coursing through my veins. I can feel the heat of my cheeks as they turn red, and the weight of the air between us.
His eyes move up and down my body, devouring me where I stand. There's no denying the hunger and thirst in his gaze. I can feel him all over. He's on my skin, in my lungs, flowing through my veins.
I can't stop the smile that spreads across my face as he takes me in. His eyes glide over my chest and down my legs, then back up just as slowly. They stop on my lips, lingering for a moment before drifting back to my eyes.
Hardin smirks, grabbing another stake. “Here, I just want to make sure you're holding it right again before you try again.” Hardin comes up behind me, only this time it's so much different.
He's closer. His hands not just touching my wrists, but lightly dragging down the outside of my arms as his mouth sits right by my ear. He exhales slowly, purposely letting his lips graze the shell of my ear.
A tingle zips through my body, making me shiver against him. I lean back more, allowing myself to rest against him. Hardin's hands keep moving, touching, delicate and soft. They drift back up my arms, and over my shoulders. Fingertips softly tickling the outside of my face, following the line of my jaw up my cheeks and back down my neck. My head tilts on reflex against his chest, and my eyes close.
I'm so turned on right now, but I'm just not sure if it's because he's the one making the move, or if it's because of the danger that comes with something like this.
No guy I've ever known has even dared to make the first move. They're all too intimidated by my father and our money. The fact that this man isn't afraid makes me one hundred times hotter.
I love his brazen personality and disregard for the fire he's playing with. He's doesn't seem to care that he can get burned.
Hardin whispers in my ear. “I'm going to be honest right now, I've never been so fucking hard in my life than I am right now.”
“I've never been this wet in my life,” I counter, looking up at him as I nibble on my bottom lip.
I'm not usually like this. I don't just throw myself at men I just met. But this feels different. The rebel in me says go for it. I have his attention, now go in for the kill. Yet, that pesky little angel has finally decided to show up and she's telling me to be smart, to use my head. She's screaming he's not worth the trouble.