She got about three steps away before he found himself chasing after her. He reached out and yanked her back so her heart-shaped ass smacked against his pelvis. “You win.” Snaking one arm around her waist, he set his mouth right beside her ear while gently wrapping her hair around his other wrist to expose her neck, just the way he’d been yearning to do for months. “Or maybe I’ve won.”
When she shivered, he kissed her neck to remind her of their explosive chemistry and ensure she didn’t back out. Her body softened but then she braced against him, a little breathless. She cast a haughty gaze over her shoulder. “Know this: you’re not winning anything I wasn’t willing to give before I suckered you into that bet.”
“Oh, really?” He chuckled and released her, slowly unraveling his wrist from her hair. “Go on and study. But get some rest, ’cause I’ll be dropping by later tonight.”
As she headed out of the office, she stopped briefly at the door. “You’ve talked a lot of smack since we’ve met, so I’ve just got one piece of advice. You’d better bring your A game, Trip Lexington.”
And then she was gone, leaving him alone with a painful hard-on.
Trip read several pages of the social media book, but his mind kept getting distracted by visceral memories of the way Kelsey smelled, the texture of her hair and skin, the warmth of her mouth. By the mounting anticipation of seeing her again tonight—all of her.
Potent stuff. Intoxicating.
Enough so that she had gotten the upper hand and convinced him to risk losing his most treasured Stetson just to be with her. Dammit, he hadn’t won anything. Somewhere in the middle of his attempted seduction, he’d lost control of the situation.
He scowled, wondering what other witchy spells she would cast on him before their little tryst ended.
Chapter Five
“Can you keep a secret?” Kelsey asked Maura the minute Bill took Fee outside on a nature walk.
“You know I can.” Maura closed the dishwasher door and tossed her dishtowel on the spigot. “Guess now I know why you’ve been so fidgety for the past thirty minutes. Spill it.”
Kelsey extended her pinky finger, waiting for her sister’s pinky to latch on. “I mean it, Maura. I’ve just made a deal with the devil and I need to tell someone, but no one else—and I mean no one—can ever know. Not even Bill.”
Maura pinky-shook and stepped back. “With that intro, I’ll admit, I’m a little worried. Are you in some kind of trouble with the law?”
“What?” Kelsey set one fist on her hip. “Why would you ask something that ridiculous?”
“You’re the one making this such a big deal. What am I supposed to think?”
“Certainly not that I’m some kind of criminal.” Kelsey sipped her Diet Coke. “However, you might want to sit down.”
Maura sighed, pulled out a kitchen chair, sat beside the round oak table, and cut herself another slice of banana bread. “This reminds me of when you lost Mom’s pearl necklace and wanted to blame it on cousin Sarah.”
“If anything goes wrong with this plan, I’ll take all the blame.” An attack of nerves caused Kelsey to rapidly tap the toe of her red shoe against the linoleum flooring.
“Okay.” Maura placed her palms on the table. “Lay it on me.”
Kelsey went still and drew a deep breath before spilling her guts.
“I’ve agreed to engage in a purely sexual fling with Trip Lexington.” As soon as she said the words aloud, she covered her mouth with her hand, half stunned, half giggling.
Maura’s eyes widened as she dropped the final bite of bread onto her napkin. “Why in the world would you agree to something so . . . so risqué?”
Kelsey twisted her hair in her hand before letting it fall around her shoulders. She then began ticking off her fingers as she spoke. “A, he’s hot. Hotter than hot. Trip Lexington may be the hottest guy I’ve ever seen in my entire life, including celebrities.”
Maura shook her head in disbelief, which made Kelsey eager to persuade her she’d made a good decision. “B, I haven’t had sex in almost a year. Given a choice between sex with Trip or a battery-operated toy, there really is no choice.”
“TMI!” Maura sank her head into her hands for a moment. When she looked up, she pressed her palms to her flushed cheeks. “Okay, recovered. Continue.”
Kelsey rolled her eyes before she resumed her argument. “C, it’s actually kinda freeing. Think about it. I’ve carried so many expectations into all my other sexual experiences. This will be completely different. I have no expectations or hopes. It’s purely for fun, so I can live out some kinky fantasies without worrying about any repercussions.”