the submission, delving inside to explore her mouth. He moaned, pressing her back against the door of the bar. Her short nails dug into the skin at the nape of his neck, and she moved her tongue urgently against his.
Fuck, yes . He needed her to lose control.
But not here. Not where others could see. He’d take her home first.
Drake pulled back, breathing hard. “When is your shift over?”
Ella shook her head, looking confused. Her eyes were glazed with lust. Fucking hell, she looked perfect in this moment.
“There’s still another hour. Why?” She gripped his shoulders tightly.
Drake bent to run his nose along her jaw. Damn, she smelled divine all lust-ridden.
“We have things to talk about.”
She released a breathy sigh as his teeth grazed her collar bone. “Things?”
“Mm hm. We need to finish this specific conversation.”
“Okay.”
He brought his gaze to hers. “I’ll wait for you. I’ll be in the shop. Come find me.”
Her beautiful eyes cleared and she seemed to realize what they’d done. Even though it was only a kiss, he wouldn’t let her regret a moment of it. It was their first and it was special. And although he wished it hadn’t happened in an alley behind the bar, it was still something he’d treasure always.
“Ella…” He was going to tell her something. He was going to give a piece of himself away. Shit, it made him nervous but if he couldn’t be open with his female, then what kind of wolf was he? Besides he wanted her to know how much that kiss meant to him.
Drake lowered his mouth to her ear and whispered. “That was my very first kiss. Now I want more.”
He didn’t hang around to see her reaction. He headed straight to his car, pointing it in the direction of the club. He’d wait for her like he said. They’d finish this one way or another.
Chapter Six
That was my very first kiss . It couldn’t be true could it? Why did everything out of Drake’s mouth seem so unbelievable?
Ella’s mind raced as she poured another round for her customers. Punk and Annie had been giving her the side-eye since she’d returned. But that wasn’t what bothered her the most.
It was this strange stirring inside of her. She couldn’t calm it down. It was familiar; it’d always been there, but now it seemed worse. It seemed unstoppable. Like she’d lose control of herself and break all to pieces.
After she’d buried her daddy, she’d felt it so strongly, some days she’d been afraid to leave the house. She learned to tame the feeling by keeping herself busy. But now… now here she was again, feeling like a rope unraveling.
Dear god, was Blister really her uncle? Did coincidences like that really happen?
She wiped the counter and checked the ice.
No. Coincidences like that didn’t exist. Daddy would’ve called it fate. He would’ve said, “Your path always leads you to where you need to be, even if you can’t see where you’re going.”
Somehow, she’d ended up in Cedar Valley, seeking out the very club where her only living family member resides. In a freaking tent.
No… not somehow . She was there, ultimately, because of her daddy. Because of a lifetime of racing stories. Because of his near obsession with Drake Folsom and the Dirt Track Dogs. Because he always mentioned how much he loved the forest surrounding Cedar Valley. And because he’d told her fairytales when she was little, about the angel wolves that lived in the mountains.
She’d wanted to be closer to her father. To find some connection even though he wasn’t here anymore. She’d wanted to find…
Home.
But DTD wasn’t her home. Not really. And just because her uncle lived there didn’t mean it was where she belonged.
For now though, it was enough.
“You can head out early.” Punk slid up beside her, leaning against the bar. “As long as you promise you’re not going to see that arf arf.”
Ella squeezed her eyes closed, but it only brought the memory of Drake’s kiss into better
Katlin Stack, Russell Barber