Light the Fire (Jackson's Hollow #1)

Chapter 26

This place had a simple beauty to it, like something out of a storybook or a fable. The still pool didn't have a single ripple, but it wasn't brackish or stagnant. Jo looked away from the fantasy scene and back at Ryker, who looked torn. He turned away from her and took a few steps, his hands deep in his pockets, and she caught the scowl on his face.

"If you're a part of the mountain mafia, you can just tell me."

He stopped short. "What?"

Jo shifted uneasily, picking up on Ryker's own tension. It was crazy how in tune she was to him already, and that in itself made her a little nervous. "Whatever Duncan was talking about. I thought maybe it's about your family or something that you do...and I thought it could be that you're mixed up in something criminal?"

Ryker stared and then started laughing. It was a full laugh, and he turned back toward her, crossing the distance between them with his long, sure stride. He caught her up in a surprising hug. For a moment, she tensed up, not expecting it, then after a moment she relaxed, looping her arms around him as he nuzzled the top of her head with his cheek.

"So...you're not a mafia man?"

"No."

"You don't grow illegal pot?"

A huff of laughter. "No."

"All right." She squeezed him tight and then leaned back so she could catch his eyes. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

He pulled back and reached up, his hands cupping her face, his thumb brushing her cheek with an unexpected tenderness. His eyes were soft and there was a hint of fear and anticipation in them that he couldn't quite mask, along with a healthy touch of desire.

"Before I tell you, can I kiss you?"

"Ryker..." Was he scared she wouldn't let him kiss her afterwards?

"Just once." His fingertips brushed her hair as he leaned down toward her, his lips so close to hers she could already almost taste them. "Is that--"

Before he could say anything else or ask again, she pressed her lips to his, melting into the kiss as she drew closer to him. He hesitated for a moment and then kissed her back, powerful and gentle at the same time.

One of Ryker's hands curled into her hair, the other moved to the small of her back, pulling her closer to him.

Jo felt a soft moan escape her before she could stop it--that had never happened during a kiss before, it hadn't even occurred to her to try and hold back. The sound seemed to ignite Ryker though, because suddenly the kiss was hungrier, more demanding. Jo found her lips parting, giving access to Ryker as he deepened the kiss. Her hands threaded through his hair, wanting him closer. Every part of her felt on fire, and she didn't know whether to be scared or excited by the feelings Ryker was evoking in her so, so quickly.

As if in response to her thoughts, Ryker suddenly groaned and pulled back just a fraction, resting his forehead on hers as they both breathed heavily.

"I think you'll be the death of me, Jo Scott," he mumbled against her lips.

"Quite possibly, if you always end kisses so abruptly," Jo scolded him, only teasing a little bit.

Ryker chuckled, but pressed another kiss against her lips at the same time. Then another.

"One more," he muttered, kissing her again, this time with a tenderness that stole her breath away.

"That's better," she said, nodding like a fool in a daze. "You should always end them like that."