The high-voltage thrum in the air between us—the one that nags at me any time I’m in her presence—intensifies. It’s this goddamn connection I’ve been trying to ignore all night. Every time I look at this woman, I want her more.

“This can’t happen,” I exhale, grinding my knuckles into the rough bricks behind her as I cage her in.

“What can’t happen?” she whispers as she pushes up onto her toes.

There’s barely any room in this goddamn alley as it is, so I can’t escape her closeness. I shudder when she trails a featherlight kiss along my jaw.

My breathing picks up and my brain goes haywire as memories from the night we met come flooding back to my consciousness.

Those. Lips.

I know exactly what they taste like. And just how good they feel on mine.

The heat of her breath inspires goosebumps on the left side of my body as she lingers in my personal space. I’m so focused on what her mouth is doing that I jump in surprise when she slips her hand between us and traces down the center of my stomach. I clench my abs in anticipation when she stops at the waistband of my jeans, lifts the hem of my shirt, and teases one fingernail along the muscles she exposed.

She peers up at me through her impossibly long lashes, biting down on her lower lip and giving me a look that’s pure temptation.

I’m a statue before her: not willing to give her the permission she’s seeking, but too damn tired and horny to turn her down.

In the end, it doesn’t matter. Maddie Wheeler doesn’t wait for permission.

I hiss in a sharp breath when she dips into the front of my pants. Her fingers curl into the end of my happy trail, pulling until I give up a grunt and she gets the reaction she wanted. She raises one eyebrow, bites down harder on her bottom lip, and smirks.

This. Girl.

I close my eyes in frustration, knowing what I’m about to do is an absolutely terrible idea. But I really am tired. I don’t want to fight this anymore. I just want what I want for once.

And what I want is her.

I crash my mouth into hers, and her whole body responds instantly to the kiss. She grabs me by the belt loops and pulls me flush against her form. She grinds her body against me as she pushes her tongue into my mouth in what feels like a claiming.

I’m not letting her have all the fun tonight, though. I push back, greedy and desperate to get my fill. I have to quench this pent-up desire inside me and get her out of my system once and for all.