Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,92

an incredible pull.

“Thanks for coming here with me, Ash,” Cyler said while trailing his fingers lower on my hips. He dug into my plush skin where my smoke-colored top had ridden up. I considered pushing my hips back in response to see if Cyler would push into me. If he would turn me around and kiss my aching lips.

“Cyler—I want . . .,” I trailed off. Unsure of what to say. I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted to feel him against my warm skin and trace his lips with my own. I desired it all.

I wasn’t worried about the boundaries they’d drawn to protect their group. I wasn’t thinking about the consequences, Josiah, or the fear and sadness. I didn’t think about anything. My mind was a blank canvas, and I wanted Cyler to breathe color into my life.

Cyler sucked in a deep breath and gripped me tighter. I felt like molten lava, flowing with heat and destruction under his heavy, possessive hold. His lips kissed the spot under my ear, and I felt bumps of sensation trickle through every square inch of my body. His kisses traveled lower towards my collarbone.

“I know what you want, Ash,” Cyler began between kisses. “And fuck I want to give it to you.” One of his fingers dipped beneath the band of my skirt, and I gasped. It lingered dangerously close to the edge of all the things I wanted but couldn’t have.

“I want to love every part of you. Kiss and lick your delicious skin until you’re screaming my name.” His words ignited a passion within me, and I squirmed under his hold. I tried to turn around and close the distance between us, but he held me steady, disallowing me to move. “I promise that I’ll worship your body the way it deserves,” he said while pulling me tighter against him. I felt his hardness against the curve of my butt, and heat pooled in my center. “But not until I speak with the others,” he said with regret while pulling away from me.

The mention of the rest of the guys drenched my senses with shame. What was I doing? I slumped in embarrassment and put my hands over my face.

“Don’t close off from me now, babe,” Cyler begged. He grabbed my shoulders and turned me so that we were facing one another. “This,” he said while pulling my hands from my face, “is just beginning. We will be together. Don’t look ashamed or embarrassed, trust me.”

“Okay, I trust you,” I said, still feeling the effects of his stare.

“I just want to do this right. I want to go into this without any regrets. You don’t deserve anything less.”

We hurried out of the treehouse and rode back to Dormas. I felt confused but still exhilarated by my trip with Cyler. I was gifted with a glimpse into his life, and I clung to it. I just didn’t know how to move forward, how to jump the line and free fall into my desires.

Chapter Twelve

The General Store was rather busy this morning. The Walker women that worked in the gardens passed our shop daily, and all but Jules walked in to buy muffins or bread from me. If Jules wasn't pretending I didn't exist, she was gossiping to the other Walker women about me. Jules thrived on feeling important and belittling others. It made it challenging to build friendships outside of the guys.

Other than the occasional confrontation with Jules, my days slipped into a comfortable routine of spending spare minutes with Cyler, Jacob, Maverick, Patrick, Kemper, and sometimes, even Huxley—if he was in a good enough mood. When I wasn't at the Bakery, I was traveling between them, trying to assist where I could to ease some of their burdens. Cyler refused to let me take a night watch shift at the mines, but he couldn't stop me from bringing dinner to the guys that were working.

I was constantly amazed by their tenacity. Cyler acted as a diplomat, continually listening to the problems of his citizens and finding compromises between them. Jacob's work at the train station kept the General Store well stocked, and he was always scrounging the Empire for the best ingredients for my creations at the Bakery. When Maverick wasn't attempting to replicate the X vaccine, he ran a full-fledged Clinic, where he saw at least two citizens a day. Huxley and Patrick, although vastly different, worked in the mines with seamless proficiency. Most men in the