I’m on her in two long strides, backing her against the cool, dark metal of the SUV, my hands coming up to cage her head. Her eyes are wide, startled, a question in their brown depths.
“Rett, what are you?—”
“I can’t,” I bite out, the words a low, rough growl torn from my throat. “I can’t stand here and let them talk about you like that. Not for one second.”
My thumb brushes her lower lip, and a shudder runs through her. Her lips part on a sharp, indrawn breath. That’s it. That’s all the permission I need.
“Zoe,” I growl against her mouth, and then I’m kissing her.
My mouth crashes down on hers, and it’s not gentle. It’s a collision. My hand fists in her hair, tilting her head back to take the kiss deeper. I can taste the sharp gasp of her surprise, the faint sweetness of her lip gloss. A low growl vibrates in my chest, swallowed by the connection of our mouths.
For a heartbeat, she is rigid in my arms. Then a shudder wracks her frame. Her lips part on a broken sigh, and she surrenders to the kiss, her body going soft and pliant against mine. Her hands come up to clutch at my shoulders, her fingers digging into the fabric of my shirt. The hesitant touch of her tongue against mine is the first crack in a dam that has been holding back a flood.
I crush her closer, my other arm banding around her waist, sealing her against me until there’s no space, no world beyond the two of us.
When I finally pull back, we’re both breathless. Her brown eyes are wide, dark, and dazed. Her lips are swollen and wetfrom mine. Her scent, a heady mix of her own clean fragrance and arousal, is flooding my senses.
I look over her shoulder. The two women are gone. I hadn’t even noticed them leave. I don’t give a damn about them.
My gaze drops back to Zoe. Her hand is pressed against her chest, right over her racing heart.
“What...” she whispers, her voice shaky. “What was that?”
I lean in, my forehead resting against hers, my lips brushing her ear.
“That,” I murmur, my voice rough, “was for me. Because I’ve been dying to do that since the moment I saw you in that goddamn dive bar.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Zoe
Rett Sterling just kissed me in a grocery store parking lot.
Pushed me against the car door, caged me with his body, and kissed me like his life depended on it. And I... kissed him back. Like I was drowning, and his mouth was air.
The memory of it keeps replaying on a loop in my brain as I try and fail to focus on the simple task of unpacking groceries. The heat of his mouth. The possessive grip of his hand in my hair. The low, rumbling growl that vibrated from his chest into mine.
My gaze drifts across the kitchen to him now. Rett is unpacking vegetables, completely calm and composed. Like he didn’t just turn my world upside down twenty minutes ago.
“You okay?” Tristan asks, suddenly appearing at my elbow. “You’ve been staring at that same bag of apples for about two minutes.”
“I’m fine,” I say, too quickly. “Just thinking about... apple placement.”
He raises an eyebrow, that damned dimple appearing. “Apple placement?”
“It’s a thing,” I insist, grabbing the bag and marching to the fridge. “They need to be properly arranged.”
“Of course,” he says, not even trying to hide his amusement. “A crucial kitchen task.”
I roll my eyes at him, but as I turn back to the counter, my gaze catches on his mouth. His full, curved lips are still smirking at me, and a jolt of memory shoots through me. I remember what that mouth felt like against mine. A raw, focused hunger that had taken my breath away
Oh my God. Stop it.
I shake my head, trying to clear the thoughts. This is not helping. I grab another grocery bag, determinedly not looking at any of them as I unpack its contents.
“Ice cream goes in the freezer,” Dane says quietly, taking the mint chocolate chip carton from my hands before I can place it in the regular refrigerator.
“Right,” I say. “I knew that.”
