I grin at her tone and grab a piece of fish. The meal is delicious, and the longer I sit and talk with Lily, the harder I fall for her. She fascinates me on every level. She’s sexy and beautiful, but there’s so much more to her than just that. Her brilliant mind is just as appealing to me as all the curves I can see through her clothes. On top of all that, she has a great sense of humor, and I love spending time with her. So many things I’ve never felt before, and I’m feeling them all tonight with her.
After we leave and we’re back on the bike, I drive even slower than before, wanting to make this last as long as possible. When we still arrive back home way too early for my liking, I wrap my arm around her and lead her to the small path that runs behind both our houses.
“Where are you taking me?” she asks, whispering the words like we’re a couple of teenagers about to get caught necking in the woods.
“I want to show you something.” I pull her closer and kiss the top of her head, still in awe of the transformation I’ve undergone since meeting her. When I grab her and pull her down the trail, she laughs and jogs to keep up. As soon as the ground turns to sand, I stop and squat down to pull her shoes and socks off. She keeps her hands on my shoulders, holding herself steady until she’s barefoot and I’m rolling her pants up her calves. I’m only human, so I take a few moments to run my fingers along her soft skin.
Her breath hitches at my touch, and when I look up at her, her eyes are filled with as much lust as I’m feeling. She may still be fighting how she feels, but the truth of it is staring me right in the face, and there’s no denying it.
“Every part of you is so beautiful, Lily.”
She smiles down at me and runs one of her hands through my hair. I close my eyes at her touch, never wanting it to end, but all too soon, she loosens her grip and takes a step back.
“So what did you want to show me?”
Before I answer her, I say, “One day you’re going to stop hiding from me.” Then I take off my boots and socks and roll my jeans up. Holding my hand back out to her, I say, “I want to take a moonlit walk with you on the beach.”
Her snort of a laugh has me raising a brow. “God, I wonder how many women you’ve said that line to.”
“Only one,” I tell her, grabbing her hand and pulling her close again. “Only one very stubborn woman who’s as infuriating as she is beautiful and smart and kind.”
“You think I’m infuriating?”
There’s a smile playing at her lips when I look over at her. “Only in the best way possible.”
“Is there a good infuriating?” she asks.
Stopping when we get to the water’s edge, I wrap my arm around her waist and press her close enough so her body molds to mine, every curve fitting against me perfectly. Bringing one hand up so I can cup the back of her neck, I let the other one slide along her waist so I’m palming the ass I’m dying to sink my teeth into. Her eyes lock on mine, and when I curl my fingers around her throat, a soft moan escapes before she can stop it.
“This would be the perfect place for our first kiss, don’t you think?” The waves lap at our feet, and the moon shines down on us as the inner romantic I never knew I possessed sparks to life right here on this beach. Leaning down, I squeeze her ass and drag my nose along her temple while I breathe in the sweet scent of her. Her breath hitches, and when she feels how hard I’m getting, she lets out another one of those sexy moans, the kind that’s not for show and purely because she’s so turned on she can’t stop it.
“Keep moaning like that,” I tell her before nipping softly at her ear, “and it’s going to end up being where we share all kinds of firsts together.”
She puts her hands on my chest, a laughable, half-hearted attempt to push me away as her hips rock ever so slightly towards me. “You don’t have any firsts left to give,” she whispers near my ear. The heat of her breath sends a shiver through every part of my body.
“I have so many to give you,” I tell her. “So many I’ve already given you.” I start to kiss a line down her neck. “Who hurt you so badly?” My teeth gently scrape her skin. “Tell me his name and I’ll kill him for you.”
Her palms press harder against me at the same time as she tilts her head to give me better access. “I was engaged a year ago,” she says, and the jealousy that hits me hard nearly knocks me on my ass. “Turns out he wasn’t so great at monogamy.”
“I’m sorry he hurt you, but I’m glad he fucked things up because the thought of you with someone else makes my goddamn chest ache,” I admit to her. “The offer still stands, though. Just say the word, and I’ll make it happen.”
She gives a soft laugh like she thinks I’m joking. “That won’t be necessary. I’m over it now. It hurt at the time, but I know he did me a favor by showing his true colors before I had tied my life to his.”
I kiss the crook of her neck. “And you’re scared to be with me because you think I’m just like him.”
It’s not a question, but I feel her nod her head anyway. Pulling back, I tighten my grip on her neck and run my thumb along her skin, feeling the rapid beat of her heart just below the surface.
“I would never hurt you,” I tell her, meaning every word of it. “I’ll prove it to you, Lily, if you’ll just give me a chance.”
Chapter 5
Lily
With Ilya’s body pressed so tightly to mine, the firm grip he has on my bottom, and the possessive way he’s holding my neck, it makes it very hard to remember why I’m supposed to be keeping distance between us. Like he always does, he muddles things in my head, makes me think yes when I should be thinking no.
The problem is that it doesn’t feel like he’s lying or like he’s telling me what I want to hear just so he can get in my pants. He seems sincere, and when he leans in closer, pressing his lips to mine in the softest of kisses, I don’t back away. My hands run up his hard chest so I can clasp them behind his neck and pull him tighter against me.
His deep masculine groan vibrates through every cell in my body, and when I part my lips, he deepens the kiss, showing me in seconds that I’ve truly been missing out. I’ve been kissed before, but never like this, never with the kind of all-consuming passion that makes everything else on earth disappear. I no longer feel the ocean washing over my feet and ankles or the breeze coming off the water, or the crash of the waves. All I can feel, see, hear, and taste is the man who’s quickly becoming a piece of me.
