FOREST
The bedroom window was open, letting in the cool summer breeze with a hint of sea air. It was a little warmer up here than the Bay, but breezier than Mill Valley, and it looked like a whole different world than the suburb I’d been spending most of my time in.
This whole world was alien to me. Growing up in East Texas, it was flats and forests with hot, humid summers and vicious storms that sometimes felt like they’d never end. The first time I set eyes on the ocean, I was seventeen. Creek was home for leave, and we’d taken a road trip to Galveston to visit one of his friends there.
This was not like Galveston.
And the person standing so close that I could feel his body heat was not my brother.
Taking a breath, I came to a stop near the window, and Nash’s footsteps continued until he was right behind me. There was a moment—a single breath—and then one arm wrapped around my waist. He tugged me close to him, and for a moment, I could feel his rapid heartbeat against my back.
“Are you nervous?”
He chuckled softly against my ear. “No. Well…a little.”
I wanted to point out that we’d done this before, but it wasn’t like this at the house. That had felt more like a favor. A hot, steamy, sexy favor, but still. This was different. This felt like a moment. I was afraid to say anything, afraid to shatter what this could be.
But I was also afraid to let it go too deep. There wasn’t a chance in hell I wouldn’t fall for Nash. That was nothing short of inevitable. But I wanted to protect myself from being entirely shattered when this all came to an end.
I kept my gaze out on the water. The waves were small, but there were a couple of people paddling out on boards. “Do you surf?”
He snorted. “No. Heath’s gotten me out on the water a few times, but it’s not my strong suit. I couldn’t balance.”
“I wouldn’t even want to try,” I admitted, laughing, though the truth was that it was a little gutting to think about one more thing I’d probably never be able to do.
Not that surfing had been a passion of mine, but I hated becoming aware of new limits.
“There are more fun things to do on the beach anyway.” With that, he leaned in. I felt his breath at first—soft and warm ghosting across my neck. Then came his lips—warm and soft, scratchy from his freshly shaved beard. It sent shivers down my spine.
“Nash,” I whispered, unable to stop myself.
His grip on me tightened. “I really like the way you say my name.”
I felt different. Bold. Unafraid. Leaning back into him, I tipped my head back against his shoulder, giving him access to the rest of my neck. “Nash. Please.”
He groaned, then sank his teeth into my tendon, sucking lightly as he pulled back. The arm around my waist loosened justenough so he could push his hand under the hem of my shirt, and his rough palm made contact with my stomach.
My abs jumped and my legs felt weak, but this time, it wasn’t from my disorder. This time, it was from how powerfully I wanted him.
His hand crept farther until his fingers circled my left nipple, and my cock thickened behind the zipper of my jeans. I rocked backward against him, grinding my ass against his crotch, and I could feel him growing hard in return.
“I don’t know what you want,” he murmured. “How far do you want to go?”
I looked up at him as he stared down at me. There wasn’t a huge height difference between us, but right now, it felt like he was towering over me. His eyes were bright and honest as they locked with mine.
“I don’t know,” I confessed. “Besides that night you…” I couldn’t say it aloud.“It’s been a while since I’ve done anything with anyone.”
He removed his hand from my shirt and turned me, cupping my cheek with strong fingers as he eased me back against the window frame. The breeze fluttered around my hair, and I took a deep breath of sea air as he rolled his hips into mine, lifting one of my legs so it wrapped around his hips.
I was stable between his body and the window, and I let myself relax in that hold.
“Can I tell you what I’d like to do?”
The low rumble of his voice made my dick throb, and I fought the urge to shove my hand down my pants and squeeze it. “Yeah. Yes.”
He smiled and leaned in, grazing a kiss over the edge of my jaw. “I’d like to taste you.”
“Where?”
