Audra turned and glared. “It’s just mean to remind a red-headed pregnant woman she can’t have a drink.”
Buddy laughed, and Fallon hated—hated—that the sound made her breath catch.
When she stood, he reached for her hand, warm and steady. She swayed the tiniest bit, and he tightened his grip. Protective. Careful. Too damn good.
And too damn fleeting.
He leaned in and kissed her cheek, letting his lips linger a little longer than necessary. Sweet. Simple. The kind of gesture you gave someone when you were keeping things casual, keeping things light.
Except her pulse kicked up, her chest tightened, and every nerve ending where his mouth touched her skin lit up as if he'd branded her. For something that was supposed to be short-lived that kiss sure as hell whispered forever.
“It’s always good to see you ladies.” He waved and they waved back, saying their good-byes, promising they’d do it all again.
The walk to his vehicle was strangely intimate—his hand around hers, her mind spinning with tequila and longing and danger. He opened the door for her, like he always did, and she climbed in, heart tapping too fast.
The drive was only five minutes, but she studied him the entire time—the strong line of his jaw, the way his hands wrapped around the steering wheel, the faint tension in his shoulders like he was constantly holding something in.
Even when he was soft with her, he held something back.
She didn’t ask. Had never asked. She wasn’t sure she wanted the answer. Or maybe she already knew it.
Temporary.
No promises.
This was just fun while it lasted.
Trouble was, she wanted it to last. For the first time in her life, she wanted to find out what the possibility of a future was like, and she wanted it to be with Buddy. Granted, she couldn’t force him to want that too. Besides, maybe she wouldn’t fall…who was she kidding? She was halfway there.
They pulled into the rental and strolled up the path to the door. A million things raced through her mind, but she couldn’t focus on anything but him. On being with him.
He barely had the door closed before she grabbed his shirt, fisting the fabric, yanking him down into a kiss that was hungry, hot, and desperate.
He responded instantly—hands on her waist, mouth claiming hers in a way that made her knees go weak. Their tongues twisting and rolling over each other, hungry and relentless.
She shoved him into the wall, needing him, needing this, needing the noise in her head to quiet.
He kissed her like he’d needed her, too—like the last twenty-four hours had exposed something raw in him. He lifted her off the ground and turned, slamming her back against the wall, his knee shoved between her legs. His fingers dug into her hips like he was staking a claim.
She glided her hand across his neck, down his back, over his hip, doing her best to wedge it between their bodies, and find… him.
Abruptly, he curled his fingers around her wrist, placed her hand on his shoulder, and cupped her face, his breath harsh against her lips. He held her still, staring down at her with eyes that saw far too much.
Her chest heaved.
His did too.
She brushed her mouth against his, voice a whisper frayed at the edges. “I need you.” She swallowed hard, fingers curling into his shirt. “Just you. I need to forget everything else—everything happening out there. I need to lose myself in you.”
Buddy's breath hitched at her plea, his gaze searing into hers, the intensity of it more intoxicating than any tequila. A flicker of something undefinable, more potent than lust, shimmered in the depths of his eyes. Or maybe that’s what she wanted to see—hoped to see.
He leaned in, his lips brushing over hers, slow and deliberate. Each touch, each moment, was a question, an invitation, and an affirmation. All she wanted to do was strip them of their clothes and feel every inch of him inside her, stroking her, making her withe in his passion.
With a growl, he shifted his grip to her thighs, lifting her higher against the wall. The sudden movement forced a shocked gasp from her, but it morphed into a moan as his mouth traced a path from her lips down to the pulse beating wildly at her throat. Every nerve was electric, her body humming in anticipation.
He stepped from the wall and his hand slipped under the hem of her shirt, tracing the sensitive skin of her lower back. Her muscles jumped in response, her breath hitching as his fingers found the clasp of her bra.
This wasn’t new territory. They’d had sex at least five times in this house. His bed. The shower. Even the kitchen. She’d always enjoyed the physical act. She’d never been shy when it came to her body. Or men.
