I looked down at her as she frowned. An adorable crease had formed in her brow. She was serious. So I schooled the humor on my face. “That question. I thought I was being really obvious.”
“About what?” She stopped dancing, her feet coming to a halt.
I took a deep breath, thinking carefully. I refused to believe mywords would be some shocking revelation to her. She was asking because she wanted the truth spelled out—nice and clear, right from the start. I could respect that.
“About the fact that I’m feeling way more for you than I should be. Ever since I picked you up from the airport, I’ve felt different. Lighter. I’m scheming just to try and talk to you for a few seconds here and there. And even when I’m trying not to pay attention, my eyes keep finding you. I don’t know if I’m half mad or what my problem is, but I think…part of me hoped you’d follow me out here.”
Her voice caressed my name. “Jesse.”
But I wasn’t done. “I…want to kiss you. And I think you want to kiss me, too. But I have no idea if I should just go for it, or ask permission, or what.”
Her gaze dropped to my mouth and her tongue wet her lips.
That simple action jolted my blood like a strike of lightning. I let my forehead fall against hers. Her hands snaked up and curled around the back of my neck again, her fingers finding the edges of my hair this time. My eyes fluttered closed, my hands reflexively tightening around her waist.
She whispered her words over my lips. “I think…”
I waited, my heart turning so many times I struggled to stand straight.
“I think you should just go for it.”
I let go of her hip, raising my hand to cup her cheek. For only a moment, I lingered, letting my thumb skim her full bottom lip and sinking my fingers into the hair behind her ear. Hollie’s eyes fluttered closed, her face upturned and ready.
Then I closed the few inches between us, brushing my lips over hers. A tense exhale escaped my lungs as relief and desire declared war in my body. I wanted to touch everything and nothing—so my hands hovered, unsure of where to go and certain I’d screw this all up if I chose wrong. Slowly, my other hand came to rest on her face, too. Her cheeks and jaw moved beneath my palms as she met me stroke for stroke. One hand toyed with my hair while the other moved down, tracing the slope of my neck.
Every move she made shredded my self-control. I tried to come inslow, but each passing second proved Hollie was just as hungry for a kiss as she was our hug. And she egged us on. She hung her weight on my neck, pulling me down, closer.
Our languid kiss picked up pace.
Instincts took over and I stopped wondering what to do, how to touch her. My body raised a white flag, giving in to what felt right. Holding her face, I tilted her head to the side and tested the barrier of her lips with my tongue. She opened, a soft mewing sound rising from the back of her throat.
As I fully tasted and explored her, the world melted away. Like someone pulled a dimmer switch, all our surroundings—every last thing in existence—faded into the shadows.
It was just us.
How would I ever come back from her? I didn’t know. I didnotknow.
My hands left her face, slipping over the buttery fabric of her dress again, curling low on her hips and back. I pulled her flush against me, relishing in the way her body arched into mine. Hollie’s soft sounds and eager movements obliterated whatever resolve I had coming into the moment. When her tongue dipped into my mouth, my body quaked and a low groaning rumble vibrated in my chest.
She wasn’t supposed to feel this good.
Her hands lit a fire across my body, sliding to every place and exploring me through the fabric of my shirt. I felt like a glacier, warming up and breaking apart after a long winter. The pieces of my masculinity that had been neglected were alive and well, ready for whatever came next.
My hands found her hips again, and without breaking our kiss, I backed her until she hit the work bench. When I leaned into her, our restraint disintegrated. Her frantic hands fumbled for the buttons on my shirt, and I reached behind her, swiping my forearm over the workbench to clear a spot. Tools clattered to the ground, and my hands slid down to lift her onto the table.
With zero hesitation, her legs wrapped around my body.
I broke our kiss, hissing a curse, fightingthe urge to melt as my hands skimmed up the outside of her thighs. Then, she let her head fall back, granting me access I sure as hell did not need but craved like it was the last drop of water on the face of the earth. With ragged breaths, I leaned forward, letting my lips touch her neck, her throat, her chest—every inch not covered in fabric.
She whined my name. Instinctively, I shushed her.
Shit, that was sexy though.
You have to stop, Holmes.
Unable to bear the way my conscience raged at me, I pulled away, a painful groan ripping from my throat. “Hollie, we have to stop.” My lips returned to her mouth. “Ask me to stop.”
She kissed me back until I pulled away again. Her chest heaved with her breaths, a sheen of sweat on her brow. “What if—I don’t want to stop?”
