He hadn’t taken his gaze from her face. His eyes were still brewing with a storm, and his expression remained hard and rigid. His arms were taut, and his grip on the pool caused his biceps to bulge and the veins in his forearms to pop.
The desire for him that she’d been denying and locking away came marching out, needing to be set free. She lowered herself in the water so that she hovered in front of him. Then she extended her arms until she was grasping both of his shoulders.
His gaze skimmed her arms before darting back to her face.
She boldly circled one of her hands behind his neck and swam even closer to him so that she was now only inches away.
He held himself absolutely motionless. “What are you doing, Kinsey?” His voice was low and hoarse.
“What does it look like?” she whispered.
“It looks like you crossed out of the friend zone.”
“It looks that way to me too.” She dug her fingers into his neck.
“You don’t have to.” This time his gaze dropped to her mouth and stayed there.
“I want to.” She tugged his head forward, and at the same time, leaned in so that her lips collided with his. She didn’t waste any time with a polite, soft prelude. Instead, she moved against him forcefully and hungrily. Because she was hungry for him after the past days and even weeks of denying her attraction. It had languished inside her, growing more famished by the day so that now she couldn’t get enough of him.
He wasn’t tentative in his response either. His arms snaked around her, drew her flush, and his mouth devoured hers in return. The tempo was fast and hard and desperate. Almost as if they both knew the kissing was forbidden and that they had to feast as much as they could before the meal ended.
She didn’t want it to be forbidden, didn’t want him to be off-limits. But what had changed between them? Yes, he’d listenedto her and helped bear the weight of her grief, but the obstacles between them hadn’t changed.
His hands slid up her back under the water. His fingers were taut against her skin and his hold was possessive.
The feel of his possession ignited more sparks inside her, incinerating the objections that were prodding at her. She angled in and meshed her mouth with his again and again, tasting him and wanting to possess him too.
For long minutes she felt like she was back in the hot-air balloon, where the world belonged to only them, where they were the only two who existed, and where they could live in a bubble of euphoria forever.
But at the intensity of the kissing, her breathing grew ragged and so did his, until finally he released a groan and pulled his mouth away and rested his head against hers. His grip was tight, his body rigid, his chest heaving. Hers was the same, and she couldn’t move, could only lean against him.
She’d never kissed anyone like that before and doubted she ever would again. The simple truth was that Tyler McQuaid was hands down the best kisser in the world. If she died right now, she’d die knowing she’d had the best kiss of her life.
He shifted, and his chest brushed against her—a very bare, very hard, and very broad chest.
He was half naked, she wasn’t exactly decent either, and they were alone in a pool at night. The combination was only asking for trouble, especially with the heated pleasure that was burning a trail through her body.
What was she doing anyway?
All the objections she’d been attempting to silence came rushing back with double the force. She was leaving soon. She didn’t have any permanence to her life. More importantly, she’d made it her life mission to help people like Madison who neededa nurse who understood their suffering. She couldn’t just give that up, could she?
An unbidden fear prickled along her nerves. She released her hold of Tyler and stood.
Although he seemed reluctant to let go of her, his arms fell away, almost as if he sensed the change in her emotions.
She began to cross toward the stairs and could feel his gaze trailing her. She didn’t want to leave him, but she also knew she couldn’t stay.
18
Tyler couldn’t tear his gaze from Kinsey as she stepped out of the hot spring. His blood was still overheated, his breathing uneven, and his body decimated. Kissing her had weakened him to the point that he wasn’t sure he could stand and make his legs hold him up.
Even as he took in her beautiful body, her curves, and those endless long legs, much more than physical desire pulsed through him—so much more it was overwhelming. The power of his feelings filled his chest and made it swell with an ache he didn’t understand, something he’d never experienced before.
All he knew was that he’d do anything for her, that he’d even die for her if necessary. He didn’t want to be apart from her ever again, hadn’t wanted to let go of her and let her walk away, wanted to chase after her and spend every second with her for the rest of his life.
Was he in love with her? Was this the passion that his dad had tried to explain, the McQuaid legacy of love, the one the McQuaid men were known for? The deep, abiding, and consuming love each McQuaid man experienced when he found the woman who completed him and made him into a better man?
Tyler had the feeling that was exactly what this was and that he’d finally found the love of his life, the one his dad had been praying he’d find. The feeling was scary and exhilarating at the same time, and he didn’t know what to do about it.
