“How long until they’re back from the funfair?”
“There’s the bonfire and fireworks at eight, they…” He kissed below my ear. “Go on for about an hour…” Another kiss. “And then they’ll have to take Lucas home…” And another kiss. “And then come home, so that’s another hour at least. Fuck you smell so good. Taste so good.”
“You kiss so good.” Heat pulsed in the pit of my stomach, creating a throb in my panties, and I instantly parted my thighs for him to lie between them. “What can we do in two and a half hours?”
“This,” he murmured against my mouth, as he gave his hips a gentle thrust.
It didn’t matter that we were both in our clothes, the friction was exactly what I needed, yet it wasn’t enough. I reached under his t-shirt, my fingers working inch by inch along his smooth skin as his hard on strained against his jeans.
“That’s so good,” I groaned, lifting my hips to meet his.
His breath caught as I slipped my hand inside his shirt, palm flat against his chest, feeling the steady thunder of his heartbeat. The tenderness in his eyes as he watched me explore made me feel bolder. I moved my hand further south.
When my fingers brushed against his stomach, tracing the defined muscles there, Gunner groaned softly. He caught my wrist, placing a kiss against my pulse point before guiding my hand back to his chest.
“As much as I want to feast on you, two and half hours isn’t enough.” His voice was strained with restraint. “We should probably slow down.”
“Maybe I don’t like slow,” I whispered, reaching up to pull him down for another kiss.
This one was different, hungrier, with an urgency that had been building since that first night on the sofa. His tongue traced the seam of my lips, seeking entrance that I readily granted. His hands, rough with calluses, skimmed my ribs, his thumbs brushing the underside of my breasts through the thin lace of my bra.
I arched into his touch, wanting more. When his mouth trailed down my neck, I tilted my head back, giving him better access. It was my favorite spot to be kissed. At least I thought it was until his teeth grazed my collarbone, followed by the soothing warmth of his tongue, drawing a soft moan that felt like it came from the pit of my stomach.
“Cassidy,” Gunner breathed my name like a secret wish. “Come with me.”
He stood, extending his hand to me. It was an invitation, not a demand so I took it without hesitation and let him lead me up the stairs. We passed a gallery of pictures on the walls. Happy family memories, including Lily and Nash’s small family wedding in their back yard. I remembered avoiding Gunner as best I could the whole day, even if I did appreciate how good he looked in a tux. The memory made me wonder about being part of the gallery one day. However, it was brief, as I quickly pushed it away.
“This is me.” Gunner looked at me over his shoulder and gave me a brilliant smile. He then pushed the door open with his hand.
As we walked inside, I noticed the personal touches—books, a photograph of him, his brothers and Bertie when she was smaller. A huge bed dominated the room with covers of the deepest red, plump pillows piled haphazardly and wooden shutters, half-closed, at the window onto the acres of rollingemerald land at the back of the house. Then there was the scent of his cologne. Intoxicating and manly. The scent of him.
Before I could take in anything else his hands were on me again, this time pushing my sweater up and over my head. The cool air against my skin was quickly replaced by the heat of his gaze, appreciative and reverent as he took in the sight of me in my simple white lace bra. The rough calluses of his fingertips caught slightly against my skin, each drag leaving trails of heat that seemed to sink beneath the surface. His scent clung to his skin, earthy and masculine in a way that made me want to bury my face in his neck and just breathe him in.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, bending to press a kiss to the hollow between my collarbones. His fingers traced the strap of my bra, following it down to where it met the cup, then along the edge where fabric met skin. “I’ve thought about this since the first time I saw you in that classroom, all prim and proper. Wondered what you’d look like coming undone for me.”
His words sent a shiver down my spine, the low rasp of his voice almost as arousing as his touch. “And how am I measuring up to your fantasies?” I asked, my voice breathy with anticipation.
“Better,” he growled, pressing his lips to the swell of my breast. “So much better.”
I worked my fingers up his shirt, pushing it up and over his head to reveal the body I’d only imagined he had. The reality was so much better than envisaging. Broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist, skin bronzed from working outdoors, scattered with freckles that I was desperate to trace with my tongue.
“God, look at you,” I whispered, running my palms over the hard planes of his chest. “All due to the work I watched you do on the ranch whenever I visited Lily.”
“You were watching?” His eyes darkened with desire as his hands found my waist, thumbs stroking the sensitive skin just below my ribs.
“Every chance I got,” I admitted, leaning in to place a kiss on his collarbone, then another lower on his chest. “Even when I thought I hated you.”
When my hands reached for the button of his jeans, he stilled them, bringing them to his lips instead.
“Not tonight,” he said, his voice husky. “We don’t have time. Tonight is about you.” His eyes locked with mine. “I want to taste you, Cassidy. I’ve been thinking about how you’d feel against my tongue since that first kiss.”
The bluntness of his words made heat pool between my thighs. “Yes,” was all I could manage.
Before I could protest, he was kissing me again, walking me backward until my legs hit the edge of the bed. As I sat on the deep, soft mattress, he knelt in front of me, his hands on my knees, gently parting them so he could position himself right at my core.
The sight of Gunner Miller on his knees, looking up at me with such desire, made my breath catch. He reached behind me, finding the clasp of my bra with practiced ease, his eyes never leaving mine as he waited for permission.
I nodded, and the garment joined my sweater on the floor. His sharp intake of breath was gratifying, as was the gentle reverence with which his hands cupped my breasts, thumbs circling my nipples until they hardened into tight peaks.
