I feel like I can’t breathe. This moment is too delicate. One wrong move will shatter it into a million pieces.
“I feel like I’m yours too,” I whisper.
His gaze lifts to my face and we stare at each other in the tense silence for so long, I forget what we were even talking about.
Then, out of nowhere, he lifts my arm and drives his shoulder into my stomach, hoisting me off the ground so I’m dangling over his shoulders.
“Declan!” I shout as I cling to his body. I might be a bit slimmer than him, but I’m easily as tall and probably weigh close to as much as him. And yet, he holds me as if I weigh nothing.
Laughing, he carries me to the water. I keep waiting for him to topple over with me on his shoulders, but he makes it all the way into the waves until they’re crashing up to his waist.
The water is cold when we both go tumbling in together, a mixture of howls and shrieks of laughter. The tide comes in just as I’m popping out of the water, and it barrels over me again.
Declan’s hands grip my waist, pulling me against him as we both stand up out of the water together.
“You prick!” I shout with salt water cascading over my face. Declan is laughing so hard it’s infectious, so then I’m laughingtoo. He flips his head back to get his wet hair out of his face. And we stand in a spot where we can touch without being barreled over every time a wave comes in.
“I couldn’t help it,” he says.
His hands are still on my waist, although I can easily stand on my own now. He’s just holding me to hold me. I can sense his hesitance. He doesn’t know how to proceed now, and honestly neither do I. He’s touching me like he wants me, but he’s not sure what move comes next. There’s no rule book for best friends who want to get off with each other.
“What is wrong with you?” I ask, putting my hands on his shoulders.
“I don’t like serious conversations. I’m sorry,” he replies with a smile. The only light in the sky is from the moon, and it’s so dark I can barely make out Declan’s face just inches from mine.
“It wasn’t that serious,” I say. “Now, I’m bloody freezing!”
“Come here,” he replies, tugging me toward him. Our bodies are flush against each other, putting our mouths just inches apart.
He slides a hand down my back and over my ass, sending shivers in his wake, until he’s lifting one of my thighs. I let out a small gasp, but I don’t hold back. Resting my arms on his shoulders, I wrap my legs around his waist, and he holds me as close as physically possible.
If he was trying to warm me up, it works. I’m not cold anymore. In fact, I’m burning up.
“Go ahead,” he mutters lowly as his gaze drops to my lips. “Do it.”
“Do what?” I whisper.
“Kiss me, Shelby.”
As it turns out, my favorite thing to do is obey him. Without hesitation, my fingers slide into his wet hair as I bring his mouth to mine, kissing him hungrily. I nibble on his lips and slide my tongue against his, tasting the salt water between us. There is no restraint in me tonight. I want him and I want it all.
Chapter Twenty
Colin
Declan and I kiss for a few moments before it becomes clear that we both want more. He carries me awkwardly into the shallow water, and then I’m forced to drop my feet as we move onto the shore. But his mouth never leaves mine.
Not when a wave hits us and not when I fall onto the sand. He just drapes his body over mine on the wet shore and continues kissing me until it feels like I could die of happiness.
My legs part, and he settles between them. Our wet shorts don’t hide how much we both want this. His cock feels like steel as he presses it fiercely to mine.
“Declan,” I whimper as he ruts himself against me.
“What?” he replies as he moves his mouth down to my throat.
“Please…” I can’t make the rest of the words come out. I chicken out at the last second.
“What does my needy boy want?” he asks before sucking hard on my neck. My eyes roll back as I try to maintain some composure.
