Dean hummed, and the vibration from his chest soothed me. He was a decent singer—who knew? I loved that I got to hear this part of him. Dean Romano liking country music? That went against his image.
“I like the bodysuit, by the way.” He ran a hand over my spine, the back of the suit almost nonexistent. It had an American flag on it, dipped low in the front, and I paired it with short, cutoff white shorts I found. This exposed so much of myskin and made me nervous, but the second Dean saw me, his eyes never left me.
It was his idea for us to both wear red bandanas in our hair. We looked like a couple, and he touched me like one.
“Seriously, Mack, this outfit is sexy as hell.” He ran a finger under the strap.
I shivered.
“I want it to rain so we can check off dancing in the rain. You? Wet? Please. Yes.” He laughed at his comment and ran his nose along my neck. “You smell delicious.”
This man made my head spin. I didn’t respond before he sucked the spot right beneath my ear.
“You’re mine all summer, Mackenzie Mallinson.” He lifted his head, meeting my gaze with a hard and serious look. His face was set in determination, and his eyes heated with intensity.
Was he expecting an answer to that? I swallowed and found my voice because I couldn’t let him have the last word. “Actually, You’remine, Dean Romano.”
His answering grin told me that was the right thing to say. Laughing, he guided us away from the dance floor and toward the entrance to the venue. He held my hand hard, our fingers intertwined. Something about seeing our limbs all tangled up made it seem more intimate than a summer fling. My breath caught in my throat as Dean ordered us two shots of tequila.
“Country makes me think of shitty beer and tequila, and honestly, I have no idea when I’ll get to do this again, so let’s live it up, baby.” He handed me the neon pink plastic shot glass. “God, you’re gorgeous.”
Something was different about him tonight, and I couldn’t figure out what. He complimented me with more intensity and made me wish that we were real. That this was legit. Eventhough I knew our time would end in heartbreak because our sports would always come first.
He jutted his chin toward the shot, and I took it back, wincing at the harshness of the liquor as he pulled me into him. There was no time to stop as he kissed me. He gripped my chin, forcing me to glance up as he devoured me. The taste of tequila lingered on his tongue, and he groaned into my mouth, the sound deep and sexy. I squeezed the edge of his red, white, and blue shirt, needing to ground myself because this wasn’t just a kiss, it was a devouring.
He swiped his tongue inside, his hand tightening on my throat and the other on my ass as he took the kiss deeper. His groans grew. His tongue went faster, harder. He stole the air from me but then breathed into me when something hit my head.
My eyes flew open, and Dean stared back at me, not stopping the kiss at all. My stomach swooped again just as the same weird feeling repeated itself.
Wait.
“It’s raining. Fuck yes,” I shouted against his mouth. “Dean. It’s raining!”
“Sure is, Mallinson.” He settled both hands on my shoulders, and we looked up at the sky as I laughed.
“Top ten moment,” I said, my face hurting from how hard I smiled. “The music, the company, the rain. I’ll never forget this specific snapshot of life. The list might’ve been dumb, but this is magical.”
“I’ll never forget it either.”
His voice sounded off, and I glanced at him, only to find him watching me with hooded eyes. His nostrils flared, and some strands of hair escaped the bandana, so they stuck to his forehead. Water dripped down his neck, over his chest and forearms. He was a real-life wet dream of a human.
“If the football team ever needed to raise money, you could do a calendar of you guys in the rain.” I took a shaky breath. “You look so sexy right now, Dean.”
“I can’t stop watching you.” He licked the side of his mouth, his gaze heating as he looked me up and down. “I want to peel this outfit off you and trace every part of you with my tongue. That’s all I’m thinking about. What does your skin taste like here?” He caressed my stomach. “Or here?” He moved down to my waist. “Or here?” He tickled my inner thigh as he shuddered.
“Don’t forget, Romano, that this goes both ways.” I touched his chest. “I want to run my tongue and teeth over here, down your stomach.” I ran my finger down, resting over his abs before dipping a finger into his waistband. “Then down here.”
“Fuck.” He closed his eyes. “Is hooking up in public on your list? I need to touch you right fucking now.”
“Already did.” I laughed as his hands shook. “How about we finish dancing in the rain then we head back and do all the things we want?”
“Yes. Whatever you want, dream girl.”
“I don’t know if Lo is home,” I whispered, standing outside the door to my apartment. Nerves choked me. How could I be so stupid? “I didn’t think about this.”
“Fuck.” Dean ran a hand over his face, the guilt etched on his mirroring mine. “Can you sneak me into your window? I’m not walking away from you tonight. Don’t ask me to.”
“Okay. Shit. I could… let me go in and see? I’ll text you.”
