"Are you okay? You look... distracted."
"I'm fine." My voice comes out rougher than intended. "Just... enjoying the view."
She blushes again, looking down at her lap, and I realize she thinks I meant her. Which I did. Fuck, I absolutely did.
"Can I ask you something?" I say, needing to know before this goes any further.
"Of course."
"Does it bother you? That I have a kid?"
She stops eating, her eyes going wide. "What? No. Tucker, it's the opposite. I'm thirty-two, I've always wanted a family, and I'm starting to think I'll never have one." She pauses, then adds softly, "If whatever this is goes somewhere... I'd love to take care of Emma. Not as a replacement for her mother, but as someone who cares about her. About both of you."
Fuck. She's incredible. She always has the right answers. How could I ever resist her? I lean closer, and she imitates me, our faces inches apart now. I want to kiss her. Want to taste those lips, feel her tongue against mine, hear the little sounds she'd make.
But when was the last time I kissed someone? So long ago that I'm afraid I'll look like an idiot. Afraid I've forgotten how.
She must realize this because she asks, "What do you want to do now, Tucker?"
I don't miss a beat. "I want to kiss you."
She swallows drily.
"Saying it out loud is probably stupid," I continue. "Maybe even cowardly. But I want to make sure I'm doing everything right. That you want this too."
She smiles, and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. "You're doing everything right. And I've been waiting for you to kiss me since we sat down here."
I reach up and place my hand on her face. My hand is so big that my fingers go past her head, cupping the back of her skull. Her cheeks are rosy and warm, soft under my calloused palm.
She closes her eyes first, leaning into my touch, and I move forward, closing my eyes halfway because I want to see her, want to watch her react.
Our lips meet, and she tastes like strawberries and something sweeter, something that's just her. One kiss turns into a second, and a third, and we can't stop. My other hand finds her waist, pulling her closer, and she makes a small sound in the back of her throat that goes straight to my cock.
My dick throbs, hard and demanding, and I clench my free hand into a fist, keeping myself under control. This is a passionate kiss, nothing more. I'm not going to ruin this by pushing too fast, by letting my desire override my common sense.
But fuck, she feels good. Tastes good. Her lips are soft and eager, her tongue sliding against mine, and when she grabs the front of my shirt and pulls me closer I nearly lose it.
When we finally break apart, we're both gasping for air, eyes half-lidded, mouths ajar. Her lips are swollen and red, and I want to kiss her again, want to never stop kissing her.
"Was that as good as you expected?" she asks breathlessly.
"Better." My voice is rough, strained. "So much better. I wish we didn't have to stop."
"We don't have to stop." She's still gripping my shirt, her knuckles white. "We don't have to stop doing anything. We can just... go on."
I blink at her, unsure I heard right. Did she mean—?
"We could..." I stumble over my words like an idiot. "We could always go back to the house. To my bedroom. If you want. No pressure, but—"
"I'd love that."
The words are so sweet, so certain, that I almost can't believe them. She wants this. Wants me. Wants my cock as much as I want to give it to her.
"Yeah?" I need to hear it again, need to be absolutely sure.
"Yeah." She leans in and kisses me again. "Take me to your bedroom, Tucker. Show me how much you want me."
Fuck. I'm going to die. I'm going to actually die right here on this hill because Marley Williams just said those words and my heart can't take it.
