The conversation flows effortlessly as we eat, the laughter laced in so naturally that my cheeks are starting to hurt from smiling so much by the time we pack up the basket and drop it at the car to go inside the conservatory.
The air is cool and fresh and humid, perfect for the jungle of plants on display, and after checking in with the front counter, we wander the walkway, our fingers comfortably interlaced.
Even something as simple as holding Gio’s hand makes my pulse do funny things, and as we walk and talk, a sense of giddiness drives me to distraction.
It’s all I can do not to think about kissing him, so to keep myself from doing anything impulsive, I talk, gesturing to the plant life around me as I explain where someone might find them in their natural habitat, which ones are easy to keep alive, and which ones might give gardeners a challenge.
Gio listens patiently, a gentle smile on his face, though he glances at me from the corner of his eye on several occasions.
And when we reach a more secluded bend in the pathway, he stops, using our linked fingers to turn me so I face him.
“Sorry. Am I boring you?” I ask, my cheeks warming as I crane my neck to look up into his godlike face.
He huffs with amusement. “Hardly,” he murmurs. “I could listen to you talk about plants for days.” The low, hushed promise sounds more sensual than it ought to, and a thrill races down myspine when he cradles the back of my neck with one hand to pull me close. “But this mouth of yours is a distraction,” he rasps.
And before I can gather my scattered thoughts to think of a response, he presses his lips to mine.
The kiss is soft and sensual, his tongue playful as it teases the pad of my lower lip.
I release his hand, reaching up to grip the collar of his shirt so I can pull him more firmly to me, deepening the kiss.
A low, possessive growl rumbles from his chest, and my stomach clenches, my thighs pressing together to stop their quivering as he snakes an arm around my waist, kissing me with fresh passion.
Our tongues tangle, and in an instant, we go from something sneaky and quick to full-on making out.
I feel like a teenager again—or at least what I imagine those early days of exploring chemistry might have been like, and as soon as we start, I can’t get enough of him.
Gio seems just as helplessly enthralled, his touch growing bolder by the minute.
And while I know I should put a stop to it—we are in a public garden, after all—I just can’t bring myself to care.
I crave his touch with each desperate breath.
So when his hand follows my curves down the length of my body, his fingers curling around the hem of my dress, all I do is cling to him harder, wrapping one arm around his neck.
His hand slips beneath the light fabric of my skirt, his fingertips brushing the sensitive flesh of my inner thigh, and I gasp.
He quickly swallows the sound, his lips refusing to leave mine for an instant.
When he reaches my panties, they feel damp as he palms my sex, and the agonized groan that rips from him tells me just how much it turns him on to find me wet.
One finger curls around the edge of the simple cotton bikini-cut fabric, and my knees turn to Jell-O as he strokes the length of my slick seam.
I’m incapable of holding up my own body weight, but it doesn’t matter.
Gio’s arm supports me effortlessly, keeping me pinned against his chest as he starts to finger me.
“What the hell is going on back here?”
The sharp librarian-esque voice makes me jump, and I freeze, my body rigid as Gio quickly retrieves his hand from beneath my dress.
Warmth floods my face as my clit continues to throb with need, and Gio shields me with his body as he turns to face the woman.
“Um, we were just…” He falters, unable to cover up the blatantly sexual stunt he just pulled. Then, without missing a beat, he turns to me. “Run,” he commands.
My heart jumps into my throat, and I obey without thinking, sprinting down the path, away from the woman as I make a beeline for the conservatory door.
“Hey!” she shouts behind me, and when I glance back, Gio’s hot on my heels, a look of devilish excitement splitting his gorgeous face.
