“Of course.” She sat up straight, the relaxed Caitlyn replaced by a flirtier version. “I’m waiting.”
Damn. I loved a confident woman. “Well, I never want to keep you waiting. Truth or Dare?”
Her eyes twinkled as she quickly answered, “Dare.”
Not just confidence, but no fear in taking me on. “Alright. I dare you to kiss me.”
Surprise and desire flashed in her eyes. “That’s not much of a dare. You sure you don’t want to ask me to do something silly like, oh, I don’t know, balance a spoon on my nose?”
“Good call back. But no, I’m not looking to be amused. Just a guy who’s been wanting to kiss a woman since I first saw her. Not only am I patient, but I’m also an opportunist. And opportunity has finally knocked.” Curling my fingers into my palms, my fingernails digging into the fleshy pads. The need to touch her was almost too much to bear.
“I have a better idea. How about we kiss each other? That way we’re on equal footing moving forward so there’s no doubt that either of us didn’t want?—”
Screw it. I was done waiting, and she just gave me the green light. I placed my hands on either side of her head, my fingertips threading through her hair, and pulled her against me, pressing my lips to hers. Her hands landed on my forearms, clamping down hard. Her mouth parted, allowing my tongue to sweep inside.
Heat and need mingled. Her soft moans, my chest-deep groan, both a promise and a demand for more. Breath became a necessity sooner than I wanted. Pulling slightly back without releasing her lips fully, I sucked on her bottom lip, not wanting to break our connection. Her hands now roamed over my chest, igniting sparks, fueling a rush of warmth along my veins.
And then Caitlyn broke the kiss, took in a deep gulp of air, then smashed her lips back onto mine. If the first kiss was all about learning about each other, this one was pure need. Then incredibly she crawled onto my lap, her knees settling on either side of my hips. She began grinding against my erection. We released twin groans, and time ceased to matter.
Pulling her blouse from her waistband, I tunneled my hands under the thin material, grasping her waist. I ran my thumbs across her lower belly, stroking her soft flesh in time to the strokes of my tongue. So damn hot.
She bucked against my dick, back and forth. “Caitlyn.” I moaned her name, not like a prayer, but a claiming.Mine.She was all mine. Then she froze and pulled back from me. Her eyes wide, her lips swollen, hair a tangled mess.
Fuck, she was gorgeous.
Scrambling off my lap, the rush of cool air smacked me in the face. I wanted her warmth back, reached for her, “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Are you okay?” Breathing deeply, it took my dick a bit to calm down before I could stand. Sweet Jesus, I hated seeing her like this.
Finally able to stand, I walked to where she stood. Her back to me, I placed my hands on her upper arms and gently rubbed, wanting, needing to offer reassurance. “Cait, talk to me.”
She released a loud sigh, stepped away, then faced me. No tears, that was good. But her lips were thin, an apology on her face. “I’m sorry I let that get out of hand.”
“Don’t apologize.” Damn it, that was the last thing I wanted from her.
“This is…this thing between us…” She waved her hands, then let them fall. “It’s just chemistry, right? But I have Luna, and you’re not even thirty yet…and, I…we’re in different places. I know what I want from my next relationship. Do you? Because no matter how attracted I am to you, or how awesome it would be between us, because after that--” Another big arm wave toward the fire pit. “Look, it’s just better that we don’t let that kiss turn into something awkward or whatever, since I’ll be living here for at least the next couple of months. And oh, I can’t do this right now. It’s late. Goodnight, Vic.”
Without watching her walk away, I just stood staring at the spot she’d been standing in as I rubbed my chest. Yeah, now I knew what it felt like to not get what you wanted, and it was humbling. But she never let me answer the one question I knew I could answer truthfully, knowing it would change her mind about me.
I’m more than willing to give her space. But give up on a chance at being with the woman and yes, her daughter, that had quickly become more important to me than any dream I may have ever had? Well, I warned her about my perseverance. Now I just had to prove it to her.
CHAPTER SIX
CAITLYN
Vic had moved into his cabin, and Luna and I were now in the furnished apartment. And through it all, I avoided Vic for the past week as we settled into a new routine. But my body’s reaction every time I saw him from afar hadn’t changed just because I was avoiding him.
And today, my luck had run out. My morning walk had taken me past the woodshop where he just happened to be with his brother. Once again, my greedy gaze ate him up. Shoot, I needed to do a one-eighty right now, before he noticed my interest. Before he got any more ideas, but my feet failed me.
I felt a rush of hot liquid flow through my veins, then my stomach dropped, and my lungs seized. And yet going without breath seemed like a small price to pay in order to witness the man not fifty yards away, his shirt off—again, his skin glistening—again, from the late spring heatwave.
Did he run hot, or was it pure vanity to have his shirt off whenever possible?
“What are you looking at, Caitlyn?”
Waa!My scream rent the air as both Chassie and I jumped.
My sister laughed, then saved me. She grabbed my arm, dragging me away from guaranteed mortification.
“Where did you come from? Is he looking at me?” I demanded in a loud whisper.
