The kiss is pure fire. Desperate. Devouring. More than I ever could have imagined.
He backs me up hard against the rough woodpile, the splintered logs digging into my back as he pins me there with his weight. But I don’t care.
I gasp into his mouth, and he takes full advantage of the access, his tongue sweeping in, claiming every inch of my mouth as if he’s been starving for it.
One hand slides up my side. His rough hands over my smooth skin, lighting upevery nerve in my body as his thumb brushes the underside of my bra, teasing the swell of my breast without quite touching where I ache most.
The other fists in my long hair, jerking my head to the side so he can deepen the kiss.
I feel like I’m falling. Spinning out of control with the desperation of the moment and the way my body yearns for more.
So. Much. More.
God, he tastes like sweat and pine and something sharper. Something forbidden. My hands roam over his bare back, my nails scraping over the ridges of hard muscle as I try to pull him closer.
Heat throbs between my thighs. My panties, and probably my leggings too, are soaked against the press of his hips grinding into me.
He breaks long enough to press his forehead against mine and growl against my lips. “You have no idea what you do to me, Tessa. What I’d give to strip this bra off and suck those pretty nipples until you beg.” His fingers hook under the strap, tugging it down to my shoulder. His calloused palm grazes my skin, sending sparks straight to my core.
I arch into him, whimpering. “Do it, Daddy. Please.”
Again, the word feels both dirty and absolutely, sinfully perfect on my lips. But Holt freezes. His whole body goes stiff, his breath hot against my neck.
Agonizingly slowly, he pulls away, as if it physically hurts him to do it. His hands drop from me, leaving my skin flushed and aching in their absence. He steps away, chest heaving, and turns his back to me.
“We can’t,” he mutters, his voice hoarse with regret. “Not like this.” He shakes his head. “Not ever.”
I slump against the woodpile. The taste of him still on my swollen lips, my body screaming for more, I want to cry in frustration. But he’s already reaching for his shirt, tugging it over his head, and walking away.
Chapter Six
Tessa
The cabin feels even quieter when I get back inside.
It was clear Holt needed some time alone, and I’d pushed him as far as I could.
For the moment.
My skin is still buzzing, like I’ve stepped straight out of a storm instead of the woods. I’ve never been kissed like that before. Ever.
I need to cool off before I self-combust.
I strip off my clothes and head straight for the bathroom, letting the water run before I can overthink it.
I step under the spray and suck in a sharp breath as the cool water hits my overheated skin. I should be freezing after being outside without my shirt on—that was sucha crazy, bold move. The water should shock me back to reality. It should rinse away the way his hands felt on my waist. The way his mouth claimed mine like I was already his.His.
It doesn’t.
I brace my hands against the tile, drop my head down, and let the water run over me. My thoughts are refusing to behave. All I can think of is the way his lips felt on mine. The way his tongue devoured me. The way his hands slid up my side, wanting more.
But it’s his growl that echoes in my head. The way his body went rigid like he was holding himself back by sheer will.
The kiss was supposed to scare me away.
But why?
That’s what I can’t figure out. Holt clearly wants me, too. I saw the way he looked at me. The way he kissed me. I may not have a ton of experience with men, but I know enough.
