She pulls back from me, and I can see the flames of the fire dancing in her heated blue eyes. I don’t say anything and tuck my nose into the space below her ear where her sweet scent is strongest. I drag my lips across her cheek until I can press a kiss to the smooth line of her throat. Her hum causes a low fracture in my belly. Heat rolls hot through the rest of me, spreading slow and sweet like melted chocolate.
I can’t hold back any longer and devour her mouth with a searing kiss that ignites every nerve ending in my body. We give in to the rush together, our bodies colliding, and my senses spiraling with pleasure. At some point, Keri drops the bouquet, the springflowers scattering by our feet as she wraps her arms around my waist. I slide my hands through her hair and hold her head steady, my tongue sweeping between her lips. Her continuous hums and little moans reverberate through my body, her lush mouth nipping and kissing mine. My passion for her is so immense I feel like my body can’t contain it, like I might explode at any minute.
I gasp for a clean breath and hold her against my chest so closely I can feel her accelerated heartbeat, like a tiny bird caught in a snare. “Keri…”
She pulls back and presses two fingers against my mouth, shaking her head. “Don’t talk. Kisses only.” She’s breathless, her lips swollen with desire.
My entire face beams as I pull her in for another kiss, long and hard and deep, her tongue thrusting into my mouth. Her fingers threading through my hair. Everything about this woman exudes femininity, from her beautiful angel face to her long blonde hair and blue eyes, to her graceful body and empathetic nature.
Being here with Keri has reignited that spark of magic, my dormant feelings of passion taking over like wildfires on the West Coast. My vision blurs, and I struggle for my next breath when I realize I’m not ready to ruin this evening with sadness and gloom. That can wait until another day.
Right now, I want to enjoy Keri. She’s all warmth and ease. A total comfort in her skin. And that’s what I need at this moment.No talking, kisses only. Firelight and handholding. Sticky s’more fingers and fairy lights.
Tomorrow. I’ll tell Keri tomorrow.
Chapter Twelve
Keri
I’m groggy as birdsongs fill the lush, humid air. The golden morning light stretches shadows across the meadow. The scent of damp earth and lingering fire smoke tickles my senses. I reach for Adam, but he’s gone. I vaguely remember him mumbling something about feeding Molly up at the house while I was still half-asleep.
I sit up on the mattress in the back end of his camper and hold the blanket against my bare chest and smile. My messy hair falls across my eyes, and I push it back. The vain part of me rears its ugly head, and I’m suddenly wondering what I look like in the light of a new day, especially after the insanely perfect night of passion I experienced with Adam.
I look around for my clothes and spot his shirt crumpled nearby. I slip into the warm, faded flannel. It’s the same shirt he waswearing when I first saw him at Jenny’s café. I lift the fabric up to my nose and inhale deeply. It smells like him. He’s never getting it back.
I slip on my jeans and crawl over the back of the bed into the interior of the van, looking for a mirror. When I don’t find one, I get an idea.
“The vanity mirror,” I say out loud.
I sit in the passenger seat up front and lower the sun visor. A slew of photographs falls and scatters across my lap. At first, I feel bad for disrupting a photographer’s private space. But as I pick up each of the photos and take a look, my breath backs up into my lungs. I gather the pictures like a deck of cards and shuffle through them several times, my eyes pricking with tears.
“I can’t believe it,” I whisper under my breath. “He’s married. And… and he has achild.”
My hands are shaking so badly that I drop a few of the photos and struggle to pick them up. I swallow hard, and stare at an image of Adam dressed in a suit, kissing a dark-haired woman wearing a wedding dress. And another with him holding a tiny baby wrapped like a burrito in a pink blanket. The three of them, several years later, are posing in front of a sandcastle on the beach. A birthday party with a little girl in pigtails, blowing out candles. A gorgeous woman wearing overalls, watering her plants.
Each picture tells a story about a family—a family Adam forgot to tell me about.
“Keri?”
I hear my name and hastily shove the photos back above the sun visor. I open the van’s side door, stepping out onto the grass. My knees shake with fury as I move away.
“There you are,” Adam says. He’s shirtless, the morning sun highlighting his muscular chest and arms.
How could I have been so foolish? I should’ve known a man like Adam would have someone waiting for him. And to have a child without telling me? Unforgivable. I can hardly process this on the fly.
I can’t even glance at him. My chest burns with betrayal as I break into a trot toward the house. Every step pulses with the desperate need to flee, to outrun the ache clawing at my heart. There’s only room in my thoughts for an escape, swift and final.
“Keri? What’s wrong? Where are you going?Keri!”
I won’t wait. I run faster. Adam, with his California physique and love of the outdoors, catches up to me quickly. He grabs my arm, stopping me. I suddenly realize I’m crying. The tears streaming down my face make him hesitate.
“What is it? What happened?”
I choke on a sob. “You know what’s happened.”
“No, I don’t.” He grips me by my arms, and I’m too weak to struggle free. “Please. Tell me what’s wrong.” His expression is frantic, his eyes scanning my face, searching for answers.
I swallow hard, the memories of last night filling me with dread. We had such a great evening. The laughter. The romantic vibe among the fairy lights and babbling creek. Dancing under the trees and how he swayed to the song’s old-fashioned rhythm, turning us in a slow circle in front of the fire. His expensive camera on a tripod with a self-timer, capturing our image with arms playfully around each other, smiles vibrant. And later, the moonlight caressing our bare skin in the heat of our first passionate night together.
