She pressed her mouth to his. He tightened his hold and kissed her with so much passion, her legs shook. His teeth grazed her lip, the force of his tongue against hers turned her inside out. Overtaken by his intensity and his vulnerability, she moaned into him while clawing at his back. And he devoured her sounds in a panty-melting embrace.
She would do whatever he needed to help him through this. Whatever it takes. She slowed the kiss down until their lips were barely touching.
“Holy hell,” he murmured, breathing hard.
Barely able to see, and dizzy from their scorching kiss, she wiped the water from her eyes. “Let’s get out of the rain.” Her words came out in a breathy whoosh. A stupid response, but her mind had been blown. That kiss had been packed with a raw, untamed ferocity.
They hurried back to the car. “Get in.” She ran around and jumped behind the wheel. They were dripping wet. “You okay?”
“Of course not. You just had to walk me off the ledge. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. You’re hurting and you refuse to let anyone help you, ever. Let me be that person.”
He regarded her for a long moment. “I can’t. I can’t lean on you again.”
She swiveled toward him. “That’s what we do. It’s what we’ve always done. I would not have gotten through my unorthodox childhood without you and your family. You were my rock when my grandfather died. Please,” she whispered. “Let me help you.”
He stared at the constant stream of rain pelting the windshield for a few seconds while she held her breath and waited for his answer.
“I will.”
Exhaling her relief, she gripped his hand. “Thank you.”
Then, his eyes met hers. “Christ, we’re drenched.”
“So, we’re partners in this, right?”
He trailed a heated gaze over every inch of her, from her dripping face and hair to her soaked dress, down her legs, then back into her eyes. “Yes. Partners.”
He plugged the hotel address into his phone’s map app and she drove away.
Being with Ashton was exhilarating and arousing as hell. She’d opened Pandora’s box, rubbed the genie’s lamp. That second kiss had unleashed desires she could no longer control. But, she’d agreed to help him through this difficult time, so she’d tamp down on her needs and focus on his.
The hotel parking lot was chock full, so she pulled up to the covered entrance. “Let’s check in and find out where we can park.”
They grabbed their bags and hurried inside, trailing water droplets like breadcrumbs.
“Good evening,” said the front desk clerk. “Oh, my. It’s really raining out there. Checking in?”
“Yes.” Ashton tossed his driver’s license on the counter. “Why is the hotel so crowded?”
“There are a ton of fun fall activities going on,” said the clerk. “We have the Neptune Festival. That’s a blast. There’s also the International Sand Sculpting Festival. Totally phenomenal. If you like wine, the wine festivals are the place to be. But my absolute favorite is the Blue Angels airshow.”
“Thanks for the suggestions. Two rooms. Hott.”
“Yes, it is a little warm.” The clerk clicked away on the keyboard, then laughed. “Ah, I see. Your name is Hott.” He tapped the keyboard. “Hmm.” More clicking. “I have you down for two king rooms.” He crinkled his nose and adjusted his glasses. “We seem to have had a glitch. There’s only one room left.”
Carly slid her gaze to Ashton. They’d never slept in the same room before. Ever. Sharing a hotel room seemed like a mistake that would only end in heartache. Ashton waggled his eyebrows. Relieved he was behaving more like himself, she smiled before turning back to the clerk.
If they shared a hotel room, she would not be able to control herself. She’d want to comfort him. That would lead to a hug. A hug would lead to a tender peck on the cheek, which would morph into another rocket-fueled kiss. As the fantasy continued, she had them naked on the bed doing the bump-n-grind. A breathy moan escaped her lips.
Ashton glanced over.
“Oh, wait,” said the clerk. “Okay, my bad. I’m still getting used to our updated system. It’s…well. Never mind. We’re all set. Two rooms with king beds. Fifth floor.”
Damn.
The employee set the keycards on the counter and Carly picked then up. “Mr. Hott—great name, by the way—would you like me to charge the card on file?”
