“Very nice,” she said.
“Thank you.” He fixed his bowtie and collar.
A cool breeze rushed past them, and she folded her arms tightly across her almost-exposed chest.
He raised his eyebrows. “Want a jacket?”
“Oh, don’t worry about it.” She hugged herself a little tighter. “I’m okay.”
Shane smirked, then unbuttoned his jacket and shrugged it off. Holding it out, he said, “Here. No sense freezing to death.”
“So you’ll freeze for me?”
He laughed. “I have a shirt on.” His gaze slid down her mostly exposed chest, then rose to meet her eyes again. “You, on the other hand…”
Trying not to laugh, Alyssa reached out and took the jacket. She pretended the soft fabric—cool from being out here in the wind, but still holding some of his body heat—didn’t remind her of their walk down the aisle earlier.
Pulling it around her shoulders, she shivered again, this time because of the warmth. No, no, it did not feel like his skin against hers. It didn’t make her wonder at all what it would be like to have his arms around her instead of his jacket. It didn’t.
“Hmm,” Shane said, thumbing his chin, “this does mean I have a more obscured view now, doesn’t it?”
She laughed in spite of her burning cheeks.
“I mean, Hannah does have damned good taste in bridesmaid’s dresses,” he said. “Color aside.”
“Oh, so it’s the dress you want to look at?”
“Well, yeah.” He batted his eyes. “What did you think I meant?”
Alyssa clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Let me guess. This is the part where you tell me my dress would look better in a rumpled heap on your bedroom floor?”
“Nope.” He gave her another down-up glance, then met her gaze. “This is the part where I tell you that dress would look a hell of a lot better with the skirt shoved up over your hips.”
Her lips parted.
He grinned. “I like to have something to hold on to.”
Alyssa gulped. “You’re very direct.”
“When I see something I want, yes.” He paused. “You don’t strike me as particularly shy yourself.”
“I can be.”
“Can you?”
“When I see something I want and I’m not sure if I should go for it.”
“And if you think you should go for it?”
“Then it just depends on the situation.”
“Hmm. Sounds like way too much thought.”
“So you don’t give it any thought, then? You just go for it?”
He shrugged. “Oh, I give it some thought. I run through a few scenarios in my head, a few possible outcomes, and decide if it’s worth the risk.”
“And if it is worth the risk?”
“Then I can be pretty aggressive.”
“Is that right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Me too.” She grabbed the front of his shirt and kissed him.
Chapter Four
Alyssa’s kiss was un-fucking-real.
At first, it was just her lips against his, and that alone blew his mind. That she’d been aggressive enough to make the move, that she’d wanted to in the first place—he was almost certain he was imagining this whole thing. A gorgeous woman coming on to him? A gorgeous woman who he’d been eye-fucking all damned night?
This couldn’t possibly be real.
Shane snaked his arm around her waist beneath his jacket, both to draw her closer and to help with his balance, which was suddenly not so great. He also needed to make sure she was really there, not just some apparition he’d conjured up out of desperation.
Oh, she was real all right. Her breath was cool and soft against his cheek, her lips warm against his, and those mouthwatering curves that had been fucking with him all night were even more amazing beneath his hands.
He tilted his head and cautiously nudged her lips with the tip of his tongue. A shiver went through her, and when she parted her lips, he deepened the kiss, and Alyssa didn’t hold back at all. She kissed like she fucking meant it. Not in the sense that she forced his mouth open and tried to lick his tonsils—he’d kissed women like that before, and no thanks—but she wasn’t timid at all. Her touch was sure, her tongue insistent but not off-putting in the slightest.
Alyssa pressed closer to him. She ran her nails along his scalp. He pulled in a sharp breath through his nose and held her tighter, still barely believing she was even real.
He broke the kiss, and when their eyes met, hers gleamed with pure lust. Pure predatory lust. Goddamn, she didn’t have a shy bone in her body, and that turned him on something fierce.
She swallowed. “I’ve been wanting to do that since before the ceremony.”
“Yeah?” He grinned. “There’s a few things I’ve been wanting to do too.”
“Is that right?”
“Mmhmm.” Shane pulled her closer and leaned down to kiss her neck. She tilted her head back, giving him access to every smooth inch of her throat. As she dragged her nails over his shoulders, he drew in a long breath of her. Oh God, she was definitely real. The combination of her light perfume and the warm saltiness of her skin made his head spin. Made him think about things he had no business thinking about when he was holding a woman he’d just met.
Without thinking about it, he pressed his erection against her. Icy panic knifed through him, and he wondered if he’d been too forward, too direct, but then she dug her nails into his arm and pushed back with her hips.
Well, all right, then…
He flattened his palm against the small of her back, holding her body against him. She obviously didn’t mind—she arched against his chest and kissed him even harder.
Eventually—he couldn’t say how much time had passed—they separated, drawing back slowly until their eyes met. He wondered if her heart was beating as hard as his was. One kiss, and he was already silently cursing the bride and groom for having their wedding on a boat instead of someplace where he could steal away with Alyssa. Because damn.
He swallowed. “You should be careful being that direct with a man like me.”
“Why’s that?”
He slid his hands down over her ass. “Because I might get the wrong message and think you wanted me to take you home and fuck you.”
Alyssa’s grin made his knees shake. “Well then, I wouldn’t be giving you the wrong message, would I?”
Shane gulped. “Jesus…”
She drew the tip of her tongue across her lips. “Something wrong?”
“No. Not at all. Just haven’t…” He swallowed again and brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. “It’s just been a while since I’ve run into a woman who cuts right to the chase like you do.”
Her thin eyebrows rose. “Is that…is that a good thing?”
“Oh, you’d better believe it.” Shane curved his hand around the back of her neck and drew her to him again. “There’s nothing I like more than a woman who knows what she wants and goes for it.”
“So if I said I wanted you…”
“Then I’d fuck you right now if I could.”
Alyssa squirmed, and he thought she might’ve whimpered just before she said, “No condoms.”
“Says you.” He patted the front pocket of his jacket.
She glanced down at his hand on her chest. “You carry condoms with you all the time?”
“When I go to weddings, definitely.” He ran his hand over the curve of her breast, and as he withdrew it, added with a grin, “Weddings are always full of single women. I’d be stupid not to come prepared.”
Alyssa pulled in a sharp breath but narrowed her eyes and returned the grin as if that could somehow mask the moment she’d been off guard. “You’re such a caveman.”
“If I was a caveman,
I’d grab your hair and drag you back to my cave, wouldn’t I?”
“Well, if you’re willing to pull my hair…”
Jesus fuck…
“Oh, I am. I just don’t need to take you all the way back to my cave.”
She shivered and didn’t even try to hide it this time. “Keep this up, and there won’t be much left of me to drag anywhere.”
“Are you suggesting I should—”
“Yes. Please.”
Fucking hell.
Over the sound of his pounding heart, he caught the shift in music from inside the boat as the deejay changed tracks. Shoulders dropping slightly, he said, “Except we both have, um, duties.” He gestured toward the party. “Best man. Maid of honor.”
Alyssa scowled. “Goddammit.”
“Seriously. We should…”
“Yeah, we should…”
Their eyes met. He cradled her neck in both hands, and fuck, he could barely breathe. “I want…I want to see you again.”
“Me too. My phone is in my purse, but give me yours, and I’ll give you my number.”
He liked this assertiveness. No coy games, no suggestions veiled in pretend self-consciousness. Without hesitation, he handed over his phone.
She entered her name and number, sent herself a text, and handed the phone back. “There. And I have yours too.”
Shane swallowed. God, yes. She was direct. “Am I safe in assuming you don’t want me to wait three days before I—”
“Don’t you dare.”
“Oh, I won’t.” He slid his arm around her waist. “And you should know you are pushing all of my buttons right now. Hard.”
“Am I?” She slid her hand over his erection. “You don’t say.”
“Holy fuck,” he groaned, closing his eyes as she squeezed him through his trousers. He blinked a few times and met her gaze. “You…aren’t shy at all, are you?”
“Not when I see something I want.” She winked, and his body temperature soared.
“Good God…”
Alyssa laughed softly. Then she let him go and ran her hand up his chest, her palm warm through two shirts. “We really should get back to the party.” Her eyes darted back down the walkway, brow furrowing for a second as if she was genuinely concerned about getting caught with him. When she looked up at him again, that worry was gone, and he wondered if he’d imagined it at all, especially when she grinned and said, “Maybe we should pick this up after the reception’s over.”
Shane’s heartbeat was all over the place. “Maybe we should.”
“It’ll be late by the time we get back to shore, but why don’t we meet up for drinks tomorrow night?” Christ, he didn’t know why he bothered. She had to know as well as he did what he had in mind, but direct as he was, even he couldn’t come out and say let’s just get a room tonight and fuck till we can’t move.
She shrugged off his jacket and handed it over. “How about this?” She leaned down and slipped her heels back on. “Give me a call tomorrow, and we’ll figure something out.”
“I’ll do that.” He nodded toward the party. “You go inside first. We don’t want to walk back in together, and there’s no point in making you stay out here and get cold.”
She smiled as she stood straight again, closer to his eye level now. “Such a gentleman.”
“Oh, I am so not a gentleman. I assure you.”
“I know.” She leaned closer to kiss him, and just before their lips met, her fingers drifted over his rock-hard cock again, and when he gasped, her lips curved into a grin. “You’re not a gentleman at all, Shane. I’m counting on that.”
And then she walked away, her high heels marking his heartbeat on the deck as he stood there slack-jawed with his jacket in his hand and his erection straining against the front of his trousers.
He gave her a couple of minutes and then started back inside. On his way, he pulled on his jacket and stopped midstep when her body heat settled onto his arms and shoulders. Shit, this was going to be a long night, playing his best friend’s best man while Alyssa was in the same room. Putting on a game face and not letting on how much he wanted to take the maid of honor back outside and fuck her into the deck.
He tugged his jacket into place, making sure it covered his persistent hard-on, and then continued back into the party. Inside, he went straight to the bar and ordered a bottle of water. He didn’t need any booze right then—just something cold and something to do with hands that desperately needed to be on Alyssa’s waist again.
For the first time in a long time, he’d encountered a woman he wasn’t entirely certain he could handle. And he couldn’t wait to try.
As he cooled himself off with that ice-cold water, he kept his attention fixed on the floor beside the bar. There was no way in hell he was letting anyone catch him making eye contact with her. They’d warn her off him before they’d even made it back to dry land.
Part of him hoped they would. After all, she wasn’t just a random stranger he’d met in a bar and was taking outside for a backseat quickie. She was his best friend’s sister-in-law. Hannah would have his heart on a plate if she found out he was even considering this, never mind that he’d actually laid a hand—not to mention his mouth—on Alyssa.
If he went through with this, sooner or later Alyssa was going to know who he really was. And of course, like every other woman, she’d bolt. He couldn’t even blame her for that.
If he had a brain in his head, he’d nip this in the bud and walk away. Save her the horror and him the embarrassment.
But damn if he could resist a woman ballsy enough to suggest this in the first place. Everything about her made him stutter, and Shane McNeill was not a man prone to tripping over his own tongue.
For better or worse, he’d see her again. He could deal with where they went from there—for all he knew, she didn’t want anything more than a one-night stand anyway, so he was agonizing over nothing.
Right then, his phone buzzed, and when he pulled it out of his pocket, he had a text.
From her.
Screw tomorrow. Tonight?
His eyes widened. Though he could usually write out a text message in his sleep, it took him a couple of tries to spell out, When/where?
A moment later, she replied, I’m staying in town. Join me?
Shane fidgeted. So much for that erection wearing off. He downed the rest of the ice-cold water and gave himself a minute or so to catch his breath. Then, Definitely. Where?
The next message was an address and a room number.
Holy shit. He looked up from his phone and turned his head, and immediately found her as if he’d known exactly where she’d be. She sat at one of the tables, and she looked right back at him. That grin said she wasn’t kidding.
He dropped his gaze to his phone again, and typed back, Hope you don’t mind your panties getting torn.
Then he watched and waited. Her screen lit up, and so did her eyes. They flicked up and met his.
And she licked her lips.
Oh yeah. Game on.
Chapter Five
The boat finally docked at a little past one in the morning. The crew took their sweet time making sure everything was secure, but eventually, they opened the gate at the top of the ramp. Naturally, the bride and groom left first, and everyone crowded around the limo to wish them well. Once the limo was gone, the wedding was officially over.
Alyssa didn’t bother looking for Shane. She’d caught glimpses of him throughout the reception, but strangely, knowing they were meeting up to fuck later tonight had calmed her down a bit. Sure, he still messed with her senses simply by existing, but the urgency, the need to get close to him before time ran out, was gone. She just wished the wedding would hurry up and end so they could get to her hotel room.
She said polite good-byes to friends and family, then started to head for t
he car, but a hand on her arm stopped her.
“Hey! Where have you been all night? I’ve barely seen you!” Her longtime friend Tina wobbled a bit, looking at her as intently as the alcohol would allow. She blinked a few times. “Girlfriend, did you get laid or something? Like, just now?”
“I, um…well, no. Not quite.”
“No quite?” She blinked a few times. “Oh honey, I know that look. And I so want details. We’re getting dinner on Monday, and you’re spilling it. All of it.”
Alyssa laughed. “Not much to spill.” Not yet, anyway…
“Still.” Tina grinned. “Monday?”
“Monday. Text me?”
“I will.” Tina leaned in and added in a conspiratorial whisper, “Guess it’s a good thing you didn’t bring Nate along, am I right?”
Alyssa cringed, but forced a smile. “This isn’t really his thing. Not yet.”
“Good.” Tina waved a hand, the gesture a little clumsy thanks to the booze. “Let him stay up late with a babysitter while you go out and get laid.”
“Tina!” Alyssa smacked her arm playfully. “Must you?”
Tina giggled. “I’m just saying.”
“Uh-huh. Just text me Monday, okay?”
“Will do.”
As she made a beeline for her car, Alyssa couldn’t help feeling a pang of guilt. It was just as well her son wasn’t here tonight. She’d have brought him to his aunt’s wedding, but the kid was only three, and sitting still wasn’t his favorite thing in the world. The ceremony would’ve been torture, and the reception wouldn’t have been much better. Noisy crowds didn’t mix any better with him than sitting still. His father and Alyssa were working on that with him, but it would take time, and tonight, being at home with his toys and a familiar face would be less stressful for Nate than being here with her. Otherwise, she’d have been on her way home with an upset, overstimulated child.
And, yeah, she had to admit, getting out for a night was nice. Meeting someone like Shane was a bonus. The kind of lightning that didn’t strike busy single moms very often.
I'll Show You Mine Page 3
