Tag, You're It!

by Penny McCall

  Tag dropped his mouth to her neck, peeling the shoulder of her T-shirt down as far as he could to get to bare skin.

  Alex was all for bare skin. “God, Tag, I love you.”

  “Yeah, me too,” he said, fumbling with the hem of her T-shirt and then giving up to run his hands beneath, palming her nipples right through her sports bra.

  Alex moaned, finding some bare skin of her own. When Tag boosted her onto the hood of the Jeep, and she had to open her eyes to catch her balance, she realized how dark it had gotten. “We can’t do this here,” she gasped, fighting the deep, drugging pull of his hands and mouth rushing over her.

  “Okay.” But he took her mouth again and helped her slide to the ground, slowly, full frontal contact the whole way. And he kept his hands on her for the short walk to the driver’s side, laying his mouth on hers when they got there, sinking into her until he knew if he didn’t let her go they were going to wind up on the ground, and probably serve as a snack for the local predators.

  “There are a couple of problems we have to deal with,” Alex began breathlessly, leaning on the side of the Jeep while she caught her breath, “before we take this any further.”

  “Fine.” Tag kissed her again. “Let’s discuss them on the way to your place. How far is it?”

  “Too far to walk. That’s Problem Number One.”

  Tag gave a pained and breathless laugh. Making it to the other side of the Jeep was probably too far to walk in his current state. “I can make it if you can. What’s Problem Number Two?” he asked as he started around to the passenger side.

  Stupid snarled, teeth bared, hair on end, keep-your-distance-or-lose-an-arm serious.

  “Convincing him to let you in the Jeep,” Alex said.

  Tag eyed the dog, and Stupid eyed him back. After a minute or two the dog gave a little whine and lay down, nose on his front paws. He was still watching every move Tag made, but he was apparently prepared to postpone his final opinion.

  “I’m impressed,” Alex said, climbing behind the wheel. “Where’d you learn that, the FBI?”

  “Jackass.” Tag slid into the passenger seat. “But don’t tell him I said so, it’ll only go to his head.”