Her smile widens. “I’m glad I let you inside,” she says.
I let out a faint laugh of my own. “Me too.” I can’t imagine how I must have looked standing on her doorstep. Pathetic, probably. Or like a man in love.
Because…
Fuck. I think I am. In love with this woman, truly.
Then I lose that train of thought, because she kisses me again, and this time, I can’t hold myself back any longer. I grip her waist tightly and flip her around, sitting up in the same motion, and following her back down, all while she squeals against my lips, until we’ve rolled over completely and she’s pinned beneath me on the couch.
“Now,” I say, grinning down at her. I kiss her again, slower. The heat pools between us when I break away once more. “Let’s talk about getting rid of some of these damn clothes.” I reach for the top button on her shirt.
She arches her chest up to meet my fingers, lets me undo the top button, and then the next. One glimpse of her lacy bra underneath, and I groan, bending to kiss her chest, my tongue tracing her collarbone. I give up on the buttons and pull, hard. Her shirt flies open, buttons flying around the room.
She lets out a startled yelp, and then a laugh. “Shit, Lark.”
“I can’t wait any longer,” I tell her. “I’ve needed to get my hands on you for weeks now. You have no idea what it’s been like…” I dip to trail my tongue along the arch of her cleavage. Dip it between her breasts, even as I drop one hand beneath her back to undo the bra. “I’ve dreamt of you every night. I couldn’t stop feeling your body beneath mine, hearing your gasps.”
She twists beneath me, and her bra comes free. I throw it aside, already consumed by the sight of her, half-naked beneath me, her nipples hardening in the cool air of her living room. I bend to trace one with my tongue, lapping at the tip, with a smile as she shivers.
And then…
Her fucking phone starts to ring.
It’s a jarring sound. Who uses ringtones anymore? And it’s one of the loud, alarm-sounding ones too. “Shit.” Cassidy twists again, this time away from me. I lean back, and she scrambles off the couch, diving for her purse where it’s discarded by the front door. “I’m so sorry,” she mumbles as she goes, shooting me an apologetic glance. “I forgot to turn it on silent, but this is…” Her face pales as she looks at the screen. “This is… only for emergencies. One second. I have to take this.”
Before I can say another word—before I can offer to help with whatever’s wrong—she darts into the bedroom and slams the door shut behind her. I sit on the couch, staring at her bra discarded beside it, and her shirt crumpled nearby. Then I let out a sigh and lean back against the couch. I did a good job choosing it at least, if I’m allowed to say that. It’s comfortable.
But it’s hard to get comfortable anywhere with the raging goddamn hardon in my pants. I stare down at it, straining against the zipper of my jeans, and I know I’m going to lose my damn mind if I can’t take care of this soon. I wasn’t lying when I told Cassidy she’s all I could think about for weeks. All I’ve wanted since the minute I laid eyes on her.
I glance toward the bedroom door again. A low murmuring sound comes from behind it. Cassidy’s individual words are impossible to make out from here, but she sounds agitated. There are a few more long pauses and yelped responses from her, and then finally, she reemerges from the bedroom once more…
With a new shirt on.
I stare at the crop top she’s put on, confused. I get even more confused when she crosses to the door and starts to pull on boots.
“I’m so sorry,” Cassidy’s saying, her back to me. “Something’s come up. It’s a family emergency, I just… I have to go and handle this. I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course.” My chest tightens. I rise from the couch and shoot a glare downward. My cock, of course, ignores me. “Do you need help?” I ask. “I can drive if you need me too; my car is right outside.”
“No,” she replies, quickly. Too quickly. Then she glances back over her shoulder at me, biting her lip guiltily. “I’m sorry. It’s just, it’s something I have to handle on my own. I’ll explain later, I promise.” Then she glances down, and I realize she’s staring at my erection. Her cheeks flush. “Oh God, I’m so sorry to leave you hanging right now, Lark.”
I laugh. “It’s all right, Cassidy. If it’s important, you should go.”
But she doesn’t. Not yet. She crosses the room first, and loops her arms around my neck. I bend to kiss her, a searing hot, slow kiss. I grab her hips for good measure, hoist her against me until my cock presses against her belly, just for a moment. Okay, so maybe I want a little revenge for her leaving me in this state.
When we part, she groans, and I know at least I’m not the only one feeling deprived. “Can I make it up to you?” she asks. Then she actually bites her lower lip.
It’s adorable. Almost adorable enough to make me forget about how she evaded my question, and how guilty she’s looking now, as she glances from me to her purse, with her phone inside it, and back again. “Any idea how long your emergency will take?” I ask, forcing a smile to my face.
She shrugs. “Not sure. Maybe the night.” She winces once more.
Before she can apologize again, I hold up a hand. “Then why don’t we do tomorrow. It’s supposed to be a nice day; maybe we can hit the beach or a rooftop pool.”
Her smile brightens, and her shoulders sag a little with relief. “I’d love that. Thank you for understanding, Lark.” She rises up on her toes one more time, and I kiss her again, slower.
“Of course,” I tell her, gazing directly into those deep brown eyes as I do. But at the same time, a small, ugly part of me can’t help itself. My traitor brain looks at this beautiful girl, the one I just opened myself up to, spilled all my secrets before… And I can’t help wondering. What secrets is Cassidy hiding from me?
27
Lark
I have to admit, when I suggested a rooftop pool, I was not thinking ahead to what Cassidy would look like in a bikini. Now, I’m wondering if this was a bad idea—because there are at least a dozen other people lounging nearby around the poolside bar, and all I want to do is tear the sexy, bright red two-piece she’s wearing off her luscious curves.
“You’re staring,” Cassidy points out, peering at me over the top of her sunglasses in a way that nearly sets me over the edge.
This woman drove me wild enough yesterday, leaving just as things had finally rekindled between us. Memories of her body sinking into mine on the couch kept me up half the night.
And now this.
“You’re torturing me,” I reply, and I’m rewarded with a flash of a smile, before she turns away to gaze out across the sunny rooftop and the crystalline water of the pool.
“This was your idea,” she reminds me.
“And it was a terrible one,” I amend. “Let’s call it a day and get back to my place. Or, hell, the car has tinted windows, it’s downstairs…”
She laughs and fires a grin in my direction. “Now who’s torturing who?” She arches an eyebrow. “Is this revenge for when I left you hanging yesterday?”
“Oh, absolutely. But I don’t think this is quite enough payback.” I slide around on my lounge chair so I’m positioned closer to her, my knees grazing her arm where it’s draped over the side of her seat. She shivers, and I watch goosebumps rise along her arms, stifling a self-satisfied smile. “Do you know what I would do to you if we didn’t have company up here?” I ask her, my voice pitched low.
Her gaze flits toward the bar again. It’s midday, but we’re at one of the hotels in town, so there are a handful of tourists enjoying their “it’s 5’o-clock somewhere” cocktails. One of the guys, I’ve noticed, keeps glancing in Cassidy’s direction, his eyes lingering for far too long on her long legs, crossed along the lounge chair and soaking up the noon sun.
It makes me want to stride over there and confront him. Or better yet, throw Cassidy over my shoulder and whisk her out o
f here, away from anyone else’s leering gaze. Somewhere only I can leer at her like that.
I shake my head and focus on her again. She’s looking at me with her brown eyes wide behind her oversized sunglasses.
“What would you do?” she asks, in a voice that trembles slightly, as if she’s nervous to find out. Or excited. Maybe both.
I smirk, and bend closer, until my lips graze the shell of her ear. “First, I’d tear off that ridiculous top.” My fingertip slides up her waist, along the edge of her curves, drawing a delicious shiver out of her, before I slip one fingertip beneath the edge of her bikini top. Not far enough to draw any attention.
Yet.
She sucks in a breath, her eyes going hooded and intent. “Like you tore off my shirt last night?”
“Exactly.” I lift on eyebrow. “But this time, I’d make sure to take the bottoms, too.” My gaze drips down the soft planes of her stomach to the bikini bottoms she’s wearing. They’re high-waisted, but they hike up far enough to reveal the arches of her hipbones beneath them. “Seeing you stripped bare in the sunlight up here would begin to make up for yesterday…”
She laughs, but it sounds breathier than it did before. I can tell I’m getting to her. I glance up at the bar—creeper man isn’t looking at us anymore—and then I slide my hand fully beneath her bikini top.
She gasps and tenses. But when she looks over, she notices that no one is watching us, too. Still. “Lark,” she hisses, a hint of admonishment in her tone.
“I’m afraid there’s only so much resisting you can expect a man to do around a woman like you, Cassidy.” As I speak, I trace her nipple with my thumb. Trail my nail over that delicate, sensitive skin lightly, and then press down with the pad of my thumb, swirling gently until I feel her nipple beginning to harden under my touch.
She bites her lower lip, hard. “So that’s all you would do?” she whispers, after a pause. “Just strip me naked and leave me here?”
“Oh, no.” My smile widens. “But I would take my time with you…” I dip my head to lick her earlobe, and savor the shiver I feel. “I would make sure to taste every inch of your glorious body.” I kiss the sensitive spot just beneath her ear now, at the edge of her jaw. “Kiss, and…” I trail my tongue along her jawline. “Lick, and…” I pause at her mouth. She arches up toward me, expecting a kiss. I suck her lower lip into my mouth instead, and bite down gently. “Bite every inch of you,” I murmur when I pull back.
She groans. Probably because I’m fully massaging her hard nipple now. And my free hand is wandering down her waist toward her hips. “Okay, I get it. This is definitely payback.”
“Nonsense.” I arch an eyebrow at her. “Payback would be if I left right now on some mysterious errand I refused to tell you about.”
Her face flushes. “Lark, I—”
“It’s okay.” I shake my head. “Keep your secrets.” Then I kiss her again, softer this time, to accentuate my point. “I don’t mind, as long as I get to keep toying with you in between.” I pinch her breast, not hard, just enough to make her gasp and jump a little. Then I withdraw my hand and slide back over to my chair, reclining on it casually.
When I peek over again, she’s glaring at me. I can’t help but laugh.
“You are the worst,” she grumbles. But she’s smiling, too.
“Still against my car option?” I reply, smirking right back.
Her cheeks flush. But she darts a glance toward the bathroom—the single stall, handicap style bathroom, and I can already read where her mind is going.
“Interesting idea, Ms. Marks,” I murmur.
Her cheeks, if possible, turn even redder. “I didn’t mean—”
“Oh, but I do.” I grin. “Go on. Head to the bathroom. I’ll be right behind you in a minute.”
She hesitates, like she’s still not sure. So I dip close to her ear again. “Did I mention where my tongue would end up, after all of that kissing?”
That apparently decides it for her. She levers herself off her seat and fires a flustered look at the people by the bar again. Lord help this girl, she would not survive as a spy. Her embarrassment is written all over her face. But it only makes me want her more.
This girl who’s willing to step out of her comfort zone for me. Who’s as desperate to be with me again as I am to make her come screaming my name.
Well. Maybe not screaming, if we’re trying to be stealthy.
Then again, I wouldn’t mind if the pool-drinking crowd caught us. It would wipe the leer off the creeper’s face, at any rate. Let everyone on this rooftop know that the most beautiful, vivacious, whip-smart woman around is here with me.
I force myself to lie still and count to ten after the bathroom door closes behind Cassidy. Somewhere around eight, I decide I can’t wait anymore, and I push upright, wrapping a towel around my waist before I pad over to the stall. I knock once, twice, and wait.
Cassidy unlocks the door and opens it a crack, glaring. “I thought you were going to wait a couple minutes,” she protests.
I ignore her and pry the handle from her hands, pushing the door inward to step inside. It’s a tight space, but not cramped, plenty room for enough for two. And surprisingly clean for a poolside bathroom. I’m guessing that’s because it’s still early in the day, and the drinking crowd hasn’t needed it quite yet.
“I couldn’t wait any longer,” I tell her, and to judge by the answering flash of heat in her gaze, she knows what I mean.
I wrap my hands around her waist and hoist her onto the edge of the sink easily. At the same time, I dip my head to kiss those full, luscious lips. Cassidy sighs against me, and the whole world narrows down to this. To the heat between our bodies, the sweet, almost floral scent of her consuming my senses.
I peel her bikini top off and drop it onto the floor. Both of her nipples are hard by now, and I dip my face down to suck on one, my hands toying with the other, as she leans back against the mirror over the sink, her lips parting.
“Fuck, Lark. I couldn’t… I can’t get you out of my head. Ever.”
I draw back just far enough to read the sincerity in her eyes. The force of emotion behind her words. “Neither can I,” I tell her, suddenly serious. “Even when I thought you wanted nothing to do with me, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. You drive me fucking wild, Cassidy Marks.” I hook one thumb under her bikini bottoms.
She arches up against me, giving me enough room to tug them off. While I’m doing that, she gets one of her hands under the hem of my boxers and starts to work pushing them down my tanned thighs. “I know the feeling,” she replies. Her throat works tightly with a swallow.
She has to unhook her legs from around my thighs in order for me to finish peeling her bottoms off. When I do, they land on the ground with a wet sound, even though neither of us has been in the pool yet.
I smirk at her. “Clearly,” I say.
Her cheeks are still that sun-kissed, flushed pink. It would be adorable if it wasn’t so fucking sexy. I bend to kiss her again, stepping back between her thighs, and she hooks her ankles behind my lower back.
My swim trunks hit the ground, next, and I don’t need to look down to know that my cock is already rock hard. I can feel the blood rushing to it, every muscle in my body tightening with the need to fuck this woman. To relieve myself of the ache I’ve been feeling since yesterday—no, since I met her.
If I believed in magic, I’d be pretty sure Cassidy is a sorceress, the way she has me obsessing. I’ve never needed a woman this much; so much I couldn’t get her out of my mind even when I wanted to.
I pin her back against the sink and kiss those sun-kissed lips of hers. When we draw back, I grin down at her. “Think you can stay quiet enough not to get us caught?” I ask.
Her eyes flare with heat. “If that’s a challenge, I accept.”
I take a step closer to her, until the shaft of my cock touches her bare stomach. She breathes in again, sharp, and I trail my fingertips up her inner thighs, tracing he
r soft skin until I reach the spot where her hips meet her thighs. I trace those ridges, dancing around her mound, not quite touching her yet.
She squirms, just a little.
“What about now?” I reply, my smile widening. At the same time, I part her slit with two fingers and delve a third into the soft folds of her pussy, tracing her slit, not quite entering her yet.
She bites her lower lip. “It’s a good start,” she murmurs.
I laugh, and dip to kiss her jawline. Her neck. All the while, my fingertip strokes back and forth along her, collecting the juices pooled there. “You’re so wet for me, Cassidy.”
Another shiver. But she reaches up between us, and folds both hands around the hard length of my shaft. “I’m not the only one excited.”
“Mmm…” I chuckle against her throat, trailing my tongue along the edge. “You have no idea.” I press my finger into her entrance. Savor the feeling of that wet, warm pussy tightening around my fingertip.
She inhales sharply. Twists against her perch on the sink, while I slide another finger inside her.
Then I curl them, gently dragging my fingertips down her walls.
A low moan catches in the back of her throat, and I grin. “There we go.”
She meets my gaze, stubborn. “I’m… fine.”
“Really?” I lift one eyebrow. Then I add a third finger. She gasps, and I start to stroke in and out of her, gently, my fingers moving with slick ease. On my next thrust in, I graze the edge of her clit with my thumb, and she cries out faintly.
Not quite loud enough to get us caught. Yet. But I’m getting there.
She must read my self-satisfaction on my face, because she twists against me, her pussy pressing up closer into my palm as her hips rise off the sink a little. “Is that all you’ve got?” She arches an eyebrow, and I laugh again, enjoying the sight of her like this. Enthralled, and yet still stubbornly trying to resist me.
Kiss Me Now Page 19
