Sighing, he takes my hands in his. “I’d take it back if I could. I’ll never hear the end of it. Leif and Aidan will bust my balls all night long.”
Having all of his teammates mingling with the Bronze Bay crowd is going to be weird. They’re trying to integrate themselves into the community and it must be working on some level. I had to call Malena to ask her if she was coming to the spot tonight. Of course, like always, she is, but she also wanted to cash in the housewarming party planning chip. I nailed down a date a few months away. She whined, but I stood firm—said I was busy until then, and if she wanted to help me she would have to wait. I don’t relish having anyone in my world. Except Tahoe.
He’s the exception. The scary-at-the-moment-exception.
Tahoe runs his rough, calloused palm over my bare thigh, and up to the hem of my dress. A dress I chose very carefully after standing in front of my closet longer than I ever have before. In the Florida heat it’s shorts and a tank or a sundress. Worrying about impressing anyone else with my clothing wasn’t even on the radar. I want him to want me like I want him. The black dress is cut high on hem and low on bust, breaking one of the cardinal rules of dress wearing. Typically you can only have one. Your boobs hanging out, or your ass. Both? Dig your societal grave.
He leans forward, intent on kissing me, but stops halfway. “I can take the sunglasses off if you want,” he says. I try to pick out his eyes behind the black lenses and can barely make them out.
“Whatever you want.” I place my hand on his, the one on my leg, and drag it up further.
His low, gruff chuckle floods me with desire. His fingers take over now that he knows exactly what I want, what I’ve been thinking about since the last time his fingers were on me. My skin heats, and butterflies flutter in my stomach.
“You don’t have any clue how beautiful you are, do you? Rewind. How fucking captivating you are on every level.”
The heat from my body rises to my cheeks in what I’m sure is a full on telltale blush. I should check my reflection in his sunglasses, but I won’t. “Stop it,” I say. “You’d say anything right now.” Leaning up, I kneel in front of him on the couch, but his hand stays put, on the edge of my panties, teasing the elastic band. I’ve never hated elastic more, or wished I was brave enough to go commando. The thought didn’t cross my mind until right now. I’ll learn. I’ll be better at this seduction thing if it’s the last thing I do. Or have Shirley teach me when my phone is nowhere in my vicinity.
His fingers pull aside the fabric. He kisses my lips, long and leisurely. Tahoe halts the kiss abruptly. “Don’t ever say I’d sayanything,” he says. “I always say what I mean.”
Raising my chin, I reply, “Say what you mean then.”
His neck works and I can’t help but watch as it affects the muscles of his chest, too. “You are the single most perfect human being. For me. I want to fuck you. Own you. Keep you. I’m crazy about you.” He works one finger against me.
“Anything else?” I say, moaning a little as I writhe in pleasure. Biting my lip, to stifle a cry, I circle my hips to increase the friction.
“Yeah,” he growls. “When I fuck you I want to pull out and play connect the dots with the freckles on your lower stomach.” I raise my dress up to expose the offending marks. His head tilts down, but that’s the only tell that he’s admiring me, and his finger gliding over me, because the sunglasses hide all expression.
“When are you going to fuck me?”
His hand pauses for a beat, but then he moves it again in a pace he knows drives me wild. “When I can look you in the eye,” he says, sadly.
I’m almost to orgasm—the feeling building like a volcano of pressure. My hands drop the hem of my dress, and clasp around his neck to steady my body. “Take off the sunglasses Tahoe,” I order, leaning my cheek on his shoulder and kissing his neck. My plan is to look him in the eye as I come, but it hits me fast and hard, and he probably did it intentionally because he is so good at this, like most things.
I cling to him as I ride the waves of pleasure, feeling the pressure of his finger smoothing againstme. I’m still breathing heavy when he slides his hand out from underneath my dress and puts the finger in his mouth.
“Saying it like I mean it?” he asks, I smile. “You taste and smell so incredible I could live off you alone for months.”
I grin. “You’d shrivel away to nothing without nourishment.”
“And die a happy man. Don’t take that away from me,” he teases, rolling his tongue around the finger coated in my desire.
My chest is red and my breaths are still short and wild. “Well if I’m going to say it like I mean it. I wish I could keep you in my bedside drawer. You’re so good at that it’s disturbing. I thought about asking how you got so good at playing the woman’s orgasm after you spent the night, but then realized I probably didn’t want to know the answer to that.”
The knowing smirk on his face is beautiful. “I’m good with my hands, Caroline. That applies to everything I do in life. Sometimes it’s not a practice makes perfect thing. You can make up for lack of practice with…fury.”
Something about the way he says that last word creates that low, burning in my lower stomach. “So you’re out of practice?”
“Define out of practice,” he counters, good at the avoiding game.
He folds me into his arms, and I snuggle against his chest, the side of my head bumping his aviators. “Who was the last girl?”
He swallows and I feel it. “I don’t recall anything before two nights ago.”
“You’re so smooth.”
“Momma didn’t raise a fool, Sunny.”
He must know by now. Must be intuitive enough with his sexual prowess to have ticked all of the virgin boxes, but every time I broach a conversation that could lead to my verbal confession, he shuts it down just like he’s doing right now.
