Page 10 of Fake Spring Fling

Wyatt chuckles, tipping my chin up with his finger. “It was appropriate earlier, but it didn’t feel right for our first kiss to be just for show. With a ton of witnesses. In a deafening lounge.” He only leans forward an inch, but combined with the pressure against my back, and the way his head slowly tilts, I know what’s about to happen.

A wash of adrenaline surges through my body. I’ve wanted this from the first second I laid eyes on him, but didn’t really expect it. I mean, come on. He’s gorgeous and successful. His life is completely together. I looked up his pharmacy during one of our restroom stops on the drive – he’s in charge of a team of four other pharmacists at a very busy shop. It’s also obvious if you take one look at me that I’m not nearly as interested in going to the gym as he is.

But from the way his eyes lock on mine, it honestly feels like he wants me.Me.Some random nobody who was, apparently, in the right place at the right time. We’re truly connecting now, and the feeling of closeness is making my head spin.

“Right here in front of the lake, under the moon with the forest breeze… Does that feel more appropriate?” His whispered breath drifts across my mouth as I shift, closing the distance between us.

Our lips meet gently, in a light kiss that sends my mind reeling – tentative at first, as if he’s testing my reaction.

Of course he is. This is a chemical reaction, and he’s fascinated by those. As his hands trace slowly up my waist, my back, then across my shoulders, our lips part as the kiss deepens. As my fingertips trace along the top of his shoulders, then into the back of his hair, it occurs to me that I’ve never kissed anyone with my entire body before. It feels amazing.

My nipples tighten as they brush across his chest, and I shiver when our hips shift at the same time, searching for more points of contact. It takes a moment of feeling his skin on the palm of my hand before I realize I’m rubbing the back of his neck. Wyatt groans softly, his hand drifting across my shoulders and then sliding down the back of my sundress.

“Every single inch of you is so soft,” he breathes across my lips. “Tell me, Madison – am I staying on my side of the bed tonight, or may I cuddle you a little?”

“A lot,” I blurt without thinking. “We should probably cuddle a lot.” My eyebrow quirks up. “You know… Just in case someone barges in to check on us.”

He nods, his eyes sparkling. “Good point.”

We get ready for bed, and I realize with a thud I hadn’t anticipated sharing a room when packing. I usually sleep in an old stretched-out camisole that’s practically a nightgown and a pair of pink and blue boy short undies featuring cartoon unicorns. Not exactly sexy. But somehow, I don’t think that Wyatt is going to mind.

He’s already in bed when I emerge from the bathroom. “Cute shorts,” he laughs. “May I call you unicorn butt?”

I snort. “You maynot.”

He holds the covers open for me so I can slip in. “Wow,” I murmur, wriggling around in the amazing sheets. “These are so soft. And I love how heavy the blankets are.”

“That’s one thing I really like about spring,” he says, propping himself up on an elbow. It gives me a proper look at his shoulders and the top of his chest, making it very hard to stop myself from biting my lip. “Warm days and cool nights. I always sleep better with lots of blankets.”

“Me too.”

He fluffs my pillow, then his, then opens his arms while waggling his eyebrows.

Somehow, the terms of our agreement – him helping me network, and me being his excuse to keep his family slightly at arm’s length – have grown quite fuzzy around the edges. I don’t care one bit.

I snuggle in as he curls an arm under me, his free hand resting lazily on my hip as we get our legs organized and my head falls against his shoulder. “If I crowd you in the night, just roll me away,” he says gently. Then he kisses my forehead. “Sweet dreams, Madison.”

My palm glides slowly over his collarbone and up his throat, coming to a stop on the line of his jaw as I stare at him expectantly. I can just make out his grin in the near dark. There’s a teasing gleam in his eye. “You want a good night kiss, don’t you?”

Busted. “What makes you think that?” I whisper.

“No idea. But I was in charge of the first kiss, so if you want another, you’re going to have to take it.”

He’s already pulling my hip slightly to angle us closer, and we meet in the middle of the bed. The kiss would knock my socks off if I was wearing any. I shouldn’t be thinking about the fact that he’s wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts, and the huge expanse of warm skin in front of me.

A deep shudder runs through me as I remember how hard he was when I was sitting in his lap. Do I really do that to him? Is he like that again now? It’s possible, since he won’t bring our hips together. Maybe he is, and he’s shy about it. That in itself is adorable.

The heat of the kiss builds and intensifies until my heart might explode. It feels like his mouth was made for mine. Suddenly he pulls away with a sharp inhale. “Sexiest woman I’ve ever met,” he murmurs. “Darlin’, if you had any idea what I’m thinking, you would slap me so hard.”

My lips graze his ear. “What if I’m thinking the same thing?” Wait – how did I just say that? I’ve never been this outgoing. It’s almost unnerving how comfortable he makes me.

“Naughty thing.” His hand gives the underside of my ass a light spank. “I’m trying very hard to be the good guy here. Sweet dreams, Madison.”

It feels completely natural to drift off to sleep in his arms. To listen to his heartbeat under my ear.

But just before I fall completely asleep, my eyes snap open for a split second. He called medarlin’. Was he just being silly, or…

I’m seriously thinking that our feelings are becoming real at lightning speed. Too fast for a phony relationship. Too fast to be logical.

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