Page 36 of Pillowtalk

Kennedy

Austin rowed the canoe across the peaceful lake, the soft plink of the water caressing Kennedy’s heart like a warm blanket. She held back a grin, thinking of the first thing Austin had said to her when they’d settled in the middle of Lyra Lake.“I think my brother has got it bad for you.”It had been a long night of trying to avoid constantly looking over at Aaron while he seemed to be having a very serious conversation with Chelsea, but she wanted some sort of proof that Austin was right.

Her body tingled, and she clenched her legs tight, remembering the way Aaron had brought her to complete ecstasy just seventy-two hours ago. She quickly dipped her hand into the lake and brought it to her neck, cooling the heat rising up her skin. What had come over her? Before she’d arrived, she couldn’t even entertain the idea of giving her body over to another man. Now she worried not only that Aaron was going to have her body at the blink of an eye, but that he was going to steal her heart as well.

No…she couldn’t let that happen. She’d promised Jared would keep it forever, beyond that awful cancer, beyond death, no matter how broken and battered it became.

The canoe bumped up against the shore, and she grasped the edge to keep from spilling into the water as Austin very capably jumped out and pulled it up on the sand. He grinned in the dark, only the stars lighting his features. Her heart fluttered with rapid, beating wings as he stuck his hand out to help her up and she saw his twin instead—wished for it, actually.

“Careful, there,” he said, holding her steady as she climbed out. Her feet sank into the wet sand beneath them, and she dropped his hands and wiped her bottom off from the dust of the canoe.

“Thanks,” she said, flipping her hair out of her face. “That was f—”

A big ball of gray and white fur barreled into her leg and, not exactly prepared for it, Kennedy wobbled on her feet, grateful for Austin’s stellar reflexes. He stuck his arm out and she bounced off it, a laugh rumbling up her throat.

“Charlie,” she scolded the overexcited pup, but her eyes scanned around for his owner, hoping he was close behind.

She squinted against the darkness but didn’t see anything until a rough hand tucked into hers, and she knew instantly from the shock waves that ran up her arm that her wish had come true.

“Stay with Austin, boy,” Aaron’s deep voice said over the back of her neck, creating goosebumps in its path. Charlie’s tail wagged against her leg once more before she was pulled away with a gentle yet forceful tug on her hand. Her eyes swiveled up, her heart flying when she caught sight of the scar that indented Aaron’s chin. His jaw was clicked tight, his strides determined and long as he took her through the long grass and up the wooden stairs that led to the boathouse. The world blurred around her as Aaron swung the door open and tugged her inside. The thick, heavy click of the lock rippled up her spine and an unexpected shiver took over.

“I’m sorry,” he uttered in the darkness. The heat of his body sparked between them, and Kennedy’s back fell flush against the old wood of the boathouse. She felt his hands come up on either side of her head, her body blazing in a fiery torment that was the opposite of the chills she had been experiencing not three minutes ago out on the lake.

Her breath stopped, and her eyes adjusted to the dimness around them. Aaron’s jaw ticked, sending her stomach into a downward spiral.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled once more, stepping into her space, not touching, but his body a whisper away. Kennedy’s hands twitched at her sides, aching to run up his sculpted torso and feel his beating heart under her palm.

“Why?” she managed to ask, her voice small and timid. Aaron’s gaze locked on her, and his chest brushed against hers as he took a deep breath, sending a flurry of electrons across the small hairs on her arms.

“I’m sorry, because I know I shouldn’t….” His nutmeg and citrus scent washed over her, acting as a hallucinogen. Kennedy blinked against the forbidden thoughts entering her head and begged her body to stay back, her mind to pay attention.

“I shouldn’t want you like this,” he continued, his voice coming out harsher, faster. “But I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t stop wanting to take you in my arms. I can’t stop watching your every move, wondering about every thought that runs through your mind, waiting for another moment when I get to touch you, even if it’s something small.” His eyes flicked slightly to the side, and the wooden wall creaked as he lifted his hand and pushed her hair behind her ear. She shivered under the careful and innocent touch, letting out a shaky breath.

“Like this,” he said, his thumb trailing down her jaw. Kennedy was sure her heart was about to short-circuit, the pace of it so fast and hard that she felt it in her pinky toes. Her mind was a chaotic mess, toggling back and forth between right and wrong and not knowing what was what anymore. Aaron dropped his hand, pressing it against the wall near her hip. Her fingers flexed, the desire to pick up that hand and move it to her body so strong that the muscles in her hand started to hurt when they didn’t obey the impulse.

Aaron dipped his head, the thick, soft strands of his dark hair brushing against her forehead as he shook it. “I barely know you,” he breathed. “So why does this feel so…right,when it should be wrong?”

The air around them zapped in the half second it took for Kennedy to slide her hand up his torso, her nails bumping over the buttons of his shirt. Her fingers curled into the material when she got to his frantic heart. The confusion in her mind was quieted by the overpowering need to be close to…not just anyone this time…but close tohim. She wasn’t sure if it was because he knew so much of Jared, or the fact that she’d seen Jared in him even though they were so different, or if it had nothing to do with Jared and everything to do with Aaron and how natural it was to be around him, how comforted and safe she felt, how they could ease into light and heavy without a pause in thought. Whatever the reason, it boiled in her blood and ran electric through her nervous system that she needed—no,cravedhis body, his touch, his words, his lips, his mind, and everything in between.

One of his strong palms fell to the curve of her hip, bringing their belly buttons together. Her skin ran a few degrees hotter as her breasts crushed against the sculpted plane of his chest. Shivers ran all the way up her spine and into her hair as he grabbed the nape of her neck and drew her to his lips.

Something very close to a whimper escaped the back of her throat, and Aaron deepened the kiss, dipping his tongue into her mouth and stroking hers with a scorching, frantic need. Her body melted against his, her fingers tightening their hold on his shirt to keep her from falling straight through the floor. He was wiping away so many things, replacing her heartache with a sweet joy, just as the sun erases darkness when it breaks over the horizon. She had felt so alone, so empty and afraid that she’d never find true joy again. Jared had filled every part of their time together with happiness and laughter, and she believed that she would never feel even a speck of that for the rest of her days. Yet, there in Aaron’s arms, it was so close that it frightened her.

His hand skated over her ribs, leaving red-hot flames in its path, and he brought it to her face, cupping her jaw and weaving his fingers into her hair. He drank his fill of her, and Kennedy did her hardest to match his intensity, moving her body against his as the ache between her legs returned with a vengeance. She wanted him, no matter how painful the crash was afterward. The heavenly bliss he was so capable of giving to her was worth the inevitable guilt she’d feel later.

Forgive me,she thought, hoping that if Jared was somehow, somewhere nearby, he could read her mind.Forgive me, but I need him. I need him, please.

Aaron pulled on her bottom lip, and the heat rushed through her beating heart, through her veins, and pulsed in her lower belly. The air around her grew lighter, as if—even though they already were alone—someone had stepped out of the room, granting them complete privacy. Kennedy let out a grateful moan, sinking into the tingling sensations of Aaron’s hands and his mouth and his hard chest. She smoothed her hands around to his back, clutching at the muscles as they moved in waves under her palms. Her leg canted up and Aaron took the hint immediately, letting go of her face, his fingers hooking behind her knee. His thick, hard erection pressed against her inner thigh, making her rush with wet heat.

Dear Lord, she was going to combust in his hands.

Aaron broke from her lips, giving her a much-needed breath as he moved down her jaw and over her neck. She heaved her breasts upward, hoping he’d take this hint as well, but as soon as he dipped a tongue into her cleavage, a largethunk!sounded through the boathouse, and they jerked apart.

“What was that?” she whispered, her voice labored from their intense and hot make-out. Aaron held a hand up, covering her kiss-swollen lips with the tips of his rough, manly fingers.

It was quiet for a few more seconds, until anotherthunk!and a giggle permeated the silence. Aaron’s lips pursed together, and Kennedy bit away a laugh.

“Apparently we aren’t the only ones taking advantage of the darkness by the boathouse,” he said, his lust-filled eyes brightening with amusement. Kennedy fell into his warm chest, covering the giggles that were threatening to give them away.

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