Page 14 of Devoted Mountain Man

VANESSA

He was kissing me. I was kissing him. I could no longer say I’d never been kissed.

But it wouldn’t be enough. I knew that even as I dared to snake my tongue out to meet his.

I’d put serious time into researching how to kiss so I’d be prepared for this moment. What I hadn’t realized was that I didn’t need to study. Not when I had someone with as much experience as Dayton. He would guide me through everything. I trusted him more than I’d ever trusted anyone.

We’d only been kissing a couple of minutes when my hands started wandering. I couldn’t help it. I moved them over his shoulders and down his arms, exploring the contours of his muscles. He was so hard and big and strong. I didn’t like having to stand on tiptoe to kiss him, but I did like that I felt safe with his arms wrapped around me—like nothing could ever harm me.

His hands slipped beneath my shirt, settling into the small of my back. My breath caught at the feel of his work-roughened fingers against my bare skin. I hadn’t realized how much I needed his touch until this very moment.

I arched my back, pressing my body tighter against him. That brought a moan from him—a sound that seemed to reverberate throughout my entire body. Yes, he wanted me as much as I wanted him.

Suddenly, he pulled away. “I’m sorry. That was just supposed to be a quick first kiss. I didn’t mean to grope you.”

“Grope?” I almost laughed at the word. “Iwantyou to grope me.”

That was an understatement. My body already missed his touch. Maybe I shouldn’t have told him I’d never been kissed. Then he’d treat me like any other woman. Like the kind of woman I wanted to be. I wanted to be as special to him as he was to me.

“It’s your first kiss,” he said. “We should probably stop and go back to the cabin.”

I didn’t want to go back. I wanted to stay here and get more kisses. I wanted more than kisses, actually. And there was only one thing I could think to do to get them. I whipped off my shirt and tossed it to the ground.

It was a bold move—like nothing I’d ever done before. It was something I might have one of my characters do, but I wrote thrillers, so the women in my books were pretty darn ballsy.

The look on his face was well worth it. He clearly hadn’t expected me to do that. It had served a dual purpose. It not only surprised him, but it showed him I was no innocent girl who needed protection. I was a full-blown woman, ready to live life to its fullest.

When Dayton still didn’t make a move, I took another step toward him. I wasn’t all that nervous about him seeing me in my bra. Was it that different from a bathing suit top? I didn’t think so. Although my cleavage probably looked like it might burst out of the flimsy material at any second.

“I want you to treat me like I’m not a virgin,” I said. “I want this. All of this.”

I didn’t know what “all of this” meant. I didn’t even know what “this” meant. I did know I wanted to lose my virginity today—just as much as I’d wanted my first kiss earlier.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “That’s a big step.”

I nodded, more confident than I’d ever been about anything. “Positive. I need someone with experience. Someone who can lead.”

His expression changed, and I couldn’t help but fear I’d said the wrong thing. Had I derailed this before it even started? Crap. How did I fix this?

“I don’t want to be your teacher,” he said. “If we do this, it’s going to mean a whole hell of a lot more to me than sex.”

I was right about him. He was feeling this too. This was a two-way attraction. Even better—he had feelings for me.

“That’s what I want too,” I said. “I mean, I know I don’t live here. But Boone isn’t that far away.”

He looked hesitant. He didn’t want a long-distance relationship. But I didn’t know if it would be long distance. If this worked out, I’d move here in a heartbeat. I could try to talk him into moving to be with me, but why would anyone give up all this for boring suburban life? Especially since Seduction Summit seemed to have everything a young family would need.

“I want to make this work.” I reached out and took his hand. “I want this to be more than just sex.”

That seemed to be all he needed to hear. Without another word, he grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head, tossing it to the ground just as I’d done. Then he moved toward me, settling his hands on my back again.

All my senses were overloaded at once. Between the feel of his muscles beneath my fingertips and the sensation of his hands running over my bare skin, it was tough to take it all in.

It got even better. As he continued kissing me, his hands roamed upward, finding the clasp on the back of my bra. He had it loosened and the straps sliding down my arms in seconds.

It reminded me that he had plenty of experience with this. That was good and bad at the same time. Yes, I wanted someone who knew his way around a woman’s body, but it suddenly bugged me knowing he’d been with other women. I wanted to be the only woman for him—from today forward.

All those thoughts slipped from my mind as his hands made their way around my ribcage and up. His thumbs skimmed my nipples, and he let out a moan—as though he could possibly be enjoying this half as much as I was.

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