Page 8 of Whispers at Seaside
As the group headed out of the cemetery, Matt pulled her against his chest. She felt his heart stomping out the same frantic beat as hers. She fisted her hands in his shirt, her mind reeling with questions.What would it be like to kiss you? A simple press of our lips or a full-on tongue-lashing? Messy or proper? Sensual or tentative? Would you hold me against you as you are now or lay me back and take full control?
What am I doing?
No kissing. Kissing would lead to sex.
But shereallymissed having sex. She wasstarvedfor sex, and just thinking about Matt scratching that itch made her want him even more.
But he was only here for three months, which was great. Much longer than any other visit, but what would happen after that time? She loved their friendship and didn’t want to have any regrets. Tonight had been unbelievable, and she’d treasure it forever, but once she kissed him? Once she felt all the power behind him? How would she ever keep from wanting more? And really, what more could there be?Three months of fantastic sex?
She needed a shock collar orsomethingto zap her back into her responsible motherlike brain because three months of fantastic sex was sounding really good.
She forced herself to release his shirt, and he pressed his hands over hers, keeping them flat on his chest. His eyes blazed through her with an intensity that made her whole body shudder.
Kiss me.
She closed her eyes and all the fear of ghosts and spirits disappeared. Her mind wandered to the dark places she was struggling against, and the rivaling, practical thoughts came rushing in. What if they kissed? What if they did have sex? Then what? Where could that possibly lead? This was another reason she didn’t date. She was a planner. She had to be to keep up with her and Hagen’s schedules.
Oh geez. What am I doing?
She opened her eyes and drew in a deep breath. She might not be able to hold on to the romantic notions of being swept off her feet by a man who adored her, like she had when she was younger, but she could still hold out for a man who would actually be there for more than a few weeks.
It took all her willpower, but she pushed past the wild, unfamiliar desires wreaking havoc with her brain and said, “We should go.”
She turned away, instantly filling with regret for putting space between them. Gulping cool air into her lungs, she hurried toward the group.
Then Matt was beside her, tugging her against him again, protecting her from unseen threats—and maybe from her own head.
MATT WAS A lot of things—a careful thinker, a loyal brother, a studious professor—but he wasn’t ataker. Until now. Until Mira. Hewantedtotake—her kisses, her body, her sweet, sexy laugh—and he wanted to shatter the tug-of-war lingering in her eyes. He was barely aware of the group as they came to Commercial Street and the group disbanded. He had one thing on his mind and one thing only, getting Mira alone.
The devil on his shoulder told him totake, take, take, but the voice of reason he lived by reminded him of all the reasons he needed to go slowly with her. The opposing voices were enough to make a man lose his mind.
By the time they reached the car, he was sick of thinking. He turned toward Mira and placed his hands on her rounded hips.Perfect.Their eyes locked, and he stepped forward, pinning her against the car with his body. His hand slid up her side, grazing the side of her breast. Her breathing hitched, and the sexy sound sent his hips pressing forward. It had been a long time since he’d wanted a woman so voraciously.
“Tell me to back off and I will,” he said.
Her lips parted, but no words came. She wrapped her arms around his waist and her tongue swept over her lips.Man, he was so tied up in her he felt the heat of her tongue all over his body. He touched her cheek. Her skin was soft and warm, and when his thumb brushed over her slick lower lip, her breath left her lungs.
He lowered his face, pressed a kiss beside her ear, and whispered, “I’m only here for three months. I can’t make any promises.”
Her hands tightened around him. “I know.”
He kissed her jaw, her neck, and felt her swallow hard. The whimpering sound she made brought his eyes to hers. A sensuous tether formed between them, luring him closer.
“I’ve wanted you since I first set eyes on you last summer in that pretty pink dress smeared with Hagen’s sticky fingerprints.” He brushed his lips over her smiling mouth. “Tell me to stop and I will,” he repeated more urgently, giving her a chance to do what he wasn’t strong enough to.
She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze like a timid bird wanting to find its wings.Oh yeah, sunshine. I’ll help you find those wings.
“One kiss,” he promised, though he feared it was a lie.
His mouth descended toward hers—
“Matt!”
He froze at the sound of his sister’s voice. Mira snapped upright, bumping into his chest with anoomph.
Scanning the lot, he saw Sky and her fiancé, Sawyer, jogging toward them. Cursing under his breath, he squeezed Mira’s arm in apology for the intrusion and took a step back. Sky and Sawyer lived above Sky’s tattoo parlor minutes from where the ghost tour disbanded, but it was after midnight, and he hadn’t even considered that they might run into them.
“Matt!” Sky was his youngest sibling and only sister. Her skirt nearly dragged along the ground as she approached, her eyes moving curiously between them. “Mira? Hey, how are you?” She hugged Mira, who looked like she’d been caught naked. “What are you guys doing here? Matt, what happened to your cheek?”
