Page 9 of Sugar and the Skeptic
“What would you do differently?”
“For starters, I wouldn’t have come out here yelling at you.”
“That might help.”
“And I doubt I’d want you to put your clothes back on.”
“You seemed so sure about needing that to happen yesterday.”
“No. I was wrong. The more I think about it, the more I think I should have just let you be.”
“Or… you could have joined me.”
“That’s a consideration too.”
“So, your do over could have been a lot like today. Only…” I gulp. “Naked.”
“I suppose so,” he murmurs, reaching for me then and bringing me so close that I instinctively wrap myself around him and I thank God he’s so tall because he plants his feet on the rocky bottom on the lake to keep us from sinking. "I'm not quite sure what to do about you, Sugar.”
“What do you want to do about me?” I whisper, our mouths only millimeters apart as my arms and legs hold onto him tight.
“So many things. But I’m gonna start with a—”
His words cut off when his mouth collides with mine, our cool lips giving way to warm tongues as we open for each other and explore.
I moan as my head spins from the sensation. There have been a great many things I’ve done in my lifetime, but kissing the hottest guy—or any guy for that matter—in a private lake is the last thing I expected to be doing when I first entered Whisper Valley. With a nomad life like mine, I don’t do a lot of deep, personal connections. I have friendships and acquaintances, but as far as relationships go, I’ve always steered clear of any sort of commitment. I don’t know if I was protecting myself from getting hurt or disappointed, or if I was just waiting for a moment I couldn’t refuse. A moment like this where everything feels so perfect and magical that- I couldn’t imagine saying no.
Rafe’s hands move over my body as his tongue explores my mouth. Every inch of my skin feels too hot even though the water is cool, and as he places his hand on my ass and squeezes, I have an urge to ask him to be rough like that with me everywhere.
As his grip moves to my thighs, it’s like he’s trying to pull me into him even though I’m as close to his skin as two people can possibly be—well, almost as close. There’s something that could bring us even closer, but as much as I’m enjoying the sensation of him devouring me with his mouth and his hands, I’m not sure I’m ready to gothere.Not yet, anyway.
“I’m so fucking hard for you, Sugar,” he growls, his voice so deep and desperate that I feel it vibrate directly between my legs. Embarrassingly, it almost tips me over the edge.
“Wait,” I say, sliding my hand from around his neck to his chest and forcing myself back to clear my head a little. “I need a minute.”
“Was that too much?”
“No. No. I loved it. It’s just… I remembered that I have somewhere I need to be. Like, I should probably already be there.”
“Oh.” He releases me and I swim back just enough to put a few feet between us.That should do it.That should be enough space to stop me from losing my mind and getting my cherry popped in the middle of a lake the moment some guy starts kissing me.
“I’m supposed to be having lunch with Serenity and her friends. Your sisters-in-law from the sounds of it.”
“Of course,” he says, his frown deepening before he looks at me with wary green eyes. “Do you think you can keep what just happened out here between us?”
“Um…” A pit forms in the bottom of my stomach.He wants me. He just wants me secretly.“Sure. No problem,” I say, trying to hide my hurt by turning and swimming away from him.God, I feel so stupid right now!Once my feet can touch the bottom, I walk as fast as I can without running to the shore.
“Wait,” he calls out. “Can I see you later?”
“I don’t know,” I yell over my shoulder as I collect my things. “I might be busy. Actually, I probably will be. I’ve got a lot to do before I leave town. But maybe I’ll see you around. Enjoy your swim, Rafe.”
And with that, I shove my feet into my shoes and head back the way I came, holding my hands in a tight ball because I will not let myself cry over a lapse in judgement. It was just all that talk from Serenity about soulmates and soulwinks that had me dropping my guard, I’m sure of it. Once I get back to the small cabin with my van parked out the front and back to the reality where I’m just a visitor and things like soulwinks and Valentine men with gorgeous smiles don’t exist, I’ll be just fine. Just like I always am.
RAFE
Ifucked up. Where Sugar is concerned, it seems to be the only thing I’m capable of doing. I’ve got big feet and the one place they seem to be firmly lodged is in my damn mouth. If my mother was around, she’d slap me up the back of the head for saying what I did.Keepwhat just happened out here between us.I probably sounded like I was embarrassed by what happened—embarrassed byher—and it’s the complete opposite. I fucking loved having her in my arms while she whimpered and wriggled against me.
God, she’s so damn sweet that I’m dying for another taste. But after the way I’ve acted with her since she got into town, I think the only thing I’ve managed is to push her further and further away. She’s probably packing her van up this very moment. But I don't want her to do that. What I need is to keep my dick under control long enough to explain why I keep behaving the way I do. And if she still wants to hurry up and leave town after that, I won’t stand in her way. In fact, I’ll walk away and leave her alone. I already care about her enough to not want to cause any more stress.
