Page 428 of One More Kiss

Feeling his lips press softly against my neck, my eyes flutter as I lose focus. The scruff from his beard tickles my skin, and I feel myself unraveling. His hands slowly slide up my arms, leaving streaks of dirty clay water along them. My throat goes dry as his hand firmly wraps around my neck and tilts my face toward his. Warm lips capture my mouth, and I easily fall into his embrace. His tongue glides with mine, and soon the wheel is no longer spinning as my hands wrap around his wrists for support in a silent plea to not stop anytime soon.

His thumb rubs along my jawline as our kiss deepens, and as much as I don’t want to, I know I should stop. Except I can’t. His kiss is so fucking good, so controlled, yet desperate and eager. The way he holds me to him, the strength of his arms and body have me so entranced, I can’t do anything except fall into his embrace.

“I’ve finally figured out what shuts you up,” he teases against my mouth, a smirk playing on his lips. “Turns out it was keeping your tongue busy.”

“If that’s your version of sexy talk, I’m not impressed,” I mock, barely audible.

“Your nipples say otherwise.” He lowers his hand and plucks my taut nipple along the fabric of my shirt. “Hard and aroused. And I know it’s not because of the weather.”

“I really want to prove you wrong, but I know the farther your hand goes, the more right you’ll be.” The words bravely come out before I can stop them.

Leaning in, he bites down on my lower lip, causing a surge of electricity to spark through me. The last guy I briefly dated never made me feel this way, and Ethan has barely touched me.

A moan escapes my throat, and I feel him smile against my lips. Fuck. Now he definitely knows he’s affecting me—not that I could really deny it anymore.

Keeping my face over my shoulder, he continues exploring my mouth as his hands pin my back to his chest. Even though the position is awkward, I don’t make an effort to move. I love the way he’s possessively holding me, my ass pressed between his thighs and rubbing against his cock.

Several moments pass of his lips and teeth teasing me before he presses his forehead to mine as we both try and catch our breaths. His hands roam my arms, neck, and face, and I now look like a living piece of art.

“We should clean up,” he suggests, though not making an effort to move.

“That’s probably a good idea,” I agree, half-winded.

He backs off the stool and stretches his hand out for me to grab it. I place it in his, and he leads me downstairs. Following behind, I notice when he walks past the bathroom.

“I thought we were going to clean up,” I say stupidly, assuming he was going to take us to the shower. I’ve let my guard down but am second-guessing myself now.

“We are,” is all he says, leading me down the next set of stairs until we’re on the main floor.

I can’t deny how his mysterious tone sends butterflies straight to my stomach. I hardly know anything about this man, yet that doesn’t stop me from following him.

We stay silent as we walk hand in hand to the front door and step out onto the wraparound porch. He continues leading me down the steps and onto the sidewalk, still giving me no indication of what he’s up to.

Only walking a couple blocks, I finally see where he’s taking me.

“What are we doing?” I ask, staring out at the creek.

He releases my hand and faces me. He smirks as he starts unbuttoning his jeans. “Cleaning up.” He nods his head at me and continues, “Strip.”

“Excuse me, what?” I gasp, taking a step back and thinking he must be crazy. “Out here?” Granted we’re in an isolated area, surrounded by trees and water, but that doesn’t mean other people couldn’t be out here as well.

“C’mon, city girl. Afraid to get dirty in the country?” He arches a brow, challenging me.

I know he’s mocking me, considering we’re already both dirty, but by the way he’s looking at me, I know he means it in an entirely different way.

I’m gettin’ dirty in the south with Ethan Rochester.

“I see more of that southern charm is coming out,” I tease, deciding to call his bluff and pull off my shirt. There’s no way he’s going to strip down to nothing.

“Down here we call it skinny dipping.” He winks, kicking off his shoes before sliding his jeans down to his ankles and taking them off too.

“No,” I say firmly, taking a step back. “I’m not going in there naked. With you.”

“Why not? Afraid you’ll actually have fun?”

I suck in a deep breath, my eyes gazing down his body—his beautiful, hard body. He’s everything I write about in my books. Undeniably hot. Cocky attitude. Abs of steel that could cut my teeth. Hair shaggy on one side that makes me want to run my fingers through it as I straddle him. Mesmerizing eyes and lips that take over my senses every time I close my eyes. He’s your typical womanizer, down to the ear piercings and rough scruff along his jawline that has me fantasizing how he’d feel between my legs.

Shit.

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