He replied with his lips instead of his voice, lifting my chin and bringing his mouth down on mine. Firm. Wet. Uncompromising. I dropped my bag to the ground and pushed my fingers into his hair, pulling his face harder into mine. His tongue pressed at the seam between my lips, and I parted them for him. His tongue swirled. Took. Claimed.
I claimed his mouth too, exploring and savoring as relief and pure excitement coursed through my veins.
He tasted like whiskey and my favorite fantasies.
His strong hands moved from my back to my hips, clutching them tight and pulling me into him where I could feel he was hard for me. I whimpered into his mouth. Tension spooled low in my abdomen.
He dragged his lips along my jaw, pressed them to the spot just below my ear.
“Luke.” The noise that left my lips was something between a whimper and a whine. I wanted—needed—more.
But we were in public. Any passersby that looked hard enough might see us in the shadows. Any partygoer might find us if they noticed we weren’t back.
That restlessness building below my belly button told me I shouldn’t even care.
“You keep saying my name like that, and I’m going to lose my damn mind,” he drawled.
I pulled his lips back up to mine, my tongue finding his immediately. He gripped my hips so hard through the thin layer of my dress, part of me hoped I’d wake up with little bruises where his fingertips dug into me, evidence that the insatiable longing I felt for him was reciprocated.
Laughter from pedestrians walking up the sidewalk just outside the garden’s fence sliced a hole in our lustful bubble.
Luke pulled back, looking at me. His eyelids were heavy, eyes darker than I’d ever seen them. “We should stop. Someone is going to come out here,” he rasped.
I bit the inside of my lips, resisting the urge to reach up and touch them, to make sure they remembered what Luke’s felt like. I nodded. “But not because we’re embarrassed if anyone thinks we’re together,” I clarified, my voice a murmur.
His flushed cheeks tugged upward. “No. Not because of that.” His hand brushed my hair off my shoulder. He leaned down to whisper what he said next into my ear, his breath hot on my neck. “Because if we keep going, what I want to do next is definitely illegal if done in public.”
I shivered involuntarily, clenching my legs together, silently cursing the universe that our first kiss had to be here instead of somewhere private.
But I wouldn’t change it. Not one second.
Kissing Luke…I wasn’t just in the moment, I was completely lost to it.
33
We walked back into the tent holding hands. The crowd had thinned considerably, but a dozen people were still on the dance floor, swaying to the final songs by the band.
Luke was almost immediately pulled into a conversation with an older couple. He introduced me, but I didn’t have much to contribute to their conversation about whether Luke’s company built docks, too. I scanned the crowd for Mimi, but I didn’t see her. I checked my phone.
Mimi
Heading back, see you at home! Enjoy :)
Francesca approached moments later and gave me a knowing look, glancing pointedly at the space between my hand and Luke’s, where they’d been clasped together moments ago. I was sure I was flushed, too.I should have checked my appearance before walking back in here.I stole a look at Luke’s profile as he spoke. He didn’t look disheveled at all.
I lifted both shoulders, unable to stop the smile that played on my just-kissed lips.
She beamed and whispered, “Finally,” before grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the bar.
“You were gone for a while,” she said after we got our last-call drinks.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Yes, but only to me. I’m very observant.” Her eyes twinkled.
I laughed. “Phew.”
“We won’t know for sure until tomorrow, but I think we hit the fundraising goal.”
