Until she doesn't.
"Wait, really?" Tess presses her hands to my chest, stopping me right as I go to nip at the soft skin just below her ear.
I sit back reluctantly, my hands falling from her hair and onto her legs. "Yeah," I chuckle, massaging my fingertips into the tops of her thighs.
"Why?" She hums, her hips shifting in the seat.
"We were at the batting cages when Jo called. I…" I stop the motion, looking up to find her eyes still heated but locked on mine. "I didn't know what was wrong. I just knew I needed to get to you as fast as I could. So, I had him take her and Sammy home until Levi got done with his practice."
"And you came right here?"
I drag my bottom lip between my teeth. "Yeah," I admit. She rolls her lips in. "Well…" I pause, the corners of my mouth turning up. "Except for—"
"Except for what?" she asks eagerly.
I twist, grabbing the box from the backseat of my truck. "Except for stopping for these?"
Tess's eyes go wide. "Cinnamon rolls?"
I nod. "Mhmm. Probably not the best get-well gift for Jo, but… they're mostly for you."
She smiles ear to ear as I place the box on the dash.
I don't tell her about the rest of it.
"Thank you," she says.
I lean in and press my lips to hers once more. She melts into me, and we instantly fall right back into step. Our hands explore each other like we've never touched the other person, our tongues entangle like we've been waiting to do it all damn day. Because we have—or, well… I have, at least.
Tessa runs her hand through my hair, tugging at the roots, and I suck on her bottom lip. She moans into me, I growl back into her, and suddenly my truck feels too small but too big all at the same damn time.
My hand glides under the back of her shirt, climbing up her spine. Tess arches into me as I drag my fingertips back down, and I slide my palms to the front of her.
"My God, Tess," I groan, as I hold her—full, heavy. Her nipples peaked beneath the thin material.
Her hand lands quickly on my knee, her fingertips climbing up the inside of my shorts.
"Mmm," she hums through our kiss, pressing her palm against my length. My hips buck into her touch, begging for more, and she strokes her thumb across my tip.
"I'm not sure I've ever wanted anyone as much as I want you, Tessa. Do you know that?"
I pull back, meeting her gaze as I dip my index finger into the waistband of her jeans. I run it along the sensitive skin below her belly button.
"I do now," she says, as her eyes follow my finger.
"No, see…" I pop the button on her jeans with just my thumb, and she sucks in a breath. "I'm not even sure I knew what trulywantingsomeone even meant until I realized this feeling exists."
"What feeling?" She gulps, watching as I slowly slide down her zipper.
I drop the metal, grabbing her wrist and dipping it beneath my shirt. I place her palm so it sits flat against my bare chest, and whisper, "This."
Her lips part as my heartbeat drums against her hand at a relentless pace. "It's been like this since I first saw you. Since before you even stepped out of your car."
"Really?" Her voice comes out weightless—more breath than sound.
"Really." I let go of her wrist, but her arm doesn't fall. She keeps it there, pressed against my skin, as I return my fingers to the band of her jeans. "It's like wanting you is raw and visceral. Like hunger or instinct. Something I can't control. Something I'mmeantto feel. So natural it's bone-deep."
I plunge two fingers into the black lace beneath the denim, and her hand flies to grip the dashboard. "Like I couldn't ignore it or hide from it even if I wanted to."
