She turned slowly and faced me again. “Then why didn’t you?”
“Call me old-fashioned, but I think after a certain amount of alcohol, consent no longer exists.” I stepped closer to her.
She scratched her arm viciously once more and then nodded at me. “You did the right thing.”
“I know I did. But clearly you’re still feeling awkward.”
“How can I not feel awkward when I . . . I basically manhandled your ankle, Max. God, this is so embarrassing. I don’t know what came over me. It wassoooooonot what I wanted to do—trust me.”
“Not what you wanted to do? I think I feel offended by that.”
“Well, do you think I wanted to be trying to kiss you?”
“It kind of looked like you did, to be honest.”
“I didn’t. I blame it on the African Dreams, otherwise I would never, I mean never . . . It wouldneverhave happened.”
I took a step back. “That was an awful lot of nevers.”
“It was. And I mean it,” she said, but her eyes came to rest on my lips. They lingered there for a very long time, in total contradiction to what she was saying. But then very abruptly and dramatically, she flicked her eyes away and seemed to focus on something above my head.
I turned and looked. There was nothing there.
“I thought I saw a . . .” she started, and then just petered out, scratching her arm again.
I sighed loudly. “Just bring me your arm, Ash.”
She sighed too, matching mine in intensity. I watched her resolve finally slip away and she walked towards me, holding out her arm.
“Old bite remedy,” I said, and then pressed my thumbnail through the bite mark twice, making a cross through the bump.
“My mom used to do this to me when I was bitten.” She said this softly.
“Clever woman—it works.” I carefully pressed some of the other bites on her arms and she didn’t object. In fact, she made a few little happy moaning sounds as the itches began to disappear. “You can do the rest,” I said, stopping at her arms. “But maybe you should take an antihistamine too. You know how allergic you can get.”
“Thank you. I will.” She turned and started walking away again. But then stopped.
“And, hypothetically, if we hadn’t been drinking?” she asked, turning back to me with a tentative look that made my heart thump.
“If we hadn’t been drinking, would I have hypothetically kissed you back?” I smiled and started walking towards her, my eyes trailing up and down her body as I went, from her lips, to her breasts, to that place between her legs and back up to her lips and eyes. I stopped right in front of her.
“Well, then I would have kissed you . . .” I moved even closer, until I was towering over her and she was craning her neck to look at me. I leaned down and put my mouth to her ear. “Every single inch of your body.” Her entire body reacted with a shiver. I pulled away slowly, looking deep into her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, and her chest was rising and falling quicker.
“Right! Okay!” she said awkwardly, jumping backwards. “Interesting information. Not that it matters or anything, but, uh . . . but . . .” She turned round and began beating a speedy retreat. I watched her with a smile as she looked back a few times at me, still scratching the backs of her thighs as she walked. But then she did something that was my absolute undoing. She stuck her hand down the back of her shorts to scratch and it was just enough time for me to see the shape and outline of her ass.
“Shit,” I hissed under my breath, because now all I could think about was gripping her ass in my hand. Between last night, her hand tangled in my hair asking me to kiss her, and today, seeing that perfect curve of her ass . . . I wasn’t sure how I was going to cope not touching her. I might have to take matters into my own hands.
CHAPTER 27
Ash
Every inch?
As soon as I was in my tent, I pulled all the sides closed as if I was hiding from someone. I was.Him.Him and all his whispered inches that were right now making me feel so hot that I felt I needed to peel my clothes off and climb into an icy shower. Did he mean . . .
Alllll the inches?
I got a chilled bottle of water out of the bar fridge and half downed it in one sip. I scratched my ear. It itched from the feel of his breath against it. I had never been more turned on in my entire life!
