Summer is kissing me back. She’s pressing her breasts up against me and sucking my tongue into her mouth. My fingers reach up into her hair, grabbing it the way I’ve always fantasized about. She does the same, barely being able to reach my hairline. Her fingers scraping against my scalp makes me release a deep groan.
Kissing her is the best decision I’ve ever made. Her tongue brushes against my lips, teeth nibbling down on my bottomone. I nibble her back, my entire body overheating with arousal. My erection starts poking her in the stomach.
I faintly register someone saying, “Damn, get a room!”
Reluctantly, I finally break the kiss. I pull back, panting for oxygen. Her green eyes are wide, blinking up at me like she can’t believe I just kissed her. A surge of possessiveness shoots through me when I see her pink lips swollen from my kiss.
I need more time and a lot more privacy to enjoy this experience to its full potential. Kissing Summer isn’t meant to be casual.
My self-control is hanging on by a thread. She’s gazing up at me like she’d let me toss her over my shoulder right now and carry her down the beach to her studio.
I take a tiny step back, worried if I keep holding her like this, I will give in to the temptation to do so, and she’ll freak out again, like she did the last time. My erection is poking the front of my pants awkwardly, so I turn my body out toward the water so no one can see it.
She’s silent, standing there like she’s frozen solid as her gaze moves back to the ocean. I study her, my eyes lasering in on her trembling lower lip and her hands bunching up her dress.
“I’ve imagined doing that so many fucking times,” I confess.
She exhales and crosses her arms over her chest. I can’t shut up.
“And you just look so breathtaking tonight.”
Her feet shift in the sand.
“And I know I don’t have a right to want the things I want, but I just can’t stop wanting them.”
Her hand moves up, and she starts nibbling her thumbnail.
“And right now, all I want to do is take you home.”
She sucks in a sharp inhale, finally meeting my gaze. Her eyes are wide and terrified.
Still, she reaches out to grab my hand and nods. My stomach flips.
She said yes.
chapter twenty-six
Dayton
Ilatch onto her hand, tugging her close to me as we start walking down the beach. A few people wave at us, some of them we haven’t seen since high school. The wedding brought a ton of people back to town.
Cheri and Javier are cozying up at the bar. She’s giggling and batting her eyelashes at him. He must be the funniest guy on this damn island.
I tug Summer closer to me as two guys start walking toward us from down the beach. They avert their eyes from her, instead looking at me and nodding, the universal male signal for,Nice job, man.
I wish I knew what was going through her head right now. If she’s nervous for what’s about to happen, she doesn’t show it.
Once we’re halfway to the house, I interlace my fingers with hers. Even if I only got to hold her hand and kiss her tonight, it would be enough. Even though I want more, touching her like this is more than I ever thought I would get.
She doesn’t say a word the entire walk back. It’s dark by the time we get to the studio. I open the door for her. Once we’reboth inside, I lock it behind me. We kick off our shoes by the door.
Summer walks over to the kitchenette and grabs glasses and the bottle of champagne. I move up behind her, reaching around her body to take the bottle, the other hand moving to get the glass, caging her in. I’m not touching her, but I’m close enough that I can hear her breathing. I slowly pour two glasses of champagne and place one of them in her hand.
She takes it, slowly pressing her back into my chest and leaning against me. She sips her champagne, and I start to sway her back and forth.
She sighs, laying her head back on my chest. I want to take her hair down so I can wrap it around my fist, but I’m not sure how much of my obsession I should let on to right now. She’s going to need time to adjust to it. In thirteen years, not a day has gone by that I haven’t wished I could do something like this with her.
After we finish our champagne, she places her glass down, and I follow suit. She spins around to face me, hands wrapping around the lapels of my sport coat.
