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“Seemed important,” he said with a frown. “Or you wouldn’t have looked so sad.”
She stared at him, and the hardness in his features told her he wouldn’t relent. For whatever reason—completely unknown to her—she sensed an odd trust in him. A total surprise, since she didn’t trust anyone lately, so it seemed. But embarrassment over her situation with Rory kept her lips sealed shut.
Raking her mind for a reason, she pulled on other things that saddened her. “I was thinking about my family.”
His gaze softened, as did his voice. “Family in Savannah?”
“Deceased family.” She glanced to the water, watching it ripple around her legs. “Sometimes events like this make me think of them.”
“Your parents died?”
She nodded. “When I was seven they died in a plane crash and I was raised by my grandparents. My grandmother died when I was twenty and my grandfather died a month later.” She watched his features go tender, and she could’ve kicked herself. Ruin the mood much, Ella? “W
hat about your family, do they live in Vegas?”
He gave her a long look, as if he wanted to ask her more. But he simply said, “I have three older brothers, all of whom are married with a bunch of ankle-biters. My father is a police chief and my mother is an elementary schoolteacher.”
She smiled, wishing she had a family that size. Being a single child, she was so envious of people that had siblings. Most times people never knew how good they had it. “You’re the baby of the family, huh?”
His mouth twitched. “Something my brothers seem determined to never let me forget.”
She chuckled and then glanced out into the dark night, seeing the lights of Sin City twinkling off in the distance. The full moon made the black water resemble glass. Beautiful might have been an understatement. Aidan couldn’t have picked a better night for his wedding. The sky was clear, and the air was fresh, not polluted like it was in Vegas. After a long exhale, she asked, “Do you like being a cop?”
He shrugged. “Most times.”
“What times don’t you like it?”
“When I’m dealing with people who have come to Vegas for a good time and drink too much.”
She laughed, then grabbed her wine off the boat dock and took a quick sip. “You must have some funny stories?”
“Believe me, Ella, I have hours full of them.” He tilted his head back, looking to the moon. It cast a glow over the side of his face. Kyler was beautiful—striking, almost. The lines of his chiseled face were purely masculine and his lips were totally kissable.
“Do you like the view?” he asked, not looking at her.
She jerked her gaze away, feeling her cheeks warm. Could you be any more obvious?
When his finger tucked under her chin and he turned her head, she gulped. His eyes were heated and his lips were parted, ready for a kiss. He leaned in closer, erasing the distance.
She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.
His features were tight, but in a way making her ache. “I don’t mind you looking at me like that, Ella.” He brushed his thumb across her chin and licked his lips, drawing her focus to his mouth. Then he ran his thumb over her bottom lip. “In fact, I rather enjoy it.”
She was held by something so powerful she couldn’t avoid it. Her body yearned for his touch in an unfamiliar way. The strength he offered had her reaching out to him—a perfect stranger—and nearly begging him to wrap her in his arms and not let go.
The side of his mouth arched before he moved in closer. His woodsy scent spun in the air for a few seconds and then his lips pressed against hers. She melted under his heated kiss. His lips brushed lightly across hers, as if testing. She leaned into him, accepting his mouth, needing more.
He licked the plumpest part of her bottom lip, and Ella opened her mouth for him. Their tongues danced together as he guided her with every slow lick and each press of his lips against hers. Her stomach fluttered and heat flooded her, moistening her sex. She clenched her legs together, easing the ache and somehow also increasing it.
She shivered as he slid his hand across her cheek, deepening the kiss. He didn’t simply kiss her; he consumed her. His lips weren’t only an embrace, but held a purpose that commanded her.
She happily fell into him.
With a final slow swirl of his tongue, he broke the kiss by brushing his mouth gently over hers. Leaning away, he kept his hand pressed against her cheek, staring at her with a dark, delicious gaze.
“Wow,” she breathed.
His eyes blazed. “Indeed.”
