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She pulled into the parking lot just as the rain started. Her eyes landed on the man sitting on a table, his head lifting with the sound of the thunder. She hit the brakes, hadn’t even reached a space, the tires screeching as she came to an abrupt stop when she got her first look at him. In that moment, there were too many emotions sweeping through her and then their eyes met. All the crazy settled. She threw her car in park, turned it off, and climbed from it. A crack of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by another loud rumble of thunder, as if the gods themselves were shouting a warning. She didn’t heed it. Slamming the door, she started toward him. The rain was pouring down, but she didn’t even feel it. Her focus was on the man who was slowing making his way to her.
Gradually, Gage put one foot to the ground, the other following as he kept his eyes locked to the ones staring back at him. Just as slow as her steps, Gage followed. Once he stepped from underneath the awning, the battering of cool rain drops didn’t soothe the burn coursing through his veins. Even with bright bolts of lightning casting a glow across the gray skies and thunder rumbling through the air, neither halted their steps to take in Mother Nature’s beauty, too engrossed in each other; the world around them was a blur. When Gage finally reached Tilly, a sudden pile of emotions drifted up his chest, landing in the back of his throat. In that jumble of feelings, guilt was nowhere to be found. Gage took a quick second to drift his eyes down her body. He knew she was a lot shorter than him, but having her in front of him, she looked so small. She was dressed in faded jeans and a burnt orange sweater with a dipping neckline. Her frame slightly heavier in person. He didn’t fucking care. Her hazel eyes were much brighter, causing her face to appear younger than her pictures. The soaked material of her sweater clung to her breasts and curves. Gage’s hands twitched with the need to touch her. His eyes landed back on hers.
Tilly had trouble pulling air into her lungs, standing so close to him. He was tall, her head having to tilt back to keep those brown eyes in her sights. This close she could see the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes and around his mouth. The small scar that ran over his one eye, cutting through his brow. The way his hair was more peppered at the temples. Her eyes moved down his chest to where the cotton was soaked to his muscular frame. Standing here with him was like having every wish she ever made granted, like finding the gold at the end of the rainbow. Her hands itched to touch him, confirming he was really here and not just in her imagination, her dreams, where he’d been from almost the moment they met. “You’re even more beautiful in real life.”
“Fuck,” He started, his voice low and raspy, getting stuck behind all the emotions. “So are you.” He lifted a hand, slowly drifting the back of his knuckles to glide across the wet of her cheek. Her eyes closed, and she tilted her head into his touch. Her skin was so smooth, the flush growing darker the longer he touched her. Gage ran the back of his index finger down her cheek, running along the column of her neck, stopping at the heart pendant laying against her skin. A crash of thunder soared through the air, causing Tilly’s body to jolt. Or was it from his hands on her body?
Gage’s palm opened, and he moved it to wrap around the back of her neck. Her eyes opened just as Gage’s head descended toward her. All the weeks of anticipation, of wanting, of dreaming for this moment. It was only a matter of seconds, but it felt longer, the suspense of feeling his mouth on hers, to finally be able to taste him.
Drops of water clung to her lashes. Sheets of rain falling, soaking them where they stood. Neither felt anything other than the heaviness of sensations zapping the air between them. Gage brushed his lips across Tilly’s. They both froze, recognizing the moment when the choice was taken out of their hands. Her fingers curled around his wrist, the other moved to his waist, clutching the wet material to keep herself steady. Her lips parted in invitation. He began with light sweeps of his lips on hers. Once. Twice. Until all regard crumbled and his arm wrapped around her waist, roughly pulling her against him. His hand at her neck tightened when his lips pressed firmly against hers.
Gage’s tongue entered her mouth, touching hers. A bolt of lightning crashed down before a clap of thunder coursed through the air. With the same intensity of the storm, exploration turned to need as Gage and Tilly dueled for power, both reaching deep inside one another’s mouth, learning and savoring the other. A growl escaped Gage’s mouth, and coasted down Tilly’s throat. She answered with a whimper. Both relaxing into each other, Gage ended their kiss with a brush of his lips along hers. His breathing heavy. Tilly was breathless as she slowly opened her eyes.
“Jesus,” Gage whispered roughly. He knew from the moment they started chatting that his life had shifted. From their conversations, it had become unsteady, guilt always trying to stop the whirl he felt. But from one kiss, it turned upside down. And his feet would never be planted back where they left. With her in his arms, he gazed into her hazel eyes. Her feelings clear in what Gage saw. He whispered, “I couldn’t walk away if I wanted to.”
Her eyes burned. Staring up at him, she couldn’t put her thoughts into words. She’d known from the start, there was something to their connection. Right or wrong, it was strong. But this. She looked into his eyes and knew she couldn’t walk away either. Softly, she confessed, “The only walking I’m doing is toward you.”
Gage moved his hand from her neck and tightly enclosed his arms around her. Feeling her body pressed against him caused his cock to twitch. He had no fucking clue how he was supposed to let her go. He squeezed her, his voice low when he said, “Fuck, Till, what the hell did we get ourselves into?”
Any doubts she may have had, she no longer did. People may call it wrong, but there was nothing wrong with how she felt about him. She answered honestly, “Something wonderful.”
He pushed her back, looked into her eyes and held her gaze for a beat. He watched the rain drops landing on her face. “We should probably go under there.” He chuckled while jerking his head to the awning.
She looked up at the sky, feeling a happiness she hadn’t felt in far too long. Looking back at him, she grinned. “Why? We’re already wet.”
Gage stepped back, grabbed her hand and briskly started for the covering. “Yeah, but don’t need you getting sick either.”
She didn’t put up a fight when he pulled her to the cover offered by the awning. The rain against the metal echoed in the small space.
Gage halted his steps and turned, causing Tilly to slam into his chest. Their eyes only briefly met before his mouth took hers. Their hands grabbed at one another. Breaths heavy as they let the want and need that had been simmering boil over. With fierceness, their tongues tangled. Gage groaned, pressing his hard cock against her thigh. Tilly moaned; her legs spread so she could rub against him. Gage angled his knee between Tilly’s legs, her body pushing into him.
She yanked her mouth from his, panting she whispered, “You feel so good.” Her body was on fire. Her hands moving all over him, desperate to learn his body.
“So do you.” Gage rotated them, his hands moving to her waist. He lifted her and placed her ass on the table. His hands went to hers, lacing them. “Oh,” he expressed, holding up a finger as he jogged to his truck.
Tilly didn’t want him to go, not even to his truck. How she was going to leave him, knowing she had to, she didn’t want to think about it. Her finger touched her lips, thinking of his kiss and her tongue followed, savoring his taste. Her heart sped up watching as he came back to her. It was a sight she could grow addicted to seeing.
Getting what he had, he walked back in steady steps. Once he stood in front of her, he held the large cup of pumpkin spice coffee in front of her. He had told her about a place that made the best coffee he’d ever tasted. Knowing that flavor was one of her favorites, he stopped. “Pumpkin spice, from that coffee shop I told ya about. Thought you might like to try it.”
She didn’t reach for the cup. Her eyes stung. Something so simple, a thoughtful gesture, but she rarely was on the receiving end of one. She was sure she wasn’t hiding what she was feeling when she confessed, “I’m in trouble.”
“Yeah,” Gage muttered as her fingers wrapped around the foam cup, grazing his. “So the fuck am I,” he admitted, holding her eyes.
Taking the cup, she watched him from over the rim as she took a sip. The flavors exploded on her tongue. It was delicious, but after their kiss, it paled in comparison. “It’s good, really good.”
“Told ya.” He smiled. Then for the first time in person, Gage watched as Tilly’s lips tipped up into a wide smile. If his hands weren’t firmly planted on her thighs, he would have teetered. “Jesus,” he grumbled staring at her mouth.
She couldn’t look away, soaking up the sight of him, when she asked softly, “It was the smile, wasn’t it? Cause yours took my breath.”
He didn’t respond, just pressed his lips to hers in answer. He pulled back, taking her in again. Her long brown hair was drying, hanging heavy against her shoulders. The damp material of her clothing clung to her body. A small black smudge of mascara lay underneath her right eye. But Gage saw nothing but the beauty of her, from the outside all the way to the inside. He told her, “It’s more than your smile, sweetheart.” Gage’s eyes roamed down her before he uttered, “It’s everything.”
She covered his one hand with hers, linking their fingers. She felt the calluses and thought about those hands on her body. There wasn’t just an ache between her legs, but one in her heart, too. Looking up into those soulful eyes, she murmured, “It is everything. I’m not sure how I’m going to get back in my car and drive away from you.”
He raised a hand and wiped away the black under her eye with his thumb, watching it disappear as he did. “Me either.”
The weather around them had calmed. The downpour giving way to a drizzle. Bright blue skies peeked out from the gray low hanging clouds that were moving quickly across the sky, as Mother Nature’s wrath lost steam. Just like the time they had, moving quickly as the minutes counted down.
Gage glanced at his watch. An hour had already passed. Tilly watched as he took a deep breath, knowing exactly why he did and feeling the same. “You hungry?”
