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She continues. “Finley held out long enough that Oliver sent in the big guns, a guy known for making deals happen. His name is Archer. Archer managed to make everyone happy with a joint-ownership deal between them. We got to keep our family home, and Finley agreed to convert the rentals into a camp for disadvantaged kids. And now Finley and Archer are together. He helps manage the property too.”
“He likes the work?”
She purses her lips in thought. “I think so. Jake is hard to read, all he wants to do is make jokes and eat.”
“It must be a fulfilling job—working with kids.”
I considered going into social services when I was in college, because of the experience I had after my parents died. I was placed in emergency foster care for a couple days before they sent me to live with Aunt Moira and Uncle Paul. I was lucky. So many have no one.
“I love that they named it Camp Aria,” I add. I didn’t know her well, but Aria had the same glow Taylor did, the ability to light up any room with a smile. It was a shock when she died, the accident ricocheting through the community and leaving devastation in its wake.
Her eyes soften. “Me too. It was Finley’s idea.”
“How are the rest of your sisters doing?”
She bites her lip and I zero in on the movement.
Her eyes track over my face. “I don’t want to talk about my family anymore.” Her voice goes husky, the sound brushing against my skin.
My heart thumps in my chest, my body firing to attention.
She shifts in my direction, one of her hands lifting to trace a line from the tips of my fingers up the side of my arm to my shoulder, bringing herself even closer. The gold flecks in her dark eyes are mesmerizing. Intoxicating. The sound of her breath moving in and out between her parted, glossy lips is hypnotic. It would be so easy to get drunk on her.
My focus zeroes in on her mouth, the need to kiss her so overwhelming I have to physically fight to keep myself still. But I won’t make the first move. She came here seeking shelter, and I won’t take advantage—until I know for sure she wants me as much as I want her.
She lifts up on her knees, moving slowly but inexorably closer, swinging one leg over to straddle my thighs.
Breath whooshes out of my lungs.
My arms lift automatically, gripping her hips, my heart a hammer in my ears.
I can’t believe this is happening.
I focus on her face, the heat in her eyes, the smile dancing around her lips.
Her hands squeeze my shoulders. “Is this okay?”
Unable to speak, I barely manage a nod.
“Good.” She leans forward and presses her lips to mine.
ChapterThree
Taylor
His mouth is soft. He tastes like afternotes of the bourbon we drank: oak and berries. Sweet with a hint of tartness. The kiss moves from warm to blazing in seconds, burning hotter than the fire heating the room.
When his tongue brushes mine, a groan rumbles up from the back of his throat, the sound triggering a response in my body as if he flipped a switch that has a direct line between my legs.
I grip his shoulders and lean in closer, pressing myself into his chest.
His fingers slide into my hair, gripping with silent possession.
He presses soft kisses down my jawline to my neck, the scruff on his jaw scratching against my overly sensitized skin sending erotic tingles through me.
He pulls back to search my eyes. “Is this okay? We’ve been drinking.”
“I had one glass. I am completely in charge of my faculties. You?”
