“I kissed you here,” the memory came back just that clearly. The smell hit me and with it came the memory of her legs thrown over my shoulders as I feasted on her like a fucking buffet I couldn’t get enough of.
She nodded.
“You came on my tongue,” my voice had gone husky with need.
“Yes,” she whispered.
I started to lower to my knees, and she grabbed my arms. “No. Don’t.”
I stopped and looked at her. I waited for a reason not to. I’d never had a female ask me not to taste her there.
She took a deep breath. “I’m not ready. I need time.”
She wasn’t drunk. We weren’t at a bar. And I was acting like a sex-crazed maniac.
“I’m sorry. I got carried away. The memory . . .” I trailed off.
“It was amazing. But . . . I’ve been through other things since then. I need time. I like you, Eli. You make me smile. I don’t want to mess this up. My head and heart need to be in the same place.”
This wasn’t just about taking our time. It was about Cruz Kerrington. I had his memory to compete with. But I wasn’t afraid of that. He had hurt her. I never would. I could help her heal, and I was patient. God, was I so fucking patient. Lila fit me. We complemented each other. We had the same ideas, likes, beliefs, and we would make an excellent couple. I’d never let her down.
But she had to get over Cruz first and move on from what she went through. If I was going to give my heart to another woman I needed to know she wanted it. I could be patient and wait.
I let my hands rest on her thighs. “Okay. I can wait.”
She sighed in relief and hugged me. “Thank you. I’m so lucky to have you. Right now, I would be lost and alone. But you’re here and I . . . I’m really happy you are.”
Lila Kate
AFTER DINNER, I took Eli on a walk through town. He’d heard a lot about this place from Bliss, and he wanted to see more of it. The evenings here were very family friendly. Kids riding bikes along the sidewalks, couples walking by with ice cream cones to enjoy after a hot day, laughter from teens as they walked in groups, and most of them still wearing their swimsuits. It was the tourists, and it was what kept the area thriving.
“It’s a vacation spot for the wealthy,” Eli said with an amused tone. “This isn’t like Sea Breeze. No condos just upscale coastal houses to rent. It draws a much different crowd. No drunk teens driving by yelling at each other through their sunroofs or rolled down windows. I like it.”
“There are condos . . . just not like your condos. These are small and in two story buildings. Like that one there,” I pointed to what I was talking about.
Eli laughed. “That’s not condos. You’ve seen the twenty story buildings in Sea Breeze I’m talking about.”
I agreed it was very different, and he wasn’t even on the elite side of Rosemary Beach. That was secluded from the tourist. Kerrington Club was the beginning of the private area. I didn’t want to take him there. Not yet.
“Lila Kate!” I heard my name and paused to glance around. Then I saw the red Mustang that Jace Montgomery had gotten for his high school graduation this year. I waved at him.
“Wrong side of town, babe. You lost?” I ignored the fact an eighteen-year-old called me “babe” simply because that was just Jace. He was kidding. He was always happy, and I’d known him since his birth. I’d gone to the hospital with my parents when he was born.
“I moved here,” I told him as he pulled his car to a stop beside us.
“You moved to the town center?” he asked incredulously.
I nodded. “Yep. Jace this is my friend, Eli Hardy. Eli, this is Jace Montgomery.”
Jace shot him a brilliant white smile. “Nice to meet you, Eli.”
“Same here,” Eli replied.
Then Jace looked back at me. “You’re seriously living here?”
“Yes, Jace. Above the building where I will open my dance studio.”
Jace’s eyes went wide. “Damn that’s awesome. Last I heard, you’d skipped town and Cruz had gone after you. At least that was what Blaze said.”
“I’m back. Decided to start my life here.”
He nodded. “Sorry about your grandmother. I wasn’t in town when it happened. That’s why I didn’t come with my folks.”
“Thanks. That’s okay.”
He smiled over at Eli again. “Keep this wild one straight. Y’all have a good night. I’ll leave you to it.”
“Bye, Jace,” I said. He spun his wheels in response and headed back to the other side of town.
“He’s eighteen. That’s the only excuse I have for him,” I told Eli when he was gone.