“Did you do this?” she asked.
“Guilty.”
The night sky was lit up with color that popped and sparkled all around us. Her little gasps and wide eyes were so innocent, yet so sexy that I wanted to wrap myself around her and keep her with me forever.
“This is incredible.”
“How many years have you been coming to this?”
“All my life, since I can remember,” Naomi said. “But in all those years, I’ve never seen it like this. What about you? You said you’ve only lived here a few years. Where did you live before?”
“I’ve been quite a few places. I don’t stay in one place too long.”
“Ah, a drifter.”
She looked up, waiting for the next big display of light.
“I never had a reason to stay in one place for too long,” I elaborated.
“Maybe one day, you will,” I caught her glance at me and hoped for a hidden meaning behind her little statement.
“Maybe. I’m sort of digging this place. The view is incredible.”
She turned to me, and her lips parted as I stared at her. The sky was lit up with the most spectacular display of fireworks and dripping sparkles, but she continued to stare directly at me.
Did I dare? Did I allow myself to feel again? It was much more than the one-night stands I learned to live with. This woman was the real deal. I couldn’t love and leave her. I could only leave, and that moment was slipping away.
I studied her mouth. Was it too soon? She moved closer. Our lips met, and my eyes closed. I savored her, pressing into her. I forced my hands to stay where they were, keeping minimal movement, relishing the feel of her mouth on mine.
She moved closer, her breasts pressing against my arm. Her tongue slid between her lips and cascaded along mine.
“Touch me,” she whispered.
And just like that, my inhibitions were gone. My worries about getting in too deep, my apprehensions for feeling more than lust for a woman, the guard over my heart, all gone.
I pulled her into me, our kiss deepening. It caught me on fire, and I inhaled her scent deep. I was already hard. She intoxicated me.
I fed my hands into her hair and steadied her head as I consumed her. The night couldn’t have gone any better than this.
CHAPTER 3
Naomi
I WAS DOING the one thing I’d been shielding myself against for years. Getting involved with a man — and one far too far out of my element. I did all I could do to resist him, but the more wine I had drunk under the hot sun, the harder I had to fight my long-held decision. From the moment I met Devlin, I knew he was bad news. I also knew I’d be in trouble if I even gave a little. And I was right. I gave a little, and he got into my thoughts. He’d dragged me to the other side. He consumed me, and with one look from those eyes, he overcame my barriers. He was impossible to resist.
His hands were all over my body, and I needed more. His lips covered mine, and I surrendered. Maybe Mia and Camilla were right. Maybe I needed a little bad in my life. What would it hurt? Why was I even asking myself at this point? He had already got to me. Any fight against wanting him was futile. I was his.
His hands slid up into my hair, and a passion burned inside me when Devlin grabbed a handful, pulling my head back and exposing my flesh to him. I winced a little as adrenaline pumped through me. His mouth caressed the most sensitive parts of my neck, his teeth grazing against my skin. I pulled his hand to my breast, opening my eyes to see his reaction. I needed him to know I wanted this as much as he did. I wanted him to know he wasn’t coaxing it from me. A gasp escaped my lips and I could feel myself responding to his touch.
His face was beautiful while spectacular explosions lit up the air around us. It was as if the universe was celebrating us in that moment.
My emotions welled up inside me, mixing with each other. Lust, love, hate, fear — they all intertwined and let loose as if they had been held back for so long. I lusted for him after just one touch. The need to love him overwhelmed me, but I hated myself for wanting someone like Devlin as bad as I did. And the fear of being hurt or allowing it to happen still echoed in my mind. Would I be just another notch on his bedpost, or was the look I found in his eyes real?
The Ferris wheel jerked forward, but neither of us cared. I had forgotten where we were until it began to move. As it lowered our car to the ground, I saw the sky light up with blues and yellows.