“Cold?” he asked.
“A little,” she said, pressing her body closer.
He lowered his arm, letting it curl around her.
For a long time, he lay still, looking up at the stars, barely aware of their shining glory when all he could think about was the woman whose body fit against him like a glove.
His groin tightened, and heat burned through his veins. He had to tell himself it was too soon for a lot of things. They’d only just met.
If he was lucky, he might score a kiss. But he wouldn’t push for more. He sensed that the time had to be right, and she had to make the first move.
It took a strong woman to be a sheriff’s deputy. Drake wouldn’t want anything less. If it meant proving to her he wasn’t an asshole like her last boyfriend, he’d do it. If it meant waiting until she was ready…he knew she would be worth the wait. She loved deeply and cared about the people of her community.
His arm tightened around her, then he loosened his hold, giving her freedom to move.
Cassie turned on her side and laid her hand on his chest. “What are you thinking about?”
“Kissing you.” The words left his mouth before he could stop them. “But don’t worry. I promise not to take advantage of you.”
She pushed up onto her elbow, her brow furrowing. “Seriously? Do I have to make all the moves?” Then she leaned over him and pressed her lips to his.
The heat in his veins flared, yet he held back, wanting to give her the lead.
She pressed her lips to his for a long moment and then leaned back, her frown deepening. “I take it you’re not feeling it.”
“Oh, baby, I’m feeling it, all right,” he said with a laugh. “I just don’t want to make any sudden moves and scare you with just how much I want to kiss you back.”
Her lips curved in a sexy smile. “I don’t scare easily.” She lifted her chin and narrowed her eyes. “You really want to kiss me?”
He nodded, holding back with every ounce of control he could muster. “And some.”
Her brow dipped. “Then what are you waiting for? A written invitation? First kisses are an experiment in compatibility. If the kiss doesn’t do it for you, you might need to be just friends. After your response to my kiss…you’re dangerously hovering in the friend zone.”
“Is that so?” He laughed. “Challenge accepted.”
Drake reached for her, cupped her cheeks in the palms of his hands and took her lips in a kiss so tender, it almost hurt him to hold back.
When Cassie opened to him, her tongue meeting his, Drake couldn’t hold back another second. He rolled her onto her back and came down over her, crushing her mouth with his.
Her hands moved over his shoulders and around to his chest, inching lower to the waistband of his jeans. Knotting her fists in the jersey fabric, she tugged the shirt out and slipped her fingers beneath it to press against bare skin.
Drake’s breath lodged in his lungs.
Everywhere she touched burst into flaming synapses, sending electricity shooting through his body, stoking the fire coiling in his loins. He hardened so fast that he had to adjust his jeans with one hand while leaning on the other and lengthening the kiss that only got better with each stroke of her tongue.
By the time he raised his head, he was so turned on, he was afraid he’d lose control and take their kissing experiment to the next level. He dragged in several deep breaths before he could push air past his vocal cords. “Still in the friend zone?”
Her eyes flared, catching the light from the star-studded heavens. “Nowhere near,” she said, her voice husky and breathless.
“Every cell in my body is screaming for me to take you hard and fast.”
Her tongue swept over her bottom lip. “Are you listening?” she whispered.
“Sweet Jesus, I can hear nothing else but the caveman pounding his chest.” He leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers. “The gentleman in me is struggling to be heard. It’s too soon. We need time to get to know each other.”
She gripped his shirt. “Seriously? Stop listening to the gentleman inside and go with the caveman.” She planted her lips on his. “That kiss…wow. It brought out the cavewoman in me.”
He grinned. “Good. I didn’t want to be confined to a friend zone.”