“Sutton,” he whispered.
Before he could say another word, I quickly moved to straddle him. I knew we could be caught at any moment, but I didn’t care. This was my chance, and I was going to take it by the reins and go for everything I wanted.
I’d finally kissed Brody, and Lord above, he’d kissed me back.
“Brody, please,” I whimpered as I lowered myself onto him. I could feel he was hard, and that did all kinds of things to me, but most of all, it gave me the courage to show him…tell him what I wanted. He had always treated me like a kid sister. Now…now his body clearly said that was no longer the case. And that thrilled me.
He cupped my face in his hands and brought my mouth down to his. This time, the kiss felt different. Searing and full of want and desire, and my goodness, did my body react to it in the most amazing ways.
“What are you doing to me, Sutton?” he whispered, leaning his forehead against mine after he broke the kiss.
“I want you, Brody. Please.”
He drew back and slowly shook his head. “I’m not doing this on the beach. That’s not how your first time should be. And it should be with someone—”
I pressed my fingers to his lips to stop him from talking. “Don’t. Please don’t, Brody. I don’t think I could stand to hear you say it. Not like this, not right now.”
Shaking his head as if confused, he placed his hand on the side of my face. “You said you wanted your first time to be with someone you loved.”
I bit down on my lip and looked away before I met his eyes again. It didn’t take him long to figure it out. A plethora of emotions crossed his face as his eyes widened, and he softly said my name again.
“Sutton, sweetheart.”
I squeezed my eyes shut because I knew I couldn’t look at him while I uttered my next words. “I know you don’t love me back, and that’s okay. I mean, unless you don’t want me, then…”
I opened my eyes in time to see Brody close his. I could see the pained expression on his face before he opened them and our gazes locked again. Something was different. He looked…conflicted.
“I want you more than you could know, Sutton. I have for a long time.”
Butterflies danced in my stomach as his words sank in. “You…you have?”
He nodded and ran the back of his fingers down my cheek.
Brody wanted me.
Smiling, I slid my shaking fingers through his hair and pressed my mouth to his once more. The kiss was slower, sweeter than before. It filled my body with a feeling I had never experienced. It was like a warm blanket on a cold winter night, and somehow I knew everything would be okay because of this kiss. That what happened next would forever change our lives.
“Then take me, Brody. I want it to be you. Please.”
Before I knew what was happening, Brody stood, lifting me right with him. He gently placed my feet on the sand, then took my hand and started to walk down the beach, away from the bonfire.
“Where are we going?”
“To our fishing hut.”
Shivers ran through my body, and I knew it wasn’t from any chill in the air since it was a hot August night.
Brody and Gannon’s parents owned two houses in Seaside. Their main house was on Captain’s Row, which wasn’t that far from my parents’ house. They also had a smaller place on the beach that included a fishing hut on a private pier over the water. I had been to it a few times. It was really nice, unlike some local fishing huts. The last time I’d been in it with Addie, it had a card table, a bar, and a sofa inside. I knew, from what Addie had told me, that Brody and Gannon hung out there a lot.
“Why don’t we go to the beach house?” I asked as we started down the pier toward the hut.
Brody looked at me and winked. “Gannon and Addie are there.”
That caused me to swing my head around and glance back over my shoulder. “Oh,” I said softly, seeing a faint light coming from the house. Addie and Gannon’s relationship was…complicated, to say the least. They had mutually agreed to break up after high school since Gannon was going into the Navy and Addie was heading off to college. But when they were in town at the same time, they were on again. And that meant sneaking off to do whatever it was they did when they were alone.
Brody pulled out his keys and unlocked the door to the hut, then motioned for me to go in. I wondered how many girls he’d brought here to have sex. I knew he wasn’t a sweet, innocent boy, but the thought of other women having him first made me jealous, and I hated that feeling. I worked at pushing the emotion away. This wasn’t the time or place for that.
Brody turned on a light and smiled. When he spoke his next words, my eyes went wide. It was as if he’d read my mind.