As we approach the only hot dog stand on the boardwalk that I trust not to give me food poisoning, a dozen or so sailboats pass through the bay in the annual regatta. “Ever been on one?” I gesture at the boats.
“Never.” Her head shakes, and I get a whiff of her scent—blueberries—and I know it’s got to be her shampoo, but Christ, I could grow addicted.
“There are tours around here that you could try out.” Her wide eyes glance up at me with trepidation. “I could take you on one.” Jesse and I have done a couple because he loves being on the water. “Or my folks have a pontoon boat if that’s more your speed.” Fuck, I hope it is. Seeing her relaxed in a bikini, just the two of us, is a sight I could easily get on board with.
“Is that like one of those party boats?”
“I guess. It’s built more for a relaxing day rather than a speed boat or something. Privacy, room to ourselves; we could bring a lunch.” I like this idea more and more.
Her smile is reserved as she glances out at the ocean again. “Maybe.” What I wouldn’t give to have a glance inside her head. To know what she’s thinking. To see what’s happened to her. I hate that she’s been through something traumatic and has erected walls around herself, but I’d like to smash them down.
After ordering our dogs, she’s modest with her toppings. Cheese, ketchup, and mustard, while I load mine up. Grabbing a couple of napkins and our waters, I lead her to a table away from the crowd. Pulling out her chair, I wait for Laken to take a seat before bending down and kissing the side of her neck. Inhaling that blueberry scent that I’m starting to think is all her.
“What was that for?” Her breathy question makes my dick twitch, and I realize I may not be as patient as I promised I would be.
Sitting next to her, our legs touching, I fit my foot through the small space between hers, so our legs are entangled. “I needed to taste you, even a small one.” I feel like I’m going fucking crazy. Observing her from a distance was easier because she was out of reach, but now, she’s right here, accessible and within touching distance.
“Taste?” Her nose scrunches up. I nod as I take a bite of food. “Why would you want to taste me?”
Fuck.How to explain my obsession with having her in my mouth? I’m suddenly overheated and ready to jump off the nearest bridge or pier and into the cool seawater to temper my libido.
Reaching up with a hand, I cup her cheek in my palm and turn her to look at me. Laken is filled with so much fear. She tries valiantly to hide it, but I see right through her. “If I could explain to you my desire to run my tongue across every inch of your body and nibble on all the sensitive spots I find, I would. But I don’t know how. I just know that I want my tongue on you at all times. I want to consume you as much as you’ve consumed me, and I don’t know how to put it any simpler than that.”
Pink tinges her neck and cheeks as her breathing grows heavier. Laken lowers her eyes but not before I see the desire in them. She wants this too, but she just doesn’t know how to reach for it.
“I’m new at this. I’ve never really dated before. I don’t know what’s proper and what isn’t. I don’t understand social cues, and I don’t know how to respond to what you just said.”
Lifting her chin with a finger, I lower my head and kiss right beside the crease of her lips, peeking my tongue out to flick against her flesh. “Your honesty is all that I need, Laken.” Our eyes meet, and in the closeness, I see so much.
Hurt.
Fear.
Agony.
A desire to accept what I’m offering.
The walls she’s built up are even higher than I anticipated. That’s alright, though, because, as I told her, I have the patience of a saint. Laken is a woman worth waiting for. I want her, and there is nothing that’s going to stand in my way.
Laken
Hale is…perfect.
He says and does things I never expect, but he’s respectful, kind, and funny. He laughs a lot, and I love that.
Which is why I find I’m hating myself so much as he drops me off. I want to be the kind of woman he deserves, but I’m not. I’m broken in so many irrefutable ways. He deserves someone who isn’t afraid of their own shadow. Someone who can go on a date and not look for every available exit.
“I really want to kiss you.” Standing on the stairs leading to the front door, I’m two steps up and still a couple of inches shorter than him. The difference between him and Mason is that his height doesn’t make me fearful.
“You do?” I don’t know why he would. I feel like I’ve been ready to run all night.
“Yeah, and I really want you to want to kiss me, too, because there’s no way I can enjoy it as much as I want to if you aren’t into it.” I do want to. More than I’ve ever wanted anything. It’s what comes after that that makes me hesitate.
Kissing feels so intimate, and I’m not sure I’m ready for that just yet. But what he did earlier, kissing my neck, I liked that. Far more than I imagined. “Would you, do you think...” Pausing to bite my lip, I can feel his eyes boring a hole through my reaction because I know he wants to be the one doing it. “What you did earlier…you could do that again if you wanted to.” I can’t bring myself to look at him; I don’t want to see the disappointment.
“Kissing your neck?” He groans, and it sounds painful. “Yeah, I can get on board with that.” Without a second of hesitation, Hale wraps one arm around my waist, and the other settles into my hair, dragging me forward as his lips find their way to my neck.
An overly sensitive spot that I didn’t know was there.