She stares at me, not blinking.
I stride closer, narrowing the distance between us to an arm's length. "I was hoping for a real goodbye."
"I said goodbye."
"No, you excused yourself and told me it was nice meeting me."
She offers me her hand. "It was nice meeting you. Goodbye, Aidan."
As if that will satisfy me. The more she tries to get rid of me, the more I want to know why. I've been told, often, that I'm charming. And lots of fun. She likes me, but she won't let herself enjoy spending time with me. Somehow, I will unravel the mystery of Calli Douglas.
I slide my hand into hers, letting my fingers graze the underside of her wrist. "I'd like to kiss you goodbye."
She holds perfectly still for a moment, her gaze locked onto mine. Then she clears her throat. "On the cheek."
"On the lips." I draw her closer until I can hold our joined hands to my chest. "Please. One last taste of you before you go."
Peripherally, I notice the last of the wedding guests are loitering inside the Gingko Room, maybe thirty feet away, with nothing but floor-to-ceiling glass between us and them. Though I don't care who sees us, I have a feeling Calli does. But I also feel fair certain she won't care about the guests anymore once we're kissing, considering the way she'd abandoned herself to our kiss last night.
She bites her lip. "Okay."
Okay? That means a kiss on the lips. I get to taste her again.
Moving forward, I ease her backward until the tree shields us from the windows of the Gingko Room. My pulse accelerates, and I feel more excited by the prospect of kissing this lass than I've ever felt with any other woman. I back her up all the way to the tree, our bodies inches apart, and clasp her hand to my chest. With my other hand, I cup her cheek and rub my thumb across her lips. She parts them for me, and I push the tip of my thumb inside, though only for a second. Her eyes drift half shut as she exhales a long breath and her shoulders sag, her body going limp against the tree.
Christ, she is the most sensual woman on earth.
I sweep my hand up her cheek and dive my fingers into her hair, cradling her nape. We gaze into each other's eyes without glancing away, not even for half a second.
"Thank you," I say, my voice rougher.
"For what?"
"This."
I brush my lips across hers, and the first touch makes my cock twitch and my pulse pound even faster and harder. I catch her upper lip between my teeth, pulling it into my mouth and licking at it with swift, light strokes. Releasing her lip little by little, I shift my hand to her nape to angle her head back for the deep kiss I crave. Calli's eyes flutter closed. I nip at her bottom lip and sweep my tongue over the seam of her mouth.
Calli rocks her hips forward, nudging my growing erection.
I groan, long and low, the feral sound resonating in my chest. This woman turns me into a beast, but I like it.
She thrusts her free hand into my hair, clawing at my scalp like she's desperate to drag me in for a passionate kiss.
Cannae wait any longer. I seize both her hands, pinning them to the tree above her head while I press my body against hers, firmly enough to hold her in place, but not so forcefully that she might want to run away again. Her body feels so bloody good. For a moment, all I can do is gaze into her eyes, certain my raw hunger for her shows, though she doesn't seem to mind. I'm breathing harder, and suddenly, I need to do this right now. I adjust my hold on her, clasping both her wrists in one of my hands while I skim my other palm down her bare arm and across her exposed shoulder to her collarbone. I dance my fingertips up her throat to her chin. With light pressure from my thumb, I encourage her to open her mouth wider.
And she surrenders to me.
I drop my hand to her hip, curling my fingers around it, and claim her lips in an open-mouth kiss, diving my tongue deep to ravish her with possessive strokes. She writhes against me, rubbing her breasts on my chest and rolling her hips into my hard cock. I can't stop myself from scraping my erection over her belly while I groan into her mouth. She keeps writhing, like she's desperate for me to shag her, andbod an Donais, I need to fuck this woman right now. A frustrated noise bursts out of her while the kiss grows wilder, our tongues tangling and our lips are crushed to each other.
A frantic, lustful noise erupts out of her.
I peel my mouth from hers, fighting to catch my breath, and let my head fall forward until our foreheads touch. "Let me see you again. Please."
"I live in another state."
"And I live in another country." I free her hands, step back half a step, and hold her face in my palms. "May I visit you sometime?"
She hesitates, but only for a heartbeat. "I guess so."