“How about we start with this?” He lowered his head, his eyes closing once more, and still holding her chin, he set his lips over hers.
The relief of finally feeling him there, pressing down, drew a small moan of longing from her throat.
He slanted his head and probed with his tongue.
She opened up and let him in. He tasted of beer, the ocean, and desire. She was sure the desire matched hers.
The kiss deepened. He was a damn expert, and she became lost to it. Lost to him.
Reaching for his sun-hot shoulders, she let the heat of his flesh absorb onto her palms. Beneath his skin, his muscles were honed and hard. She felt so small and yet so safe with him.
Eventually, he pulled back, his lips a little shiny. “You have no idea,” he murmured, “how much I…”
“How much you what?”
He touched the center of her lips. A small frown appeared between his eyebrows, a neat straight line. “You have no idea how much I want to stay here, kissing you, but…”
There was abut? Afterthatkiss!
“But,” he went on. “I have somewhere to be.” His jaw tensed.
“Oh, okay.”
He sat on his ass with his knees bent and arms hanging over them. His ribs expanded as he appeared to take several deep breaths and stare out at the ocean.
She studied the ink on his back. The wordsDevil Barbarian Until I Diearced over a grim reaper with its eye sockets on fire.
“So, I’ll see you around.” He stood, a little stiffly, then reached for his backpack and scooped up his boots. “I’ll leave you the food.”
“Er, thanks.” Why had a strange hollowness filled her belly?
I don’t want him to leave.
That realization was sudden and powerful. It seemed to penetrate to her core, an annoying fizz of frustration. She’d have to get her vibe out later and take the edge off it.
“You’ve got my cell number,” he said. “If you need anything while you’re in town, call me.”
“Thanks, I will.” She hesitated. “And I’m sorry.”
“For what?” He dropped his shades, and her reflection appeared in them.
“If you feel I judged you, Carter.”
“Hey, no hard feelings. I judged you too.” He shrugged.
“You did?”
“Sure, I never thought a goody-two-shoes like you, power suits, a mayor’s daughter, would make out on the beach with a biker. Guess we surprised each other, huh?”
Before she could answer, he turned and walked away, his feet sinking in the sand and his backpack swinging from his fingers.
She watched him until he was out of sight, striding between her rental and the next house, then she packed up the food. If she’d been irritated when he’d shown up, all cocky and presumptive, she was even more annoyed that he’d left so suddenly.
Why kiss her like that if he didn’t want to spend time with her? Didn’t he want to kiss her again?
Maybe she was just a conquest. He’d challenged himself to get her attention and he had. She’d probably never see him again. In which case, her judgment of him had been right. He wasn’t worth her time or energy.
With a sigh, she stood and made her way back to the beach house. Long pale grass swayed on the dunes and several butterflies danced on the breeze. A small brown bird chased a bug. She became aware of the sound of the ocean again and the feel of the sun on her back. She also noticed her pussy was damp.