Page 106 of Reckless
“Aren’t you?”
That got the smallest flicker of a smile.Kelly turned back toward the trickle of water and let her fingers move through it again.
“Did you need something?”she asked.
“You.”
The word came out before I decided how I wanted to phrase it.
She heard it.
I saw the impact in the small straightening of her spine, the way her mouth parted slightly before closing again.
“I don’t know what to do with that sentence,” she said.
“Yes, you do.”
“No.I genuinely don’t.I can’t think with you standing there looking like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like a man who makes me forget.”
Heat rushed through as I said, “Good.I’ve spent the last sixteen hours wanting to do it again.”
She stared at me for a long second.Then, to my surprise, laughed softly and looked down at the rock.
That laugh moved through me like a wave.
“I am trying,” she said, still looking down, “very hard not to respond to that.”
I took another step.“Why.”
“Because then you’ll expect it.”
I was close enough now to see the small goose bumps rising where the cave breeze touched her bare thighs below the hem of the cover-up.
I let myself look at all of her and then swept back at her face.“You like me.”
Kelly’s eyes lifted slowly.
“Yes,” she said.“Avoiding you didn’t fix that at all.”
And that was enough.I crossed the last of the distance and kissed her.
No question this time and Kelly didn’t refuse.She kissed back instantly and placed her hands in my shirt.Her body stepped close enough so that the cover-up became the only soft thing between us and even that wasn’t much.
I made a low sound against her mouth and she kissed me harder for it.
I backed her gently against the cave wall, one hand flattening beside her head.I moved my mind mindlessly to her as I didn’t want her against the rocks.
Her hands moved down my chest.Over my stomach.Gripped at my sides like she didn’t know where to put them.Her touch clung in a way like she was learning in real time how to hold me.
I wanted to ruin every plan either of us had ever made.
My mouth left hers and found the line of her jaw, her throat, the pulse there jumping under my lips like it was trying to get away and failing.
Kelly’s head tipped back against the stone.“Xerses.”
