Page 5 of Big Catch
I capture her hand and brush my thumb over her flesh as I hold it a moment too long. “You’re going to pay for that, you know?”
Her laughter dies in her throat, and she puts her free hand on her hip. “Oh, yeah? How?”
Goddammit she’s pretty. “I can think of plenty of ways,” I say, my voice deeper than it was moments ago, and we both go still as our teasing banter turns sexual. It might have happened in the space of an instant, but the pull between us is as powerful as fuck, and I damn well need to do something about it. My gaze drops to her mouth as she wets it, like she’s preparing herself for me, and my heart nearly jackhammers out of my chest. I pull a deep breath into my lungs, and her throat makes a noise as she swallows.
“I…uh…” She holds her hand up, and shows me the cockles.
“Right.” I quickly get my shit together, even though my mind is preoccupied with those full lips of hers. “Here, let me open the net so you can drop them in.” I slide my hand from around her waist, and she loses her balance. We’re only in thigh deep water, but she slips and goes completely under. Shit. I reach for her and she comes out gasping, her long hair plastered to her face. She sputters and pushes her wet hair back, looking so goddamn adorable that equal measures of protectiveness and need steal over me as I hold her.
“Are you okay?”
She makes a strange wheezing sound and sputters some more.
I brush mud from her cheek, and as I take in her big brown eyes, a surge of lust shuts down all rational thought, my actions driven by need. As longing rips through me, I dip my head and close my mouth over hers. It’s too soon. I know it, but I can’t help myself. By rights, she should push me away. Better yet, kick me in the nuts. I expect her to do just that. But instead of ripping off my balls, she slackens against me, and man, that’s all the encouragement I need.
I’m about to slide my tongue between the soft seam of her mouth, but her lips part of her own accord and become pliable beneath mine. Addictive. I deepen the kiss and can’t fucking believe she tastes better than I ever could have imagined. I pull her tighter against my body, unable to get close enough, and she arches into me, every part of her seeking contact. Her drenched clothes soak mine, but I give zero shits about that right now.
Never having tasted anything so sweet, I explore her mouth and splay my fingers over the small of her back, pushing her against me, just a little. She shivers under my touch, so damn responsive it sends heat surging through my veins. I thought it would be a quick, hurried kiss, but the second my mouth touched hers, it escalated and lit something hot and uncontrollable inside me—something completely foreign that just might scare me a bit. When I finally break away, we’re both gasping for breath.
She touches her kiss-swollen lips. “What was that all about?”
“Mouth-to-mouth,” I say quickly. Yeah, she responded readily, but with the moment broken, I don’t want her pissed at me. “I thought you had water in your lungs.”
She plants one hand on her hip, her brow pulled together. “That’s not how you give mouth-to-mouth.”
“Says who?”
“I’m a doctor, remember.”
I brush my thumb over her cheek, and she visibly quivers. “Yeah, well, we don’t have too many of them around these parts, and sometimes we have to take matters in our own hands and give resuscitation the only way we know how.” When she continues to stare up at me like she can’t tell whether I’m teasing or not, I say, “I thought I was doing what was best, Aly.” Not a lie, kissing her was definitely the best.
“Yes, I know but—”
“It wasn’t good enough?” I ask, continuing to play with her.
“No, no, it was good,” she says quickly, clearly flustered.
“Just good? Maybe I need practice.” I run my wet hands through my hair. “Maybe you could teach me. Give lessons.”
“Mouth-to-mouth le
ssons?”
I glance over my shoulder to give a quick check on the others. They hadn’t seen the kiss. My body completely blocks Aly’s and what I was doing. “Yeah, sure. I think it’s a great idea. That way if this ever happens again, and a guest needs resuscitation, I’ll know what I’m doing.”
She frowns and looks down. When she sees her wet shirt, the way it clings to her body and how little it does to hide her pert nipples, she folds her arms across her chest. “I guess I could do that.”
I look her over, take in her mud-covered clothes. “Come on, I have clean water in the back of the truck. I can rinse you off.”
“Oh no!”
“What?” I ask, hoping like hell I hadn’t moved too fast with that kiss and she’s suddenly coming to her senses.
She holds up empty hands. “I dropped the clams.”
“No worries. There’s plenty more. Right now, we need to rinse you off.” I capture her hand and water sloshes around us as I guide her from the marsh. I stop when I reach the elderly couple. “You two good?” I ask, as they ferret clams and fill one of the buckets.
“Wonderful,” the man says and the woman smiles and nods as she pulls another clam with her toes.
