Page 25 of A Taste of Whiskey
She put her other hand on his chest, holding his gaze. “Bet you could use a little relief right now.”
He snagged that wrist, too, pinning it on her other side. “It doesn’t fucking matter.”
“Doesn’t it?” When she licked her lips, his eyes followed the slide of her tongue. “Isn’t thatallthat matters?” She rocked her hips, rubbing against his cock. He growled, spurring her on. “Taking what you know webothwant?”
“Fuck it—”He crushed his mouth to hers.
It took a second for her to realize the kiss was real, and thenholy shit. There was no holding back. Years of repressed emotions came charging out. She pushed up on her toes, eagerly meeting every swipe of his tongue with one of her own. He grabbed her head as he’d done years ago, angling her mouth so he could take the kiss deeper, tongue thrusting, hips gyrating. He tasted like man and lust and was even more powerful and confident than she remembered, greedily devouring her. She was right there with him, wanting—needing—everything he had to give. His hand dove into her hair, and he made a gruff, hungry sound, sending bolts of electricity searing through her core. She opened wider for him, wanting to consume his sounds, feel every rumble in his chest, every grind of his hips, until each one became a part of her. His kisses were all-consuming, making her tingle from the tips of her fingers to the ends of her toes. She was on fire, utterly lost in him, grinding and moaning, her nipples burning, her entire body aching for more.
“Fuck, Sash,” he rasped against her mouth.
He groped, bit, licked, andsucked, driving her wild. His teeth scraped against her jaw, and he reclaimed her mouth, rough and possessive, shattering her ability to think. He lifted her onto the counter, barely breaking the kiss as he grabbed her ass with both hands, hauling her to the edge, wedging his big body between her legs, grinding so exquisitely, her panties were wet. Their kisses grew messy and urgent, their breathing rampant. His hands skimmed up her thighs, and her breath hitched in anticipation. He pushed them beneath her shorts, thumbs teasing her through her panties, making her dizzy with desire. She panted out, “Yes,” and reached for the button on his jeans. He stilled, and the air rushed from her lungs—Nonono—as he gritted out, “Fuuck.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, clinging to him, and buried her face in his neck. “Don’t say it.”
“Sasha—”
She shook her head, hearing the restraint in his voice, feeling it return to his body. She wanted him to lose the battle again, to want her more than whatever was making him stop. Her heart breaking, she forced herself to meet his gaze. The torturous emotions staring back at her had her putting her fingers over his lips. “Don’t say it. Pleasedon’t.”
He wrapped his hand around hers, kissing her fingers before drawing them away and taking her face between his hands. She tried to memorize the feel of them on her cheeks, knowing it would be the last time she ever would, as he touched his forehead to hers.
“I’m so fucking sorry. I want you. There’s no one I wantmorethan you.Youare the one I can’t stop thinking about. But we can’t do this.”
“Why?” came out as strangled as she felt.
“Gus. Your parents. This place. Myjob. There’s too much at stake.”
She averted her eyes, embarrassment and hurt battling for dominance as she pushed away and slid off the counter, heading out of the kitchen on wobbly legs. He wasn’t wrong, but her thoughts were spinning. She couldn’t process anything beyond the disappointment sinking into her bones.
“Sasha, we should talk about this.”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“But—”
“No.” She picked up her guitar and lifted her chin, trying her best to hide her devastation before looking at him. “It’s fine. You’re right. There’s too much at stake.”But there’s only so much heartbreak a girl can take.“Pretend it never happened.”
She headed for the door, and as she reached for the doorknob, he said, “Sash, I’m sorry. Gus loves you, and I hope I didn’t screw things up for him.”
“He’ll never know the difference.” She hurried out the door and down the road, refusing to give in to the tears vying for release.
How could her sister have been so wrongandso right? She hadn’t built up their kisses to be more than they were. They smoldered, sweeping her into a world she never wanted to leave. But he’d forced her out, cut her off at her wobbly knees. She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat and looked up at the stars, telling herself this was exactly what she needed.
Now she knew where he stood, and she could move on.
So why did it hurt so damn much?
Chapter Seven
EZRA TRIED TO concentrate as Gus filled him in on his day at camp on their way home Thursday evening. He nodded and said “Uh-huh” here and there, but his mind was on a certain blonde whom he hadn’t seen since yesterday morning at breakfast. As promised, Sasha had been her normal bubbly self toward Gus, and while she hadn’t been cold toward Ezra, she hadn’t been warm, either. She hadn’t even looked him in the eye and had left the breakfast table faster than a bat out of hell. It sucked, and it was his own damn fault for giving in to his desires instead of staying on the safe side of that invisible line in the dirt.
She hadn’t shown up for lunch at the main house yesterday, and when he’d gone down to the rehab barns to see her before picking up Gus after camp yesterday, she’d already left for the day. He’d stopped at her cabin, but her truck had been gone. She’d missed dinner last night, and when he’d texted saying they needed to talk, she’d replied with,No need. We’re good.He’d followed it up with,Haven’t seen you lately, and she’d responded with,Been busy.She’d added a smiling emoji, which he’d taken as a good sign. But then she’d missed breakfast and lunch again today. She was clearly avoiding him, and he fucking hated it.
“Can we, Dad?” Gus asked from the back seat.
“Sorry, buddy. Can we what?”
“Roast marshmallows after dinner?”
