Page 31 of Piece Of Me

“Just checking,” he said slowly, drawing out each syllable in a way that made her knees weak. “I wanted to see if you still smell like peaches.”

Scarlett didn’t dare look at him, no way did she want Taz to see the visceral reaction she had, just standing next to him.

“Do I?” she asked lightly, focused on the girls.

“You do.” His grin was wicked. “And now it’s got me thinking some things.”

Don’t do it. Don’t do it.

“What things?” Too afraid to look at him, she stared straight ahead.

“I’m wondering if you smell like peaches behind your knee.”

Good. God. She gulped in some air.

“The skin’s real soft there.”

He was wicked. Sinful.

“I’m also wondering if your ankles smell like peaches.” A heartbeat passed. “You have nice ankles.”

Scarlett was burning up. If this didn’t stop she’d combust and burn out before anyone could save her.

“But mostly I’m wondering if you smell like peaches between?—”

“Jesus, Taz. Stop.” She turned and would have liked nothing more than to wipe off the smile on his face. “We’re in the middle of people and dogs and kids and pony rides, and you can’t be talking to me like that. It’s not appropriate.”

“No one can hear me.”

“But they can see. They’ll be talking about us.”

Taz studied her for a few seconds, his light eyes seeming to reflect the very sun itself. He shifted, angled his head, and she knew he’d spied the group of women by the refreshment stand.

“Do you care what they think?” His voice was low, hitting that timbre that did funny things to her stomach. Which she so didn’t need, on account of she was still dealing with all the other crap going on inside her.

“No,” she replied hotly. “But maybe I should. I have a son to think about now.”

“Being the person who doesn’t care what folks think, the kind that doesn’t need that kind of acceptance, that’s the mom Hank needs.”

Scarlett didn’t know how to reply to that, so she said nothing. They spent the next few minutes in silence, watching the girls squeal and jump and carry on. There was no small conversation between them. Heck, Scarlett couldn’t think about anything other than the kiss the night before, how she’d relived said kiss once she’d managed to find new batteries for her purple dolphin, and how she wanted him to taste every inch of her and decide for himself if she smelled like peaches between her…

“I think you should come for a swim.”

“What?” Head still stuck in her fantasy, and now hotter and more bothered than ever, Scarlett turned to Taz, her body liquefying at the look on his face.

“Later, after we’re done here. I think you should come for a swim. It’s a nice night for it. I’ll grill some steaks.”

Mouth dry, she considered the option. “Are Cal and Millie Sue?—”

“No,” he interrupted, his nostrils slightly flared. “Not that I don’t enjoy their company, but this is more of a private affair.” A ghost of a smile touched the corners of his mouth. “I think it could be real nice.”

She knew she should say no. That she should pack up Hank and walk the rest of the carnival and go home where it was safe. Maybe take him up to the Founder’s Cabin and have a visit with her father. But that’s not what she wanted to do. Because aside from the physical attraction she felt for Taz, there was the mental stimulation she enjoyed. He was smart and funny, and he liked to argue but he wasn’t an asshole about it. He filled up some of those empty spaces inside her and it had been too long since she’d felt anything like it.

“If I come it’s not a sleepover.”

“Now, you’re getting ahead of things, Peaches. I don’t put out on the first date.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

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