Page 10 of Hot Stuff

Or maybe she was?

Maybe she had a man who didn’t give a shit about her going to the beach at night on her own?

“I’m sorry. You probably have a man?—"

“A man?” She snorted and set her sandwich down on the plate before taking a sip of her cherry Coke. Her eyes studied me over her cup. Her lips wrapped around the straw were about to set my soul on fire. “I’m not dating anyone, if that’s what you’re asking. And since you’re being direct, which I really appreciate, I have to tell you I find you really attractive.”

“You do, huh?”

“I did call you Mr. Hot Stuff.” I was fucking thankful there was a table between us to hide the fucking erection I was sporting.

“And our age difference?” I hardly recognized the tone of my own voice.

“I don’t mind it, if you don’t.”

“How the hell are you single?” I asked, and she blushed. Karol popped a fry into her mouth and shrugged.

“I could ask you the same question,” she murmured. My little kitten had spunk, and I really fucking liked it. She was a flirting master. I couldn’t wait to get to know her better.

Conversation and laughter flowed freely throughout dinner.

As well as heated looks and flirty innuendos.

It was a perfect date without it being one. Not officially. I was out of my mind. Abel would tell me I’d lost my mind, and he would be right.

My mind and heart were goners when it came to my kitten.

Every laugh and smile went straight through me until I was simply hers. I had no idea how the hell she’d done it. She’s bewitched me. Completely under her spell, I didn’t know how I would manage it, but she had to be mine.

And I didn’t mean for a night or a summer fling.

I wanted a hell of a lot more than that.

Which was insane considering I was in town for less than two more weeks. Unless you stay, a voice perked up. I shook the thought away. For the rest of the night, I was present, in the moment with the most extraordinary woman, enjoying every second she could spare me.

After I took care of the bill, we walked out of the diner. Even though I was stuffed to the gills, I suggested we get dessert. I wasn’t ready for our night to end. And I had a feeling she felt the same way. Her hand took mine, and we walked through the main part of town and down to the beach area, where we split a cup of vanilla soft serve while sitting on the sand.

“We’re close to your condo,” she mentioned after taking the last spoonful of vanilla ice cream. I nodded. I couldn’t trust myself in that moment. The conversation had been easy. She’d told me all about herself, and I’d shared about my own life. Shared things I had only talked about with Abel. She knew I’d been a SEAL and that I was looking for my next adventure. She’d asked about the places I’d traveled, and she told me about her family and how much she loved her job.

“I should walk you back to your car. Or I could give you a ride home?” I offered. We both stood and shook the sand off our clothes. When her dark beautiful eyes locked on mine under the bright moon, my body automatically braced itself, almost like it somehow knew that look despite having just met her.

“Or you could show me your rental?” she suggested. That was when I lost hold of whatever thread of control I’d been clutching onto throughout dinner. I pulled her in close, our bare feet on the now cool sand, and her hand rested on my chest.

“You sure?” My chest heaved up and down heavily, like I’d gone on a six-mile run.

“Positive,” she whispered. My head dipped down, and I watched as her eyes slowly fluttered shut and her lips parted.

She wanted me to kiss her. That was obvious. Who they hell was I to deny her? My head dipped a little lower, slow enough to give her time to move away in case she changed her mind. But from what I gathered from our talk, when my girl set her mind on something, she went after it.

And that was proven when my lips touched hers and she didn’t recoil or push me away. My big hands wrapped around her waist, and my right pressed to the small of her back pulled her in closer. Karol’s hand on my chest slid up and around my neck. Our lips touched and danced around one another, and when she sighed, my tongue dove into her mouth and I groaned.

She tasted like vanilla and cherries, and I was absolutely addicted.

Karol’s hands moved up into my hair and clung to me like I was the anchor keeping her steady. We kissed under the stars while the sound of the waves became the soundtrack to our last first kiss.

Karol

The man could kiss.

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