Page 21 of Love Shots

She made that sexy sound again as her tongue tangled with his, and he swore he could feel his blood heat. His body was more than happy to spend the entire day there. Like this. Taking exactly what it wanted. Needed.

Unlike last night, his control faltered, and his hands began to wander, dragging down the sides of her sexy-as-hell dress. He memorized every curve his fingers dipped in and out of. They settled on her hips. His grip was firm as he pulled her flush against him. Enjoying the feel of the moan she made as he swallowed it down.

When Summer’s hands began to roam over him, he let out his own groan. She wasn’t gentle with her exploration. She grabbed his biceps and squeezed. Once she was satisfied, her fingers then went to his chest, where she ran her nails down his torso. It was like she was marking him as hers. And he damn well loved every second of it.

It was Summer who pulled away this time. He reluctantly released her lips and sucked in some much-needed air. They were both breathing hard. Teddy would go as far as to call it panting. He still managed a smile though. Especially when he got a look at her dazed expression and swollen red lips.

“Hi,” he belatedly greeted.

“Jesus Christ, Teddy, give a girl some warning before you kiss her like that,” Summer replied, still breathless.

Somehow, he felt his smile get wider. “What can I say? You bring out the beast in me.”

A blush crept over her cheeks. Now, this was a side he’d never seen before. Summer Willis shy? No freaking way. This was going to be fun.

“Come on, doll.” He took her hand and led her out the door. “It’s time to get this show on the road.”

***

It would seem, Ivy’s little get-together was a couples’ thing. A fact he would’ve liked to have known before bringing Summer over. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be a couple with her. Or hold her hand and pull her into his side, like the other men seemed to be doing with their women. He did. But he recognized that it was too soon. They’d shared a total of two kisses and had zero discussions. The last thing Teddy wanted to do was spook her. She was skittish enough already.

The usual gang was there when they’d arrived. Ivy and her fiancé, Ace. Ace’s best friend, Brady, and his wife, Alice. Alice’s sister, Lily, and her husband, Jake. And finally, Jake’s sister, Sam, and her husband, Duke. Couples. Everywhere.

They’d been at Moonrock for a few hours already. As soon as they’d arrived, Teddy, with the help of Ivy, gave Summer a tour of the ranch. Ivy and Ace were horse breeders and in the past year they had managed to triple their clients with the help of Ace’s brother. The success meant they’d finally been able to update the stables and give the main house a makeover. It was safe to say, it no longer looked like the house his grandparents had brought them both up in.

Lily and Alice had dragged Summer away over an hour ago, claiming they needed some girl time. Teddy didn’t mind. Mostly because she was still in his eye line, and the sight of Summer smiling and laughing was something he’d never get tired of looking at.

“You know, she’s not going to magically disappear if you take your eyes off of her?” Ivy came to his side and leaned against the same wall he was resting against.

“You sure about that?” Even as he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on Summer.

He heard his sister snort. “I take it something has happened between you two?”

“And why would you think that, sis?”

“Well, firstly, you can’t keep your eyes off her. Not that that’s anything new. But at least before today, you were pretty subtle about it. Now, you’re just blatantly staring at the poor woman. Not giving a damn if she or anyone else knows you’re doing it.” Ivy had a point. “Then there’s the tiny detail of you basically admitting to me that you were in love with her the other day.” He did no such thing. “Then all of a sudden you turn up with her. Here. And you’re looking at her like that.”

He turned to face Ivy, her hands were still flailing, and she was even more animated than usual.

“Something might’ve happened. But ...” He needed to tamper down the excitement he saw flare in his sister’s eyes. “It’s literally just happened. As in last night. We haven’t even had a chance to talk about it yet.”

“Okay ...” Ivy replied slowly, “I take it you made your move and kissed her or something?”

God, she was nosy.

That was enough sharing for today. Time to change the subject. “How about we stop talking about my love life and you tell me when exactly that fiancé of yours is gonna make an honest woman out of you?”

He grinned as Ivy slapped him on the arm and growled. “Bloody caveman. You’re more obsessed about us setting a date than I am! It’s the twenty-first century, bro, I’m not about to be exiled if I’m not married and with child within the year.”

“What’s this I hear about you being married and with child?” Ace boomed from behind her. He wasted no time wrapping his arms around Ivy’s waist and dragging her back into his chest.

Teddy was used to their public displays of affection. All the couples there were the same. Sickeningly happy. He just wished he had the right to pull Summer into his arms whenever he felt like it.

One day. I just need to be patient.

“Teddy was asking, again, if we’ve set a date for the wedding,” Ivy informed Ace as she leaned her head back and rested it against him.

Ace chuckled, the mottled skin on one side of his face creasing as his smile widened. As a former marine, Ace had been a victim of a nasty car bomb, which had not only ended his career in the military but had also left him with burns covering the left side of his upper body and face. Teddy hardly noticed the burns anymore on his soon-to-be brother-in-law. It wasn’t like Teddy didn’t have his own scars. His time as a POW left him with more than he could count. But unlike Ace, they were all safely hidden under his clothes.

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