Page 89 of Kiss Me Tonight

“I swear to God, Dominic, your ego is just—”

Her weight collides with my back, sending the both of us stumbling forward. Looping an arm around her waist, I haul her upright and flush against me. The T-shirt covers her from forehead to nose. Taking advantage of the fact that she can’t see me coming, I maneuver the flashlight so it’s not shining into our faces and then capture her lips with mine.

She sighs, immediately softening into my frame. I feel her fingers skim the waistband of my jeans, under the hem of my shirt. Goose bumps that I’d like to blame on the slight breeze flare up on my skin, making a liar out of me. Levi does this to me, not the wind. And she does it every damn time.

I crowd her space, leveraging her backward with my arm hooked around the base of her spine.More. More of those breathy mewls of hers. More of her fingers flirting with the button of my jeans. More, more, more. I’m an adrenaline junkie looking for his next fix, and I get my perfect hit every time she’s in my arms.

It takes every ounce of self-control not to sink deeper into the kiss. With a rumble of protest in my chest, I pull back and taunt, “Don’t be shy now. My ego is what?”

“Big.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Perfect.” I tug on her shirt. “Time to take this bad boy off.”

There’s just enough moonlight for me to see her blanch. “I’ll be topless!”

“That’s a guarantee.”

“Anyone could see me.”

“It’s almost midnight,” I say, struggling not to laugh at her expense. Aspen Levi has got alongway to go before she’s pulling the sort of stunts I do, but I’m more than willing to rise to the challenge and take it slow with her. Slow is good. Slow is . . .not as predictable as I used to think.“Who’s gonna see you? A bear?”

“Oh my God, don’t even play with me like that.”

“Sharks,” I muse, my thumb finding her ear and playfully tugging on her lobe, “bears. Is there anything you’re not worried about eating you?”

“You?”

I can’t smother the mirth this time. I let it out, knowing that there’s not a soul out in these woods at this time of night. Skimming my hand down to her jawline, I press my forehead to hers. Her uneven breath flutters across my lips. “That’s where you’re wrong, Asp. I am going to eat you. I’m gonna slick my tongue right over your lips then suck on your clit so damn hard, bears will be the last thing on your mind.”

I don’t know which one of us is more shocked.

The fact that I called herAspor how very obvious my intent is for tonight’s activities.

Either way, it seems I don’t have to worry.

Levi whips her blouse right over the top of her head, careful to keep the T-shirt blindfold in place. She saucily twirls her shirt around one finger, then attempts to pat down my chest. When she finds me, she hooks the fabric around the back of my neck and reels me in.

“Have you looked yet?” she teases nervously, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know what she’s talking about.

I haven’t looked—but not for a lack of trying.

Who’s the idiot who didn’t think this all the way through?That’d be me. Because Levi’s naked chest is currently nothing but shadows and an indecipherable silhouette.

This was the plan. I picked Cadillac Mountain because I knew it would push Levi out of her comfort zone, but only so far. Shadows are safe. They’re low risk and keep everyone on equal playing field.

Except that I can’t see a thing.

Her slender hand grabs mine and—Jesusfuck—lays it across her full breast. I choke at the same time I try to breathe through my nose. “Aspen—”

The flashlight falls from my hand to the grass.

I planned to guide her into this moment. Romance her—no matter the fact that romance has never been my thing. I’d sweet-talk her out of her clothes, one by one, until the blanket cushioned her from the ground and my body shielded her from the sky, wandering bears, and anything else that might go bump in the night.

Only, I’m strung so damn tight from that bold move of hers that . . .

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