Page 17 of Dopplebanger

I glanced down and rearranged my clothes, then cast Evan a smile that undoubtedly confessed all. How much I enjoyed that, how happy I was that he was here with me. How much I wanted to finish what we’d started. “I’m, uh, gonna get that picture now.”

“How about I take it so you don’t feel like you have to practically hang over the railing to get the background in there, too?”

“Oh, sure. Go ahead and take all the fun out of it.”

The closer I got to the railing, the more tension traveled through his muscles and crept into the line of his jaw. Seriously, how cute was it that he was scared of heights? Since giving him a heart attack would prevent more of the making out we’d just done, I resisted leaning my back on the railing. I smiled for the picture, and then my eyes locked on to Evan’s, I smiled just for him.

“Okay. You got your picture. Now, can we return to solid ground?”

I stomped on the concrete under my feet. “Feels solid to me.”

“Ha-ha.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me close, and I probably liked him yanking me around more than I should. I did make him pose for a selfie that we could be in together, even if we got the white brick instead of the ocean view.

He tapped a finger to his cheek. “Why don’t you plant your lips here so we can get one more?”

Since it wasn’t a difficult task, I did as he asked. I loved the way his woodsy cologne invaded my senses, and I couldn’t help reaching up and running my fingertips along his jaw.

His sigh carried so much happiness it echoed through my chest.

When we turned, I noticed a few of the newcomers staring. I tensed, ready for a lecture on not being respectful, and guilt rose. I hated to hamper someone else’s enjoyment, and for all I knew a group of kids could’ve come up and caught us making out. Or more.

Instead of scowling, though, a woman with wind-whipped cheeks smiled and spoke in a heavy Italian accent. “It’s good to see young people so happy. Enjoy.”

The guy accompanying her gazed at her like the world revolved around her, and it sent even more happiness cascading through me. “Thank you. You, too.”

With some more huffing, puffing, and thigh- and lung-burning, we made our way back down the spiral staircase. As we walked over to Evan’s car, I hooked my arm through his and leaned my head on his shoulder. Every little thing reinforced how comfortable I suddenly was with him. I’d longed for this kind of relationship for months, and I could kick myself for not realizing what I had.

Or maybe it just took time to get here. After all, when I’d asked, he’d said it was never like this, so maybe it’d required me fully committing to the idea of us.

Whatever catapulted us to this place, I was grateful for it, and from now on I was going to focus on the positives. Like how I was positive I hadn’t been this deliriously happy in years. Even when I was with the douchehole, he’d never shown as much tenderness and protectiveness as Evan had up on the deck of the lighthouse.

Evan opened the passenger door of the Camaro for me, tucked me inside, and then circled the hood and climbed inside. He fired up the engine and dropped his hand on my knee. “Where to next, navigator? Virginia or bust?”

“Virginia or bust,” I said. But I was thinkingImight bust if my thoughts kept dipping into the gutter. If a fully-clothed make out session could turn me on so much, how amazing was a naked one going to be?

I crossed my legs, and while I was usually a sit-back-and-enjoy-the-ride girl, I found myself wanting to fast-forward to checking into our hotel room for the night.

NINE

Okay, Imight’veinitiated the kiss at the top of the lighthouse. In my defense, Gwen just told me she wanted my hands on her—that’s how my turned-on brain chose to interpret it anyway.

It was something I couldn’t stop focusing on. Every glance, every smile, held this charged anticipation, and I wanted to explore the crazy chemistry between us some more. The instant my lips had met hers, my common sense went on vacation. Now I was trying to lure it back, even though I knew it’d tell me that I absolutely couldn’t sleep with her.

Eyes on the road,I thought, focusing on the feel of the steering wheel and the smooth way the Camaro handled.Try to think of something else.

Gwen stretched her legs up onto the dash.

My throat went dry.

Then she leaned her head back, her chest rising and falling, rising and falling. Having those curves pressed against me as I kissed her breathless at the top of that lighthouse made my Top Five Best Moments. The fact that graduating from law school and passing the Bar were two of the others was probably sad. All the time and energy those accomplishments took away from my personal life probably only fueled my lust fire.

Gwen sighed.

Nope. She was just that damn sexy. Her toenails were neon pink, too, another thing that was more distracting than I ever would’ve guessed. Don’t get me started on the delicate silver chain dangling from her ankle.

She glanced at me and did a double-take, and I thought I’d get called out for ogling her. “Is it okay that I put my feet up? I kicked off my shoes so they wouldn’t get the dash dirty.” She started to scoot backward. “Never mind, I wasn’t think?—”

I placed my hand on her thigh and dragged my thumb over her smooth skin. “Keep them up there.”I like looking at your legs and thinking about having them wrapped around me.I shifted in my seat for what had to be the hundredth time since climbing in this car this morning.

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