Page 21 of Passions & Peonies

She stands up from her chair and wipes off her pants. “Scoot over. I don’t like being so far away from you.”

“Wait a second. Don’t sit down yet.”

I fix the back of the lounger so I can sit upright. I’m glad there are no arms on these things. I sit down with my legs split and hanging over the edges. Without saying anything, she sits facing me, with her legs resting on top of mine. She’s not on my lap but close enough.

“Is this okay?” she says softly. Her eyes glisten from the lanterns.

“No matter how close you are to me, it will never be close enough,” I murmur. A smile blooms on her face.

My hands grip her hips, and I pull her closer. Her tiny hands rest on my upper arms. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to withstand kissing her again.

“My body feels this strange tingling sensation when you’re nearby. It’s like there’s a lasso wrapped around my heart, and your heart holds the rope. And I don’t know what to think or do about it,” she murmurs.

My need for her spikes, and I sit up straight, tugging her onto my lap. My heart hammers as I skim my thumbs along the sweep of her cheeks. She leans closer and nods like she’s reading my mind.

All restraint disappears, and my lips mesh with hers. Our mouths open and tongues join as we surrender to our desires. Her hands brush through my hair as my fingers trace down her lower back. We kiss with heated passion like we’ve been apart for a lifetime. She rubs her breasts against my chest, and I ache to touch every part of her body. We both moan in delight as she rocks against me. Before things get too out of hand, I steady her and pull away.

Her eyelids flutter open. Our chests rise and fall in the same rhythm.

“It kills me to stop because I want you more than anything.” My mouth captures hers again. “But if we’re going to take this any further, we shouldn’t do it here or now.”

Chapter 10

Lacey

I trace his lower lip with my thumb. “You’re good at that. Really good.”

“At what?” He tugs playfully on my braid.

“Leaving me breathless. You did it to me at the airport too; ruining any chance for another guy to top that kiss.” Not that I want to kiss another guy any time soon.

“Oops… Sorry about that.” He smirks with satisfaction. “No, I’m not sorry. I had to know what it felt like to kiss the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. I was dealing with something at the time—I still am—but you lifted the fog for a while. Anybody would be lucky to have you in their life. And I got you for a plane ride. And look how fate brought us together again.”

“You really know how to impress a girl with those soft lips and slick lines.”

“These lips?” His warm lips skim along my collarbone, making my body burst into flames more than the sunburn that I have. I let him tease me for a little while. He’s testing my willpower, and I shiver.

“Your skin is so hot, but you’re shivering. Is it your sunburn or me?” His breath tickles against my skin.

“We both know why I’m shivering.” I wrap my arms around his shoulders as he grazes on my neck. “I still have your sweatshirt and lip balm. Now I know why your lips are so soft. Did you let me keep it, or did you forget it?”

“It was the last thing on my mind so, yes, it was an accident. But I did like how you looked wearing my clothes. Since I’m in the sun so much, I use sun protection everywhere, including my lips.”

“I thought I’d never see you again after customs and suddenly, you were there. Then we left the airport, and I thought I’d lost you for sure, but your twin brother popped up. It’s funny. When I saw Josh the first time, and I thought it was you, I didn’t get that magnetic pull or charge. Something was off. Only when I saw you yesterday, before I fell in the water and was shocked by you having a twin, did it come back. I already knew which one was you just from that feeling, but I had to make sure.”

He turns his head to expose his birthmark. “My parents used this to distinguish between the two of us when we were babies. I can’t believe you noticed it so quickly.”

“Well, my nose was practically rubbing against your ear on the plane.” I press my lips against the mark, then trail kisses down his neck. His hands grip my hips again, but he behaves.

“So what do you do back home?” he asks. “I hardly know anything about you. Maybe I should’ve asked you more questions before I stole your breath away.”

“Don’t get too high on yourself, mister.” I wiggle on his lap, and he growls. “I can feel how much your body reacts to mine—and I have the upper hand right now.”

“Before you torture me any further, can you get up for a second, please?”

I move back and swing my leg over the side. My legs hurt from sitting in that position anyway. I stand up and shake the sand off my pants again.

Will moves the two chairs so they are side by side and the table is behind us. He reclines both to almost flat. The lanterns still glow bright enough for us to see each other.

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