Page 66 of Beauty and the Bayou

He was staring down at her, his nose inches from hers.She was pressed against him now, his skin hot over all that hard muscle, and for the first time in her life, she was glad she’d wobbled.

“Sorry,” she said, breathlessly.

“Don’t be,” he said, his voice husky.

He continued to hold her against him, looking into her eyes.

Juliet became very aware that her breasts were pressed against his side and there was no way he could miss the hard tips poking him.His big hand was splayed over her lower back and she felt every single one of his fingers burning through the thin cotton of her shirt.

She wanted to kiss him.She couldn’t reach his lips unless he bent over.Or lifted her up.But she really wanted to put her lips on him somewhere.She actually wasn’t picky.

She’d never met a guy like Sawyer.He was all man.The definition of alpha.He worked with his hands.He could cut wood and take apart a boat motor.But he also did the worst-case-scenario thing.He had a grandmother he obviously loved and an entire family that he saw every single day.He could French braid.He’d accepted the fact that she was going to wear a hard hat and put mosquito netting over her bed and he still seemed to find her attractive.

He was a lot of things, and she found every one of them hot.

She wanted him to know that.She wanted toshowhim how much he turned her on.She wanted to seduce him.She needed to get her mouth on him.

Juliet leaned in and put her lips against the first spot she could reach.His right pec.Well, more like the side of his pec, closer to his armpit.Okay, it was basically his armpit.Not directlyinit.She was below any hair.But it was his armpit more than it was anything else.An armpit that smelled really good considering it was, well, an armpit.

Sawyer’s muscles tensed, his arm tightened around her, he even stopped breathing.She knew because her lips were now against a part of him that moved when he was breathing in and out.

It wasn’t moving now.

Well, this wasn’t sexy.It was awkward as hell.This was what happened when she didn’t What-If a situation.What if I can’t reach any sexy spots and end up kissing his armpitwould have been a good one to start with.As would havewhat if you do end up kissing his armpit…then what?

Since she honestly didn’t know what to do next, Juliet just stayed right where she was, her lips against his lower armpit.She didn’t move them.She just kept them resting there.

It took only about five seconds for that to get weird.

But she still hadn’t moved after twelve.

What if you just give him a little nuzzle and pretend it’s kind of a hug-thing?

What if running your whole face back and forth in his armpit is even weirder?

What if you say something sexy?

What if he thinks that means you have an armpit fetish and that’s even weirder yet?

Finally, because she seemingly had no other options, she flicked out her tongue and licked him.

It might have been because he couldn’t hold his breath any longer or because she’d freakinglicked himjust under his armpit and that was really only acceptable in maybe two situations—sex and being offered a million dollars to do it—but Sawyer did finally move.

His hand went to the back of her hair and he slid his fingers through it, to cup her head, then he tipped her head back.

Even the way he looked at her was intense.

Maybe she should have been grateful for the soft, lingering, slow kisses in the kitchen.Because in that moment, she wasn’t sure she was ready for a full-on, take-over-everything-including-her-body-and-heart Sawyer.

That was absolutely the best way to describe how he was looking at her right now.

She had no time togetready though.Sawyer’s mouth took hers in a deep, hot kiss.He didn’t say a word, gave her no real warning, just sealed his lips over hers and started kissing her as if it was his single goal in life to make her come with just his lips on hers.

It wasn’t hard to believe that could happen.Heat exploded in her belly and shot through her, up and down her limbs, lingering at her nipples, then diving between her legs making her hot and wet and needy instantly.

Then he groaned.A deep, gravely, hungry sound and she felt her inner muscles tighten.His tongue slid along hers in a firm, carnal way that made her clit tingle, begging to be the focus of that same stroke.His hand tightened in her hair and he moved her fully to the front of his body so they could press closer.

He was huge and hard behind his fly when she felt him against her belly.

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