Page 64 of Oar Than Friends

That did it. I stopped breathing. But it didn’t deter him, and gone was the light-hearted, fun Oz I’d come to know over the past week. Even the guy I’d first met. He’d been replaced by someone who oozed confidence. Someone who’d never been told no. The guy everyone talked about: ruthless, merciless in his pursuit of victory, didn’t just take what he wanted; hesnatchedit.

I was on the verge of screaming for him to snatch me, though I’d go willingly.

‘Want to know what I think about?’

My heartbeat was pounding in every cell of my body; its epicentre right in the apex of my thighs; hot and sticky, and so very wet.

‘Yes,’ I whispered, incapable of any volume.

His hands cupped my cheeks, scalding to the touch of my near frozen skin.

‘This.’

Finally,finally, his mouth surrounded mine, claiming, owning. There was no permission seeking. Just a desperate need to know what I tasted of after seven weeks of wondering. I knew because I was the same. Seven weeks I’d been resisting this kiss, and for the life of me couldn’t remember why.

I couldn’t remember anything. My mind was empty of all but him.

He tasted like everything I shouldn’t be doing but was going to anyway. Like the sweetness of fresh waffles. Like winters in Vermont. Like decadence.

His tongue moved softly over mine, stroking, searching, discovering me. It was the type of kiss that makes you lose all sense of time and space. The type of kiss you emerge from and four hours have passed. The type of kiss you know you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

Moans so soft I never imagined he’d be capable of making echoed around my mouth as my hands pushed into his hair. Even with me reaching as high as possible on my tiptoes and him bent down so low, all I could manage was to thread my fingers through his curls, and before I realized what was happening his palms had left my face and were scooping me up. One big hand on each of my ass cheeks; the perfect fit. Just like his mouth on mine.

‘Much better,’ he mumbled against my lips, and resumed his exploration.

Except now I was between a rock and a hard place; the wall and what was a very sizable protrusion in his trackpants.

I tried to pull back, but my lips were trapped in his. ‘Oz.’

‘Yes?’ It was almost a purr, and almost had me forgetting why I wanted his attention.

‘Oz,’ I mumbled into his mouth again.

He released my lip, his head craning back a fraction though his gaze never strayed from my mouth. He stared for a second, and the look on his face could only be described as smug. Maybe satisfied, but mostly smug.

‘Yes, Kate?’ His head bent into the crook of my neck, his lips ghosting over the stretch of skin at the base of my ear, where my pulse was pounding under the surface as he travelled back up and along my jaw.

‘Umm,’ I hummed, wracking my brains while I tried to remember. Then I felt it,him,right where my thighs were gripping his waist. ‘Need … need to stop. Mustn’t get caught.’

When his mouth stopped somewhere between my cheek and my jaw, I wanted to take back all the words I’d uttered, to tell him that I’d been wrong. But he released me before I could, his lips pressing to my temple before he looked at me.

‘You’re right.’ Reluctantly he moved his hands from my ass, and put me on the ground.

All this time he had been holding my beanie, and he gently placed it back on my head, taking care to tuck all the strands out of the way.

‘Come on, let’s go and make our contribution to cleaning the river. Won’t be winning any wagers this week though. In fact, it’s probably almost time to go home.’ He held his hand out and I took it, long fingers laced through mine and wrapped around my hand, and he pulled me into him, ‘Actually, Kate Astley, do youhave plans later? Please tell me you’re not going home to your cadaver.’

‘Why? Are you going to offer up your body for me instead?’ My words came out before I could stop myself, even my hand was too late to cover them, but I only had him to blame because now I’d felt him through his trackpants I wouldn’t be able to think about anything else.

He was seared into my brain.

But when I looked up at Oz’s eyes, all that satisfaction had returned ten-fold, sparkling with amusement.

‘No, I wasn’t. But now I am. My body is available to you for any study time you might need, consider me your own private anatomy 101.’

I shoved him away with a laugh; after that kiss it was an offer I would take up without a second thought. ‘Why were you asking about my plans? I do have to study this afternoon, thanks to you and your heist compadres.’

‘Hey! Thanks to me and my compadres, this is now happening.’ He pointed his finger between us.

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