Page 49 of Taming Waves

His hand threads into my hair and cups the back of my neck, yanking me to him.

“You’re damn right I am,” he says, and then he slams his mouth on mine.

I struggle for about a second, but as soon as he licks at my bottom lip, asking for entrance, all thoughts of protest dissipate. I moan as his tongue dips inside, and he lifts my chin, granting him better access. The kiss goes from soft and seeking to demanding in an instant. His hands fall to my ass, and he hoists me from the floor. My legs wrap around his waist instinctively as he walks us back and sets me on the closest barstool.

I drop my bag and thrust my fingers into his hair. A groan vibrates between us as he leans into me, and I feel his thick erection pressing between my open legs. My hips begin to move against him, wanting friction. And tendrils of pleasure rocket through me. I want nothing more than to reach down and free him, but before I can, he wrenches his mouth from mine, leaving me stunned and breathless. He nips at my bottom lip once more before releasing his hold.

Coming to my senses, I push his chest and stand.

“What was that?”

He bends down to pick up my bag and hands it to me. “Something to think about during dinner tomorrow,” he says.

Then, he grabs my hand and walks me out of the bar, leaving me at my car while he stomps to his truck.

Asshole.

Parker

Ihad to walk away because I was agitated. Audrey doesn’t want to go out with Warner Price. She thinks he’s a nice guy, but he’s not what she truly wants. A nice guy is someone safe to take home to Mom and Dad; a nice guy doesn’t set your heart or body on fire, and she was definitely on fire. I only meant to kiss her, but I was just seconds away from taking it much further and laying her out on the bar.

I’m sure Brew’s cameras would have loved that. The lust-filled fire was extinguished when I remembered we were being recorded.

I could have handled the goodbye better, but my raging hard-on caused me to drop her at her car and leave abruptly.

She’s likely seething, and the thought of it makes me smile.

I go home and immediately take a cold shower.

My mind drifts back to the night that changed everything. We were just kids, but the memory is so vivid.

She snuck out of her bedroom window and met me at the bonfire down by the cove.

It was Valentine’s Day weekend, and I had helped Uncle Grady on his farm to earn some extra money to buy her something special. Anson’s mother had assisted me in picking out the gift from Sea Goddess Jewelers, the only jewelry store on the island. It was a delicate gold necklace with a heart pendant adorned with two small jewels—her birthstone and mine.

We quietly slipped away from the others to a spot in the woods where I had set up a blanket and flowers I had picked from my mom’s garden.

“Wow, when did you do all this?” she asked as she took in the scene.

“This afternoon. I wanted tonight to be special.”

I led her over to the blanket and sat down, my back against a tree trunk, and pulled her down into my lap. Then I reached into the pocket of my jacket and handed her the small box.

“It’s beautiful,” she exclaimed when she opened the lid to the velvet case tucked inside.

“I know it’s not much, but I hope it reminds you of me when you wear it,” I said to her.

“Can you help me put it on?”

She turned and gathered her long red hair so I could clasp the chain around her neck. Then, she faced me again and pressed her lips to mine. What began as a sweet kiss quickly turned intense as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I gently laid her back on the blanket and positioned myself on top of her.

We were full of teenage passion and gave in to raging hormones that night. She gave me her innocence, and I gladly accepted it. I loved her. I chanted the words over and over as we loved each other with our bodies.

Afterward, we lay entwined together and looked up at the stars as we made future plans. Her father had attended theUniversity of North Carolina, and it was her dream to become a Tar Heel too. We dreamed of both being accepted. I would go a year ahead of her, and by the time she graduated and joined me, I would have an apartment we could share in Chapel Hill.

I made promises that night. Promises that I broke the moment things became too real. I’d wanted the dream, but I ran from the reality.

Anson is awake, returning to his night owl rituals as the season comes to a close, so I join him to watch a movie after my shower.

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