Page 117 of Surfer's Paradise

Isaac’s gaze was hooded, knowing, satisfied.

“Still sure about that?” he said.

Rosie huffed, pressing her hands against his chest, trying to push away.

He didn’t let her.

Instead, he tightened his grip, pressing his forehead against hers, voice dropping to a rough whisper.

“Because I don’t believe you, baby.”

Rosie’s breath hitched, her fingers curling into the fabric of his t-shirt.

This man was infuriating.

But God, he knew exactly how to make her weak.

And the worst part? Rosie’s head was spinning again. From the way Isaac was kissing her like he meant it, like she was the only thing in the world worth focusing on. From the way his hands gripped her waist, broad fingers possessive and sure, holding her **exactly where he wanted her—**straddling his lap, caged against his body, helpless against the heat of him.

His tongue swept into her mouth, slow, teasing, coaxing her into deeper, softer submission.

She almost gave in. Because Isaac Rayleigh didn’t just kiss. He devoured. He worshipped. He convinced. Every slow drag of his lips, every flick of his tongue, every little nip at her lower lip—all calculated. Designed to melt her.

And he was **saying things—**low, said, words meant to slip under her skin.

“Missed you like this, baby.”

Kiss. Bite. Soothe.

“You know you want this.”

Lick. Suck. Groan.

“Just us, Rosie. You and me.”

His hands curled against her hips, rolling her just slightly, just enough to remind her how hard he was beneath her.

And for a second—**one small, weak second—**she almost let him win.

Because this was Isaac.

Her Isaac.

The boy she’d grown up with. The man who had held her through so many nights of loneliness.

And now, he was here, kissing her like she was everything he wanted.

But she knew better.

She knew him.

Knew his games, his tactics, the way he used his body and his charm to get what he wanted.

And tonight, what he wanted was sex.

Not a conversation. Not clarity. Not the truth.

He wanted to fuck his way past the part where they had to define what this was.