Page 104 of California Wild

Let herself memorize him, like she was afraid he might vanish the second she blinked.

Jesse stirred.

A twitch in his shoulder, a soft exhale. Then he rolled toward her, his arm tightening around her waist instinctively, anchoring her to him even in half-sleep.

His eyes blinked open slowly.

Golden. Hazy.

He blinked at her like he wasn’t sure if he was still dreaming. Then, that lazy smirk curled at the corner of his mouth.

“Morning,” he rasped, his voice thick with sleep, the sound of it sliding down her spine.

Hayley smiled, heart twisting.

She leaned in, brushing her nose against his. “Hi.”

His hand skimmed up her back, trailing up her spine with maddening slowness, fingers ghosting over her skin like he had all the time in the world to relearn her.

He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. Then another, warmer, deeper.

“You sleep okay?” he said, lips brushing her skin.

She nodded against his chest. “You held me all night.”

“Damn right I did.”

He moved again—just enough to slot their bodies closer, until every inch of her was flush against him. His hand splayed wide over her lower back, holding her there, like she belonged to him.

Maybe she did.

His mouth found her throat, dragging over the sensitive skin, the scrape of his stubble making her shiver.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he said into her skin. “You belong here. In my bed. In my arms.”

Her fingers curled into his hair, pulling gently, breath catching. “Not so fast, buddy. Maybe a couple proper dates first.”

Jesse growled low in his throat, the sound of it vibrating through her as he kissed his way up her neck and finally—finally—captured her mouth.

The kiss was slow at first. Tender. Like he missed her too much to rush.

But it didn’t stay soft.

Not with Jesse.

His hand slid to her hip, gripping tight, dragging her on top of him. Their kiss deepened, mouths parting, tongues sliding, everything tasting like heat and morning and them.

Hayley sighed against his mouth, melting into him, letting his hands guide her, learning her again, owning her all over.

She felt him shift, muscles flexing beneath her, his mouth never breaking from hers as he rolled her onto her back, covering her body with his, the sheet falling away.

His weight settled over her just right.

Just enough to make her gasp.

She arched beneath him, her hands gripping his shoulders, her nails scraping lightly across his skin.

He kissed her again, harder this time, deeper. Like he was trying to carve her into memory.

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