Page 95 of Dirty Little Mistake

I reluctantly loosened my hold, studying her face. "Okay... what's up?"

She started to walk, and I followed. "So..."

I could hear the nervousness in her tone. "So?"

She took another step forward and turned toward the crashing waves before sinking down to the sand, and I followed suit. "So, everything happened really fast this week," his gaze lifted, meeting mine, "and we really haven't talked about any of it. We've just kind of fallen into a role, I guess. I feel like witheverything that's happened, we should make things very clear for each other."

She needed reassurance, and I couldn't blame her. I caught her chin with gentle fingers, turning her face to mine. "You're my girl..."

"Am I?" Her voice cracked on those two syllables. The breeze picked up, carrying strands of her hair across her face, but she didn't move to brush them away. Behind us, muffled laughter and music drifted from the reception, a stark reminder of how separate we were from that celebrating crowd.

The lump in my throat grew painful. "What are you saying?"

She drew her knees to her chest, making herself smaller. "You never asked me to be your girlfriend." Her attempt at a casual shrug couldn't hide the tremor in her shoulders. "You just... decided we were." My eyes narrowed as I thought back to that night in her bed.

The sand shifted beneath me as I pushed to my knees. Each grain caught the moonlight, turning the beach into a sea of diamonds. "You're right." My voice came out hoarse, raw with everything I needed to say.

Her breath hitched as I moved in front of her. The waves crashed behind us, but all I could hear was the quick flutter of her pulse when my fingers found her ankles. "Camryn."

Time slowed, and the electricity crackled between our bodies. My hands traced up her calves, feeling the tremor in her muscles. "I am so obsessed with you." The words came out deeper than intended, betraying how much I was holding back. "I always have been. I was just too scared, too stupid to admit it to myself."

A ghost of a smile played at her lips. I eased her legs apart, settling between them. Her dress—that maddening piece of fabric tempting me all night—shifted around her hips. "I meant every word I said."

The ocean breeze caught her hair, carrying the scent of her perfume… vanilla and something uniquely her. It made my head spin. "You were made for me." I leaned closer, close enough to feel her heavy breath against my skin. "And I was made for you."

My thumbs traced circles on her knees, watching goosebumps rise in their wake. "No other man gets to touch you. Ever. Again."

Her lips parted. Waiting. The tension between us pulled as tight as a bowstring. "Camryn Young." I brushed my lips against the corner of her mouth, feeling her sharp intake of breath. "Will you..." Another kiss, this time at the opposite corner. "Please..." The word was barely a whisper against her lips. She swayed toward me, eyes heavy-lidded. Everything I'd ever wanted was right here, wrapped in satin and starlight. "Be my girlfriend." My forehead rested against hers. "Because I can't picture my life without you in it."

"Yes." The word floated between us, barely a whisper. For a heartbeat, neither of us moved. The waves crashed. The stars wheeled overhead. Her eyes searched mine in the darkness, holding secrets I was only beginning to understand.

I lifted my hand to her face, giving her time to pull away. She didn't. Instead, she leaned into my touch, eyes fluttering closed as my thumb traced the curve of her cheekbone. The trust in that simple gesture nearly broke me.

"Cam." My voice was rough, foreign to my own ears. She opened her eyes, and the look in them—vulnerable, wanting, still somehow hesitant—pulled me in like gravity.

The first brush of my lips against hers was slow. Testing. Asking permission. Her fingers curled into my shirt, not pulling, just holding on, like she needed an anchor. I felt her exhale shake against my mouth.

Then she pressed closer, and the last thread of my control snapped.

My hands slid into her hair, cradling her head as I deepened the kiss. She tasted sweet, like champagne and strawberries. When her lips parted on a soft gasp, I traced the seam with my tongue, drinking in the little sound she made in response.

Her body melted into mine, tension releasing. My free hand found the small of her back, supporting her as I eased her onto the sand. The movement broke our kiss for a moment, and I caught a glimpse of her face—lips parted, cheeks flushed even in the moonlight, eyes dark with desire.

Sand shifted beneath us as she pulled me back down to her. This kiss was different—deeper, hungrier. Her teeth grazed my bottom lip, and satisfaction rumbled in my chest. I traced the curve of her waist, feeling her arch slightly into the touch. Each response, each tiny reaction, was a victory, a piece of proof that she wanted this—wanted us—as desperately as I did.

The waves provided rhythm, and the moon was our only witness. Salty air mixed with the scent of her skin, her perfume, and the lingering sweetness of wedding cake on her tongue. Everything narrowed to points of contact: her fingers in my hair, my hand spanning her ribs, the press of her heel against my calf.

When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard. I rested my forehead against hers, unwilling to put even that much distance between us. Her heart raced under my palm, matching the wild tempo of my own.

If we didn't stop now, I was going to fuck her right here in the sand with hundreds of our family and friends just a few feet away.

Chapter 47

Camryn

"We should probably go back in before they miss us," Trystan whispered, his forehead still pressed against mine.

"Absolutely not." My fingers curled into his shirt, the fabric twisting as I drew him down. Sand shifted beneath me as I fell back, his weight settling over me like a promise. "I need you to prove to me—" My breath caught as his hips aligned with mine "—just how perfect we are together."

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