Page 63 of Tempting the Heart

What I remember the most, what was the most vivid to me, was the kindness in his eyes before his mouth touched mine, the heat that ran through me as our kisses deepened and my fear of what was next diminished from his touch.

But we stopped.

It was innocent, and I held onto those moments since.

“I’ve never told anyone about that kiss,” I said, resting my hands on his chest. “It felt too…”

“Precious,” he said shortly.

I nodded, looking into his eyes.

“I’m willing to risk my friendship with Brad. I’m willing to risk everything. I can’t stay away, Mae.” He shook his head. “I just can’t.”

“What about Bethany? I saw…”

“Over drinks, she could see I only had eyes for one person, and it wasn’t her.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Yeah. She said some things that made me think.”

“I’m totally intrigued.”

Tyler let out a deep breath. “I’ll tell you later, but right now…”

His mouth came to mine before I had a second to breathe. The warmth of his lips pressed against mine, and I couldn’t think of a better way to end the conversation.

Tyler’s hands ran along my spine as I let out a little moan of glee from his touch and the way his tongue slipped along mine.

He looped his arms around my waist and picked me up as I wrapped my legs around him. Our kisses felt hurried and raw, as if this moment might vanish. He set me on the bar where the sugar and straws were kept, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What?” he asked, breaking free.

My breath was ragged with each heartbeat. “Nothing. I just…”

His mouth found mine again, and I savored each passing second, each swipe of his tongue, the motion of his hands.

“Hey, Mae,” Audrey sang out. “Oh, crap. Never mind. Nothing to see here. Ignore me. I’m just… I’m not here. I’ll let Dottie out. Bye. Brad left for the day.”

Tyler chuckled as our kisses slowed, and he rested his forehead against mine as I opened my eyes.

“So, now what?” I asked, searching his gaze for answers neither of us had.

Chapter Eighteen

Tyler

“You ready?” Mae asked, standing on the rocky shore with her paddle board.

“The question is, are you ready?” I teased, glancing at the calm water at the inlet.

She pulled a pink T-shirt over her head and tossed it on a large boulder before wriggling out of her board shorts.

“What are you trying to do to me?” I shook my head, trying to take in Mae’s gorgeous curves. The pale blue bikini left little to the imagination. “Aren’t you going to freeze?”

“Oh, come on. It’s not like we’re in the ocean. The water in this section of the bay is like lake water.” She fastened her life jacket and flashed me a wicked grin. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was taunting me.

This was what I loved about Mae. She’d always kept me guessing, and it looked like that trait was alive and well all these years later.

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