Page 8 of Dare to Love

“Let it go!” I called back to her trying to salvage what I could of our picnic and to reign in the pain that was rising within me. “It’s a lost cause!” I couldn’t help but continue watching her in that moment as realization set in that I was right. Her safety was paramount and it was too much of a risk to push further—the last thing we needed was someone getting hurt. The nearby animal wildlife would be grateful of the food I was certain of it. It made me certain though even though I wasn’t willing to admit I wanted to protect that smile. I wanted to make her feel safe, happy, and cared for. I wanted to be the reason she laughed like that.

“Reid!” Lilian’s voice broke through my thoughts. “A little help here!” I rushed to her side, grabbing a corner of the fabric and helping her fold it against the persistent wind. “This is a disaster,” she said even through her bright beautiful smile somehow, still finding joy in the chaos that had awakened around us.

“A complete catastrophe,” I agreed as I secured the folded blanket under my arm. “I think we might need to admit defeat.”

“Never,” Lilian stated with such determination that my spine instantly prickled at the force of her tone. “But maybe we should relocate. The car?”

I nodded at the idea she suggested before the two of us gathered and packed what remained of our picnic—soggy sandwiches, wind-scattered fruit and the mostly empty wine bottle. As we collected the remnants of our ruined picnic, I found myself gazing at her more than I intended. The pull between us was growing stronger by the second as our fingers kept brushing against each other as we secured the final items away. I wrapped my arm around Lilian and attempted to protect her with my body as much as possible from the elements as we braved our way back towards the car we’d left at the bottom of the path.

“No one’s watching, you know,” Lilian said softly, though she didn’t pull her hand away as I placed the basket in the car. “You don’t have to keep up the act here.”

I glanced around the deserted beach sheltered at the bottom of the lighthouse realizing she was right. There was no audience here and no one to perform for. In hindsight I had no reason to keep on holding her hand except that I wanted to.

“Maybe I’m not acting,” I replied back, unable to stop the words from escaping. I glanced up at her angelic face as her lips parted in surprise and her features flashed with surprise at my truth to her before she just as quickly schooled them and instantly became guarded.

“Reid…” she hesitated for a second before taking a sharp breath.

“Forget I said anything,” I quickly said as I dropped her hand from mine and shoved it into my pocket to stop me from automatically reaching for her once again. A habit whichwas becoming like a drug—addictive, pure and destructive. “The wind’s making me say crazy things.” I sniped out.

“Right. The wind. Makes sense.” She let out a short, sharp laugh before turning on her heel as the two of us walked in tense silence.

I couldn’t help but drift off into deep thought mentally kicking myself for letting my guard down and for revealing too much. This was supposed to be simple—a mutually beneficial arrangement with clear boundaries. But somewhere along the way those boundaries had begun to blur for me. When Lilian stopped to admire the view for a moment, I couldn’t resist moving closer to her. The wind had tangled her hair and I couldn’t help but reach out to brush the loose strands away with my fingers allowing them to linger against her cheek. Our eyes locked and in that singular moment the world around us seemed to disappear—the roaring wind, the crashing waves all of it fading into background noise. There was only Lilian and her questioning wide eyes with slightly parted lips pleading me to like a whisper to listen carefully. I leaned in and tentatively pressed my lips against hers giving her a moment to respond. It was gentle at first, exploratory but as I deepened it, I could feel her responding as her body pressed closer to mine and her hips ground against my hard length. My hand cupped the back of her neck as I held her as close to me as possible allowing her to take from me before the hunger and desperation snapped and I dived and succumbed to her as if only the two of us existed.

Fuck!

I broke the kiss for a split second, my forehead pressing against hers as we both gasped for air. There was no pretense now, no town to fool, no dare hanging over our heads. Only raw, blinding need. My self-control shredded apart with one look into her wild, beautiful eyes. I crushed my mouth to hers again, deeper this time, my hand fisting in her hair as I tilted her headto get better access. Lilian moaned into my mouth, that soft, broken sound snapping the last fraying threads of my restraint.

I couldn’t stop myself even if I wanted to. And God help me, I didn’t want to.

"Get in the car," I growled against her lips, the roughness of my voice shocking even me. She blinked up at me, cheeks flushed, lips kiss-swollen, her chest rising and falling in rapid pants.

Without a word, she turned and all but stumbled toward the passenger door. I followed, heart hammering like a war drum as I threw open the back door instead. No way in hell was I going to cram her into the passenger seat like some rushed teenager.

We needed space. I needed all of her.

The second the door was open, I hauled her against me again, lifting her clean off the ground. She wrapped her legs around my waist instinctively, her hands threading into my hair, tugging hard enough to make me hiss through my teeth.

“Reid,” she gasped against my jaw as I carried her into the backseat, slamming the door shut behind us.

“Tell me to stop,” I rasped, even as I pressed her down onto the seat, caging her body with mine. “Tell me now, Lilian.”

Her eyes locked on mine, wild and shining.

“Don’t you fucking dare.”

That was all I needed.

I captured her mouth again, this kiss messier, hungrier. My hands were everywhere at once skimming under her shirt, tracing the delicate lines of her ribs, palming her breast through the thin lace of her bra. She arched into me with a desperate whimper, her nails dragging down my back through my shirt.

“Off,” I grunted, yanking at her top. She wriggled out of it, tossing it somewhere into the front seat. I shoved the cups of her bra down, baring her to the cold air, and the sight of her—flushed, needy, shivering slightly from the chill—nearly undid me.

I dipped my head and took her nipple into my mouth, sucking hard enough to make her cry out, her hands clutching at my shoulders. I bit gently, then soothed the sting with my tongue, lavishing attention on her until she was writhing underneath me.

“Reid,” she gasped, her voice breaking. “Please.”

“I’m right here, sweetheart,” I murmured, moving to her other breast, giving it the same attention until she was trembling.

I trailed kisses down her stomach, savoring every inch of exposed skin. Her jeans were in my way, and with a low growl of frustration, I popped the button and dragged them down her legs along with her panties in one rough motion.

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