Page 34 of Buried Roots

“Fair enough.”

After a deep sigh escapes him, he takes my hand in his. When his thumb rubs a circle around my palm, it’s comforting yet wildly sensual, and I shouldn’t be surprised that he has this kind of effect on me.

“You’re really something,” he whispers, taking his hands and slipping them over my shoulders. Painfully slow, he closes the distance between us, and his mouth touching mine, kissing me sweetly, gently, just in the way he lives and breathes. Considerate and caring.

And it’s everything. The feel of his fingers as they thread through my hair. The taste of his skin, his lips, his body. As he moves his tongue around mine, all I can do is kiss him back with everything I have.

He pulls me in, closing the gap between our bodies. Being skin on skin is a blissful torture—the zing of touch mixed with the throb for more.

His hands roam, first, caressing my spine, then over to my nipples, stroking them, taking any remainder of my self-control with it.

He pulls away, his face bright in the moonlight. “I hope you know that this is more than me just being a horndog.”

“I know,” I say because Idoknow. There’s something between us.

I bring my lips to his, and this time, the heat between us is like this Georgia summer air, except hotter, and the sweet pressure of his tongue against mine is bringing it to a broil. I’m riding on desire, and it’s making me reckless. I straddle him, my legs sliding along the sides of his waist. “Is this okay?” I ask, my breathing jagged as my heart pounds in my rib cage.

“More than okay.” His hands travel up my side, and my pulse jumps with his touch. His palms are rough and warm as they inch higher, his fingertips grazing the top of my breasts again, goose bumps following in their wake.

It’s electric, like the fireflies shooting off in the distance.

As our kiss deepens, his hands move down my back, and he grips my bottom and hitches me higher, until his hips meet my inner thighs. I thread my fingers through his hair and moan, the sound carrying on the breeze as it circles the two of us.

He lets out a low rumble before uttering, “Good call on the birthday suits. Yours is incredible.”

“Ditto,” I utter, as I no longer have access to much vocabulary.

He’s hard against me, scorching my skin where it touches. His teeth nip at my bottom lip, his breath shallow, frantic. I’m officially ready to be undone.

“God, your body’s amazing,” he rasps. He kisses his way down my neck, and I arch my spine as he takes my nipple into his mouth, his hardness shifting against me.

My nails dig into his back, and his lips drag up my throat, hungrily. His growing need has become palpable, which only adds to mine.

A cacophony of howls echo, and I jump away, reality reverberating through me. “What was that?”

He chuckles between labored breaths. “Just coyotes.”

“Just.”

“It adds to the ambiance, no?”

I gasp. “Um, no.” I playfully push him back, and he laughs as he falls into the water.

A tap of paws on the dock followed by a splash makes both our heads whip around. My skin turns to ice as I envision the next moments of us getting attacked by a coyote.

Before I can see what’s happening, Owen yells, “Demon! You got out again?”

My fear evaporating, I bust into laughter of relief. Then it turns into a genuine chuckle as I watch that bulldog swim frantically toward Owen with his tongue hanging out. “Aw, he missed you,” I say.

Owen gives him a shove, and together, they swim back to the dock. “Come on, boy, you’re not going to make it long at that pace.” The dog pants wildly as he paddles beside Owen. Once the dog is safely out of the water, he shakes himself so hard he tips over. Owen says, “I’m gonna kill Trinity. I know she keeps letting him out.”

I laugh again. Now that I have my wits about me, I realize everything between him and me just rocketed from zero to sixty. That was too good, too fast. Feeling whiplashed, I let out a long sigh before I swim over and say, “I don’t usually do this.”

“Me neither. Nothing about this is usual.”

I’m grateful for his understanding… and how he said the words I needed to hear. I crack a grin. “I don’t want to be the reason you’re exhausted tomorrow. It’s a big day with Kayla’s rehearsal dinner.”

“That is true.” He blows out a sigh that matches mine. “So, I guess we should get going.”

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