Page 9 of Tan Lines & Trouble
I ignore her and finish getting ready. I don’t bother with my hair, it’s wild and has a mind of its own and I learned to roll with its whims a long time ago. Thanks to good genes and a healthy tan, I don’t need much in the way of makeup; a little bronzer, a few swipes of mascara, and slick of peachy-tinted lip gloss and I’m good to go.
She gives me an appraising once over as she heads for the door. “My work here is done. Have fun, use condoms!”
“Why are we friends?” I mutter under my breath, not meaning it one bit. Blue’s been with me through it all and I fucking love her like a sister.
Fifteen minutes later, at seven on the dot, there’s a knock at my front door. My inner asshole tries sending a wave of nerves through me, but I lock her away. Not tonight, asshole.
“Holy shit,” Dane breathes out when I open the door. “You look…stunning.”
I can feel the burn of my blush but ignore it, opting instead to drink him in. He’s dressed in a turquoise and green plaid button-down that makes his eyes pop, a pair of light-wash, lived-in jeans, and leather flipflops. He’s basically every beach girl’s walking fantasy come to life—myself included.
“You look good too.”
He smirks. “You ready?”
I lock up and follow him out to his truck, where he opens the door for me and helps me into the lifted cab. “Where are we going?” I ask once he’s situated behind the wheel.
“Wait and see. Let me woo you, Dots.”
Laughing, I lay my head onto the seat back. “Okay, Dane. Get your woo on.”
He shoots me a cocky grin. “Trust me, gorgeous, I’m gonna woo the panties off of you.”
Butterflies—or maybe lust—swirl through me as I roll my head to look at him. “That’d be great if I had any on.”
DANE
I slam on the brakes as the full force of her words crash down on me like a gnarly wave—the kind that totally sends you tombstoning. “What did you say?”
Dots looks at me like I’ve lost my marbles—and maybe I have, but the thought of her sitting not even three feet away from me with no panties on is almost more than I can take. The temptation to slide my hand beneath the slit in her skirt and up her thigh to test for myself…fuuuuuck.
“Dane!” her small, soft hand comes down on my arm and I jolt like it’s a livewire. “Are you okay?”
I scrub a hand over my face. “Not even a little.”
“H-how can I help?” she asks, her voice breathy.
I pin her with a hard glare, that melts the second I meet her wide eyes. Her pupils are dilated and her chest is rising and falling rapidly. She’s turned on, I think to myself. Ditto, Dots, fucking ditto.
Without fully thinking it through, I unbuckle her seatbelt, slide her across the bench and haul her onto my lap. Her luscious lips part on a gasp as I kiss her hard and hungrily.
Her hands grip the front of my shirt, urging me closer as mine tangle in her hair. Tugging, I tilt her head to the perfect angle to utterly devour her. Our lips, tongues, and hands move together in what feels like a well-practiced harmony. This is our first kiss, but it feels like a homecoming.
After countless minutes, we break apart. “Do you feel better?” Dots asks, tracing the pad of her index finger over her kiss-swollen lips.
“I feel fucking amazing.”
She tries to scoot back to the passenger seat, but I clamp my hand down onto her thigh. “Stay.”
Her lips tip up in a pleased grin as I adjust myself and shift the truck back into gear. Her head rests on my shoulder and my hand on her thigh as we drive a few more minutes down the narrow tree-lined road until it dead-ends in a small gravel parking lot.
“Let me get everything ready,” I tell her as I hop out of the truck.
SEVEN
Thea
Isit in a daze, replaying our kiss while Dane does…only God knows. Whatever it is, I trust him. Which is kind of crazy; then again, I’m pretty damn positive his kiss scrambled my brain. My lips are still tingling and my clit is pulsing with need. I’ve never been so turned on in my entire life.
