Page 57 of Teach Me
Conlan finally collapsed in the shallows with a huff. “No more. I’m done.”
She dragged herself up beside him, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight, the cool of the water beneath her, and watching the dappled shadows play across Con’s muscular body. She’d never known someone so comfortable in their skin, literally. As she traced the shape of a leaf’s shadow on his stomach, she asked, “You grew up here?”
“Here and in town. My grandparents bought the land cheap right after they married, just walked into the realty office with a sack full of cash and walked out with the deed. They never sold. I spent a lot of time here after my mother died, summers too, while my dad worked. Brought Jack and Lee out here.”
The mention of his dead friend squeezed Jess’s heart. “You miss him, don’t you?”
“Lee?”
“Yeah.”
Conlan didn’t answer for a long while. Jess didn’t look at him, just kept tracing patterns on his skin, dipping into the water and running cool drops over the hills and valleys of his sculpted muscles. When she thought he might never respond, he said, “I do.” A heavy sigh caved in his ribs. “I miss him and I hate him.”
“What? Why?”
“Because…” One big hand rose to cup her cheek, the chill of his water-soaked skin refreshing against hers. “Because I can finally see that what happened to Lee wasn’t just Sarah’s fault. Lee let her have that hold on him; he didn’t have to, but he let her control him. He gave in instead of fighting. Not for her—she wasn’t worth it—but for us.”
“Oh.” And Conlan would never give in without a fight. He certainly wouldn’t want anyone controlling him the way Lee had.
“He was an idiot.”
She jerked her head up to meet his eyes.
“They both called it love, but neither one of them knew what love really is; they only knew obsession.”
“And…” Jess tried to discreetly clear her throat. “And you do know what love really is?”
“I do.” Conlan trailed his finger down her cheekbone to her mouth, rubbing the thick tip along her bottom lip. “I definitely do.”
A sudden giddiness took up residence in her belly. He wasn’t saying outright that he loved her, but… She couldn’t help the grin that escaped. “Good.”
Conlan sat up, his grin matching hers. Water sloshed around him. “Good? What about you?”
The giddiness doubled. “I know what it really is too.”
Did I really just tell him I love him? Yes, I think I did.
Conlan’s mouth widened to a full-out smile. “Good.”
It was ridiculous—they were both mature adults, but here they were speaking in code like kids with a decoder ring—but her cheeks hurt, she smiled so wide. She barely managed to open her mouth to speak before he had her hauled into his lap, one leg on either side of his hips, her body nestled nice and close. Even in the cool lake water, he was hot—his skin, his breath, and God, his shaft scorched her mound. When she’d thought about sex, it had been about the mechanics, the logistics, not the heat of a muscular body against hers, the heartbeat of another person running under their skin, through their most private parts. The love she felt for Conlan burst through her, multiplying the wonder of the moment until it saturated every pore, every cell. She arched against him, wishing she could absorb his very essence into her heart.
Conlan growled. One arm circled behind her, holding her steady, while the other cupped the back of her neck. Something about that touch, so primitive, so controlling, made her wet. Achy. Needy. She needed him, needed to show him, not just tell him, how much she loved him, in a way she never had before.
Bringing her face up to his, nose beside nose, gray eyes searing her with their intensity, she whispered, “Stand up.”
Conlan’s pupils contracted at the words. Jess watched, fascinated, holding her breath at the beauty of the man cradling her against him.
A shudder shook him, and he tightened his grip on her ribs. “Jess,” he whispered, his voice agonized.
“Stand up, right here. In the water.”
His dark eyes stayed locked with hers for another endless moment, searching for she knew not what, but it felt like he delved all the way to her soul. Finally a lopsided smile pulled at his lips. “You want to play with fire.”
“I want to play with you.”
The groan that escaped sounded torn from his very depths, full of gravel and hunger and desire. His grip on her nape tightened, dragged her forward until he fit her lips to his perfect mouth. She teased the crease with her tongue.
He opened to her, sucking her tongue inside, tangling with it as he explored her mouth in a rough kiss. His thrusting tongue took her breath, but he replaced it with his own. When he finally pulled back, they were both racing to catch their breath. “In that case…”
