Page 19 of 40 and Flashing (the Scotsman)
“Kiss me again.”
The demand firmed his cock even more than the kiss had. And their second kiss… Well, he was forced to keep that one short. Anything more and he’d be looking for someplace for them to sneak off the trail to.
When they resumed their hike, it was with Scarlett’s hand in his, fingers linked tight.
ChapterEight
Writing went well that afternoon once Scarlett was able to immerse herself, but it took a little while. The memory of Gavin’s kiss, his taste, his body made it difficult to concentrate. And that comment about seeing the castles…
She’d assumed that he was doing nothing more than passing the time while he was in town. Had she considered sex with him? Of course she had—she’d have to be dead not to. But she hadn’t considered anything beyond this week.
Gavin lived overseas. She had a life here. For anything casual, the difficulties didn’t seem worth it. She might, somewhere deep down, question what it would be like to be his; she was a romantic, after all. But it wasn’t realistic. She needed to keep viewing this situation without any rose-colored glasses. No matter what happened this week, that’s all this was—short-term fun.
Finally, two chapters later, she stood and stretched the aches from her body, then exited the office. In the living room she found Gavin asleep in the recliner, one of her books open on his lap. He looked like a little boy playing grown-up, curls falling over his forehead, those compelling eyes hidden by sleep. His long body was relaxed beneath the blanket, his sock-covered feet sticking off the edge of her chair. No drooling or snoring for this guy, definitely. The urge to smooth his hair back, discover for herself if it was as soft as it looked, if his stubble felt as good against her skin as she imagined it would, rose inside her. Gavin was worming his way beneath her guard. She’d started the week teasing the ultimate playboy, but seeing him like this evoked both tenderness and desire. The latter she could deal with, but the former…?
She was working on a simple soup-and-salad dinner when a sleepy Gavin padded into the kitchen half an hour later. “You’re awake.”
“Sorry,” he said roughly, running his fingers through the mussed curls on his head. “Jet lag and fresh air puts me right out every time.”
“I imagine so.” She gestured to dinner. “Pretty basic, but are you hungry?”
His eyes sharpened on her the slightest bit, turning him from little-boy cute to grown-man sexy in an instant. “Definitely.”
For some reason that one word made her belly clench. She cleared her throat. “Okay.”
Her croaked response brought a smile to his full lips. Trying not to think too much about his lips—or stare at them—she gestured him back to the living room. “Want to look for a Christmas movie while I set the table? We can watch after we eat.”
Gavin complied but gave her a knowing grin on his way out.
After dinner Scarlett plated up a couple of brownies she’d gotten from Claire’s bakery, heated them, then added a scoop of eggnog-flavored ice cream on the side. She topped the desserts with a couple of Hershey kisses as Gavin finished placing their dinner dishes in the dishwasher. Without thinking, she commented, “There’s nothing sexier than a man washing dishes.”
Gavin straightened. His eyes had turned whisky bright, trained on her with an intensity that dried out her mouth. “Nothing at all?”
Well, when you look at me that way…“Nothing,” she said hoarsely.
One side of his mouth quirked up. “That little white lie might get you in trouble.”
When he started across the kitchen toward her, she snatched up the dessert bowls with a squeak. “Ready for the movie?”
Gavin trailed her into the living room, chuckling at her lack of courage.
“What did you pick?” she asked, moving to the couch. The sight of Macaulay Culkin frozen on the screen made her smile.
“Home Alone.It’s my favorite Christmas movie.”
“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.” She passed Gavin his bowl as he sat next to her. “Why is it your favorite?”
“Just look at him.” Gavin pointed to the image of “Kevin,” his hair spiked from a bath, mouth open wide as he gave his trademark “Aaaah!” “He’s so damn cute; Who wouldn’t love him?”
He had a point. And though she struggled with the way Kevin’s family treated him at the beginning of the movie, it always warmed her heart to see their view of him and their relationships shift over the course of the two hours. Not to mention, Kevin’s antics with the robbers and Joe Pesci’s fake cursing were hilarious.
They sat back on the couch, thighs and shoulders touching, and dug into their desserts as the movie began. When their bowls were empty, Gavin placed them on the coffee table, gathered her against his side, and laid back into the corner of the couch, stretching out his long legs beside the bowls and pulling Scarlett’s body to recline alongside his. Cuddling.
Oh God, they were cuddling, and it felt. So. Good. She loved cuddling—in fact, aside from sex, it might be the thing she enjoyed most about dating—but most men weren’t natural cuddlers. She should have known Gavin would be. The man seemed instinctively good at anything a woman might desire, so it made sense that he was a perfect cuddler.
A long sigh escaped as she relaxed, molding her body to his side.
The onscreen antics had Gavin chuckling throughout the movie, the laughter rumbling from his chest to vibrate through her body. The longer it lasted, the more she felt her hunger ramping up, and not for food. Gavin’s muscles were heavy, his torso firm against her softness, reminding her of the feel of a man’s weight on top of her. Of how soft his mouth had been this afternoon, the perfect contrast to his body. Two kisses hadn’t been enough this afternoon; they’d been an appetizer that only made her eager for more. She hadn’t intended this as a Netflix-and-chill opportunity, but if Gavin felt the same hunger she did?
