Page 6 of Shortcake
As our kiss ended, his teeth scraped my bottom lip, leaving just the faintest whisper of delicious pain.
Breathless, I took his hand and pulled him to his feet. “So, what do you say? A nightcap back at my room?”
My heart sank when he didn’t answer me. “Come on. It’s just one drink,” I prodded again.
He tilted his head, as though inwardly contemplating what I’d just said. Even though I was the one pushing to get out of here, my breath wedged in my throat as he leaned in, his predatory gaze never leaving mine. Smiling, he lifted his beer, finishing it in a swallow. “I think we both know it’s not just going to be one drink.”
I pressed my lips together to stop the smile from splitting my face. “Oh, Brawny. I’m counting on it.”
* * *
My eyes crackedopen in time to see that sunrise hadn’t quite yet begun. It was still a hazy mix of blue and gray outside with just the tiniest sliver of orange sunrise peeking through the cheap motel curtains. I distantly registered the sounds of quiet shuffling. When the room finally came into bleary focus, I blinked against what I saw in front of me.
Brawny shoving his wallet and belongings into his pockets, getting ready to skip out on me before the sun was even fully up. He paused, his hand hovering over my set of keys resting on the dresser before he lifted the Lake Winnisquam charm. He turned the cheap plastic over in his fingers, a small smile on his face.
“Leaving so soon?” I rasped.
Brawny jumped a little, dropping the keychain from his fingers, but recovered quickly. “Hey,” he said quietly. “Lake Winnisquam. I haven’t thought of that place in years.”
“You know it?”
“I went to camp there when I was a kid. It was the only time I ever left the city.” He shifted his gaze, eying me carefully like he was trying to decipher some sort of treasure map. Odd behavior for a guy who was about to skip out without saying goodbye. “Did you used to camp there, too?”
I nodded because it was the truth. I did camp there.I also live there.
“Huh,” he said with a little chuckle. “Small world.”
I sat up taller, pulling the sheets up to cover myself. “I know we said one night, no names. But I thought I’d atleastget a goodbye.”
I watched him approach as he scrubbed at his forehead and crossed back to the bed. His gaze was unsurprisingly guarded, but also held an edge of wildness like storm clouds in the distance. They dipped, tracing my body in a slow sweep, over my waist, hips, and finally lingering on my breasts as though he had x-ray vision and could see my body beneath the sheet.
“I didn’t want to wake you,” he said, lowering to sit beside me on the edge. “But you’re right, I’m sorry. You deserve a proper goodbye.”
Though his words were sweet and calm, his expression was a cyclone of unspoken emotions. Slowly, he took the back of my neck and pulled my mouth to his.
Our last kiss started way slower and sweeter than our first kiss as his perfect mouth slid over top of mine. A gentle exploration of tongues and lips that left me spinning and feeling like the room was tipping on its side.
The sheet fell from my hands and the cool air sweeping in from the open window brushed over my already hard nipples. He wasted no time, palming my breasts in his large, calloused hands. The pinch of his fingers against my nipples tore a hoarse groan from my throat which he promptly swallowed with his kiss.
Primal heat and desire pulsed within the molecules of what little space was between us as he licked deeper and harder into my mouth, pressing me back against the mattress. Hungry, desperate sounds rose from my chest as his marble thigh pressed between my drenched legs with perfect pressure.
Somewhere outside, a police siren passed, loud and jarring, stirring us out of the sexual haze. As quickly as it started, his mouth broke away from mine, leaving me half-bared to him, panting and needy- sprawled on the bed for him.
“Shit,” he muttered. “I really do need to go.”
“How about dinner tonight?” I blurted out before I could change my mind. Then, I added, “Still no names. No details. But dinner. And one more night together before I leave for home in the morning.”
He braced a hand on the wall above the nightstand, adjusting the bulge in his pants. “A two-night stand?”
“I had reservations for Joe Allen’s tonight at six. But I can make it later if you need—”
“Six works,” he said, his voice edgy and rough in that way I was beginning to recognize.
No, it was bad that I recognized the different tones in his voice. You aren’t supposed to interpret the sounds of your rebound one-night stand—two-night stand. You were supposed to wham, bam, thank you ma’am. Or rather whir, purr, thank you sir.
“I’ll see you at six at Joe Allen’s,” he said with a nod.
“See you at six, Brawny.”
