Page 51 of Cruise Control

With that kind of encouragement he deepened the kiss, taking his hands from her head and running them down the sides of her body, bringing them around to her lower back, pulling her even closer.

God, was this what they'd been missing out on? His mouth felt so good. It felt like tiny explosions were going off all over her body, each one screaming "holy shit, Parker is kissing me". Something she had never thought would happen.

Something she had really,reallywanted to happen, it turned out.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to kiss him in a way that would show him she was feeling everything he was doing to her. Electricity was now running the entire length of her body, making her feel like she was coming alive for the first time ever, and she regretted every moment she'd spent convincing herself she shouldn’t pursue this man. She wanted more of him, she wanted toallof him. She wanted him to feel all of her, wanted him to claim her body the way he was claiming her mouth.

He groaned against her lips and slowly pulled away, resting his forehead against hers. They were both breathing heavy now, and the rain had picked up a little, but neither of them moved. Paige didn’t want the moment to end – it had been a long time coming.

“I’m sorry,” Parker finally whispered.

“Excuse me?” she asked. How could he be sorry? That kiss had been one of the most perfect moments in her life. She was kicking herself for all the wasted time they had spentnotkissing, and he was apologizing?

“I’m sorry. I didn’t ... I wasn’t thinking. You just, you make me crazy sometimes,” he said softly, finally lifting his head. But he didn’t look at her. He gazed down the street, his jaw clenched.

She was about to get offended, but then realization dawned on her. He wasscared. Scared of her. Scared of her reaction. She almost laughed. She'd given him good reason to be, she'd always presented herself as a closed book. Was standoffish. She thought of a few moments ago, when she'd been terrified that she might have done something that would make him want to separate. He was probably feeling the exact same way.

“Hey,” she said softly, and he finally turned to look at her. “I've been waiting for you to do that since Mississippi.”

A smile slowly spread across his face and his eyes lit up. It was like watching clouds lift to reveal a sunny day.

When did I start living for his smiles?

He leaned his forehead against hers again, but this time he didn’t look down. He looked her right in the eye.

“I've been waiting to do that since Alabama,” he countered, and she blinked in surprise.

“What took you so long?” she asked in a loud voice, and he laughed.

“Paige, your communication skills suck.”

And then he was kissing her again.

~9~

“... you dirty minded pervert ...”

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