“I can show you just how much trouble my mouth can get into.” He quirked a brow and gave a wry smile.
Totally smug. And yet it worked for him. Because, heck, my body was willing and ready for his mouth in any capacity. His Adam’s apple slid down his throat as he swallowed. Guys like Ryan needed to be taken down a peg—that much confidence on anyone would surely go to their heads, but I couldn’t bring myself to deflate his ego. Not when that ego directly correlated with potential relief from my dry spell.
I drew in a breath, enjoying the scent of his shampoo. My lips were inches from the soft flesh of his neck, his hair a shaggy mess over his ears. Something magnetic pulled me into his orbit. What would his skin taste like? My mouth was close enough that I could get one lick in, just a quick taste. No harm in that, right? Any resolve that held me back wafted away with the slight breeze that ruffled his waves.
So what if I kissed this guy on a first non-date? Maybe the kiss would be so bad that I’d lose all interest in him. Or maybe it’d be great, and then I’d be in even bigger shit. Either way, I had to find out for sure.
I closed the distance and lightly flicked my tongue over his skin, planting a soft kiss below his ear, his sweet skin mixed with saltwater. An intoxicating groan came from his throat, vibrating against my lips. My center throbbed. God, if he sounded this sexy with just a kiss, how would he sound doing other things?
He shifted his head down, his rough stubble grazing across my cheek. We stayed there a moment, neither of us moving, our universe at the tipping point. This kiss would either send me into a tailspin on a blazing crash course into the hard earth, or have me rocketing to space.
Either way, I’d pushed us to the point of no return.
He pulled away, as if he could sense my hesitation. His eyes searched mine, asking silent permission as his tongue ran across his lips.
Screw it. I’d mold the universe into what I wanted.
I shifted out from underneath him and, in one swift movement, I rolled to straddle his legs and shoved his shoulders until his back slammed against the bed of the truck.
Lowering my face within an inch of his, I said, “Hit me with your best shot.”
His breath rushed out, a swirl of mint and graham cracker caressing my face. He knocked the cap off my head, grabbing the back of my hair, and pulled me into a kiss.
Our lips met, tongues pushing, fighting for control. My fingers tugged through his curls, our fevered tempo had me fighting for breath as the world around me fell away. He nipped at my bottom lip, and a shudder wracked through my bones. I was lost in his warm lips, his tongue, falling, falling, falling, until I was sure if we stopped I would collide with the ground at earth-shattering speed. His hands cupped my ass, his erection pressing into my stomach, and as I ground my hips into him, he groaned, the sound vibrating against my lips.
His hands worked their way up my shirt, skimming across every curve, cupping my breasts. I arched my back, my nipples hardening as I pushed farther into his palms, wanting more than anything for his hands, his mouth, to be on the other side of the fabric.
As my hands slid from his hair down his body, gripping his biceps, a giggle rang out from the distance.
Payton.
The Ryan-induced haze lifted momentarily, warning bells rattling against my skull. No guy had ever made me feel this way, so willing to give up everything with the flick of a tongue. I moved off him and sat on the edge of the tailgate, legs dangling over the edge, still a little breathless.
“Was that enough of a demonstration?” he said as he pushed a hand through his hair. “Or do you need more?”
God, I needed more. Which was exactly why I should debate this when I didn’t have his taste biasing my opinion. Just one kiss sent a tsunami of endorphins flooding my arteries. If I wasn’t careful, I’d drown in the wake.
Chapter Twelve
Ryan
That hadn’t gone as expected. Kissing was mechanical, a means to an end. But the second my lips touched Jules’s, it was like someone had punched me in the gut and tasered me at the same time. It made me feel, something I hadn’t done with a girl in a very long time. Which, quite frankly, scared the shit out of me. I was supposed to be the one doing the summer fling seducing voodoo and it took one kiss from this girl to slay me. I knew I needed to keep this casual, but the thought of not kissing Jules again left my stomach feeling gutted. I needed more of her.
Everything about Jules was different from anything I’d experienced. Something other than the fact that she looked sexy in my Baylor hat, which made me then wonder how hot she’d look in just the hat. Sprawled out on my bed. Yeah, I needed to put the brakes on that.
Like a cold shower, Dad sat in his office, reading something on his computer when I came in at a quarter past two.
“Have fun, son?”