Saltwater Kisses (The Kisses Series, #1)

“Would you like to come back to my place?” I blurted out, the wine making me bold. I held in a nervous giggle, but I was sure I looked ridiculous. I certainly felt ridiculous; there was no way a man as handsome, charming, and wealthy as Jack would ever come back with me to my room. Things like that don’t happen to me. Men don’t look at me like that.

“I thought you would never ask,” he said with a pleased smile. I couldn’t believe my luck. I stood up slowly and tucked the chair neatly into the table. Jack offered me his elbow, and together we sauntered out of the restaurant and back towards the beach.

We walked up the beach, the moon shining down like a giant spotlight. White tipped waves shushed the darkness as we approached. I had never seen so many stars in the sky; they seemed to go on forever. I wished the walk was longer so I could hold on to the moment and keep it in my mind forever. Everything was perfect. The ocean was perfect. The man holding my arm like a gentleman was perfect. The evening had been perfect and I was terrified that it was all going to end the moment I stepped on my porch.

Chapter 4

The porch creaked slightly as I stepped up and unlocked the door. I could feel him move in behind me, resting his weight on an arm against the door frame. I turned slowly, captured against the door and his body. His masculine scent made my knees feel weak, and my throat felt dry as he leaned over me, his eyes searching mine. His expression was intense, almost threatening; I looked up into those hazel eyes, the moonlight making them shine with something I wanted. Desire. He wanted me. The thought alone made me shiver with anticipation, as he brought his hand to my neck and pulled my lips towards his.

His mouth was hot against mine, his tongue probing gently at my lips, asking to taste me. I opened my mouth and he shifted his weight to kiss me fully. He explored me in a slow and thorough manner before pulling back. His eyes gleamed with an aching hunger that held me captive. I wanted him more than anything.

He pushed me back until I bumped against the door. His mouth skimmed my jaw, down to my throat, his teeth grazing my skin and his five-o-clock shadow scratching gently. He pressed a thigh between my legs, sending heat through my belly and then south. I whimpered for more, the noise low in my throat.

“You want to invite me in?” he whispered in my ear. Goosebumps ran down my arms, but not from cold.

“Why? Are you a vampire?” I asked with a wry smile.

He didn’t answer but instead kissed me again, drawing me to him like a magnet. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled on my waist, guiding me through the open door. He released me and I felt woozy on my feet from his kisses. The door thudded softly shut and I licked my lips.

He was perfect in the moonlight. His shoulders were broad, tapering into a tight waist and an ass that my fingers itched to squeeze. The darkness and the wine made me bold, my desire growing by the minute. His eyes caught mine and he smiled, knowing that I was checking him out. Those eyes turned up the flame growing in my belly, now spreading north and south, filling my core with need. The sexual tension wrapped around us like taut guitar strings, filling the room with vibrating desire.

His hands grabbed my hips again, pulling me into him with strong fingers. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, tangling my fingers in his hair as we stumbled towards the bedroom. A part of me told me that I should stop, that I should think this through, but the other voices in my head quickly drowned her out; I wanted him more than I wanted to breathe.

Before we got to the bed, he ran his fingertips up my sides, his touches reading the curves of my body. His eyes were locked with mine, and the smoldering flame within them silenced even that last voice that resisted him. We held this position, and the intensity of the moment made it stretch out for what seemed like an eternity. Then, as if on cue, we both went in for another kiss.

As our tongues locked, I felt my body surrender to him. I wanted him, and I would do anything to have him. I felt like we were on our own little island, marooned in our own little shack, and nothing else that went on around us mattered. His hands went back down to my hips, and his fingers began to pull upward, bunching my sundress up. With every stroke of his finger against my hip, I felt shivers up my spine. His hands shifted further behind me, and as the bottom of my dress reached his fingers, I felt him lightly touch my ass.

My own hands went to his chest, his white t-shirt the only thing between me and those solid pectorals of his. I pulled at the shirt, and as his arms flew upward I could feel the hem of my dress fall back down. I sheepishly laughed, but as he threw his shirt on the floor, I got my first look at that muscular chest of his. My hands went to it, my palms rubbing against the muscles, feeling him. I came back in for another kiss.