He studied her for a moment. “If I told you that at the bar the other night, part of me really was hoping for another tumble, would you think less of me?”
Her skin burned under his hand, wanting more, and her imagination kicked into overdrive. The shift in subject caught her off guard, but it didn’t feel forced. In fact, the suggestion was enticing. She tried to keep her tone light. “I didn’t figure you were there for the crappy selection of on tap beer.”
“I mean a tumble with you.”
She started to tell him she doubted that, but it died in the back of her throat when she saw the sincerity in his expression. They were past swapping insults. She should pull away, but the thought wasn’t enough to make her act. “You know this is a bad idea.”
With his finger, he traced a line down her cheek to her jaw. “I don’t know anything like that. I’m also not stopping you from leaving.”
She didn’t want to argue anymore. She was tired of the parrying and deflection and pretending not to notice how intense the spark between them was. The close, unguarded warmth jostled loose a memory she hadn’t seen in ages—lunchtime on their first day of high school over a decade ago. All her friends were on a different schedule, and she’d found an isolated spot under a tree to eat alone. A guy, whose posture and gorgeous blue eyes radiated confidence, approached and floored her by asking if he could share her tree.
She’d accepted, and the next couple of years flowed from easy banter and people watching into something more. By the start of their junior year, it had been him with his back to the same tree trunk, and her sitting between his legs, his arms draped around her neck.
Something ached in Rae’s chest as the memory faded but didn’t vanish. She leaned into his touch. “I don’t have anywhere else to be.”
He nipped her bottom lip with his teeth before he rested his forehead against hers. “Not that we’re making a habit of this.”
She pressed closer, every inch of her screaming for more. A voice whispered through her mind that she’d make it a habit in an instant, if she thought she could get away with it. “Of course not. Stress relief, right?”
“Right. Sure.” He ran his mouth along her jaw, down to her throat, and kissed along her collarbone. His voice was muffled. “I don’t even care what we call it.”
She ignored the implication that this might mean more. Falling for him almost destroyed her all those years ago, and that memory was at least as powerful as the good ones. But damn it, this felt right.
She tilted her head back with a sigh, closing her eyes, sinking into the sensations. He traced a line along her ear with his tongue and caught her earlobe between his teeth. The things that turned her on had shifted, become more refined, since back then. And he still managed to push a button—draw a new flare of pleasure—wherever he touched. She whimpered at the current that raced through her entire body.
“That sound does wicked things to me.” His growl filled her head. He twisted his fingers in her hair and yanked her head back, his mouth finding hers. The sharp jerk spiked her desire. He kissed her hard, and she pushed back, teeth cutting into the inside of her lip. Hunger consumed her thoughts.
He turned them, so her back was to the couch, and nudged until her butt collided with it.
The power in his voice and strength in his grip were enticing and frightening at the same time. Not that Zach scared her, but her reactions to him bordered on terrifying. She struggled to close the door on her heart and still focus on the warmth of his mouth.
Her feelings burst through the gate and intertwined with her and the moment. Her mind complained that was bad. The rest of her let the emotion flow through her. It mingled with his touch. Heightened her response. Sang in her heart and along her skin. She pressed closer to him, memorizing every inch of his hard body pressed against hers.
She’d deal with getting over Zach later. Right now, feeling him was all that mattered.
Chapter Ten
It had taken the rest of Zach’s self-restraint to play it cool when Rae showed up on his doorstep, passionate anger flashing in her eyes, and his control rapidly evaporated the longer she stuck around. It probably wasn’t the best idea to indulge this craving, but the last few months had worn on Zach, and if this was the one time he didn’t have to hold back, he was diving into it.
He exposed her neck, and trailed his tongue down the soft skin. Her whimpers—in sharp contrast to the shell she wore when they argued—spurred him on. He wanted her now and wasn’t in the mood to play anymore.