But I wanted the cameras. I wanted the entire world to know that I was hers and she was mine, and that the only person I’d ever be using those Casanova moves on was Rachel. But she wasn’t ready, because she didn’t trust me yet.
As we sat to Thanksgiving dinner, which Pax had no doubt paid a fortune to have delivered to our suite, we all took turns saying what we were thankful for.
Finally, it got to me.
“I’m thankful for our families, both biological and chosen,” I said. Then I turned to Rachel. “And second chances.”
I wouldn’t need a third.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Rachel
Queenstown, New Zealand
“We’re going to be late if you keep that up,” I said to Landon, exposing more of my neck for his mouth. The man was going to have me in a giant puddle, and I wasn’t sure I cared.
“We could stay in today,” he countered, backing me against the wall of our hotel room.
“We could,” I agreed, running my fingers through his hair. Every muscle in my body clenched with the unbelievable pleasure he sent spiraling through me. It was like my neck had a direct line to my core, and Landon was taking complete advantage. I moaned when he set his teeth to the delicate area where my neck met my shoulder.
“Yes, let’s do that,” he said as his hand slipped under my halter top and underlying bikini to cup my breast. His thumb found my nipple, and I arched, wrapping one leg around his waist.
For not having sex, we were certainly pros at the hottest make-out sessions ever.
Hard against me, he strained against the material of his cargo shorts, and I grasped him through the layers of material. He was hot and heavy in my palm, and the moan he gave me when I gently squeezed him sent a fresh wave of need through me.
“Fuck,” he said, leaning his forehead against mine as I stroked his length.
“We could, you know,” I suggested. It had been two weeks since his self-imposed celibacy, and he’d not backed down even an inch.
He grasped both my hands in his and held them against the wall above my head. “Stop trying to rob me of my virtue, Ms. Dawson.”
“Stop driving me out of my mind, Mr. Rhodes,” I complained.
He kissed me long and hot, his tongue twisting around mine, drawing every ounce of pleasure he could between our mouths. With my hands pinned, I could only accept his kiss, but I leveraged my lower body and wrapped leg to rock against him. How long could this madness continue?
Three loud slams at our door were followed by Little John’s voice.
“The van is waiting on you two. Let’s go.”
“We’re not going,” Landon called, his mouth hovering just above mine.
“Like hell you’re not. Unwrap yourself from your girlfriend and get your ass in the van now, Nova.”
Landon’s eyes raked down me. “What do you want to do?”
“I want to put you on that bed and ride you until my sexual frustration is a distant memory,” I said, nipping at his lower lip.
He growled.
“But I guess we really should go, seeing as we flew all the way down here last night, don’t you think?” I asked.
“I’m not kidding, guys!” Little John called through the door.
“Fucking fine! We need a minute.” He backed away from me and glanced down at his erection. “We need a couple minutes.”
I stalked him, and he retreated. “Don’t even think about it,” he said.
“Think about what?” I asked innocently, laughing at the absurdity of this six-foot-plus guy backing away from a five-foot-two girl.
“No,” he said, stopping and pointing a finger at me. “You touch me, and I know I’ll fucking lose it. You’ll be on your back on that bed, against the wall, in the shower, on the damned bathroom counter in less time than it would take you to count to three, and I don’t even know where to buy condoms here.”
“You didn’t bring condoms?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest. “What kind of sex god are you?”
“One trying to convince the girl of his dreams that he means serious business!”
“Well, I seriously could go for some sex!”
“I could go for you two getting your asses into the goddamned van!” Little John called out.
Laughter bubbled up through my lips, and I covered my mouth as I tried to get myself under control. “Oh my God, he must think I’m the horniest girl ever.”
Landon joined in, pulling me to his chest and kissing the top of my head. “Yeah, well, apparently I’m the prude here.”
“And I’m getting sick of asking you guys to get out here!”
We grabbed our bags and headed out the door. Little John stood with his arms folded in the hallway. “It’s about damn time.”
Landon didn’t make any excuses, just shrugged his shoulders and held his hand out for mine. I slipped mine into his, and we made our way to the van.
“For fuck’s sake, you two,” Pax called out. “We have an appointment.”
“You know what? Until one of us misses the boat, you have no room to talk about tardiness,” Landon answered with a grin as we pulled into traffic, the camera crew following in the van behind us.
“Fuck off,” Pax answered and put his arm around Leah’s shoulder.
“Later,” Landon promised in a whisper as I leaned against him, buckling my seat belt.
“Later what?” I asked.
He moved his lips next to my ear. “Later I’m going to strip you out of these shorts and bury my tongue inside you. I can’t have my girl walking around all sexually frustrated.”
I turned so fast that our lips brushed. “How about this? You get to put your mouth on me when I get to return the favor.”
“You play hardball, Ms. Dawson.”
I grinned. “Learned from the best, Mr. Rhodes.”
“I can’t remember ever wanting someone as bad as I do you, Rachel,” he whispered.
The van was crowded, but it felt like we were the only ones on the planet.
“I might know how that feels,” I told him.
He ran his thumb over my lower lip before kissing me. It was soft, lingering, and full of the barely restrained passion I knew lurked just beneath his surface.
“There’s only one thing to do when I’m this damned turned on and can’t have you.”
“And what’s that?”
“Go jump off shit.”
“Sex is comparable to cliff swinging?” I asked.
“Hell no. Sex with you blows everything out of the water. But I’ll take what I can get.”
“You can have it all,” I told him in all seriousness.
“Yeah, I know,” he said, kissing me again softly. “That’s why I’m waiting on the sex.”
Damn it. He was good.
A hot Kiwi strapped me into my harness as Landon watched. “Are you ready for this?” the guy asked with a sexy little smile.
A couple of months ago, I might have gone for him.
Now the tall guy brooding behind him was all I could handle—or want.
“Tallest cliff swing in the world? Bring it on,” I said, carefully examining the latches on my harness.
“A girl after my own heart,” he said, pulling the strap tight. The metal platform we stood on hung over 350 feet in the air, and I could already feel my body readying itself to take the plunge. I freaking loved this stuff.
“Mind if I look?” Landon asked.