“Me too. I always want to do more. I want to write more, write differently, take my readers to new places. Do you want to take your business to another level? Try new things with it? New flavors? Travel more? Or do something else altogether?”
She shrugged, which she knew wasn’t an answer at all. “I never really overthink things. I want to enjoy my job. I want to love it, actually, but I also love life so much. All of it, from the yucky parts to the good parts. I hope to one day find something that fits that part of my personality. I’m enjoying the jam business so much, and the flea markets, that I’m kind of hoping this feeling remains. I just wish I could know for sure now.” Pepper inched up beside them and put his head on Kurt’s leg. Kurt’s eyes never wavered from her.
“Is there some reason you are putting so much pressure on yourself? I can see you’re a little stressed over this. Do you have a career deadline?”
She laughed. “A career deadline? No, but I’m almost thirty. Shouldn’t I know what I want to do?”
He kissed her softly, and she nearly melted into him.
“My mother would say that no two people are the same and not to compare yourself to what others think you should be like.”
Kurt’s voice—and his words—soothed the rough edges of the pressure she had been putting on herself. He made her feel better about her inability to commit to a career.
“So you don’t think I’m a hopeless, reckless, nightmare?”
He smiled. “Wow. All those things and a train wreck? No. You seem like you’re very passionate, and you just haven’t figured out where to direct your energies yet. You’ll figure it out.” He shrugged. “Or you won’t, and if you don’t, you’ll have spent your life doing all sorts of things along the way that you, hopefully, enjoyed, so will it really matter?”
He leaned in closer, and she could barely breathe. He wasn’t judging her. He wasn’t telling her all the reasons she needed to make a career choice. Him of all people. Kurt Remington. The man who knew exactly what he wanted—the man who was slowly stealing little pieces of her heart.
“The truth is, most people spend more time with their jobs than they do with their spouses, so if you don’t enjoy it, you’ll…divorce it.” His voice grew serious. “Life’s too short to stay married to a career you hate. You’re probably smarter than half the people out there who are begrudgingly going to their jobs every day.”
His lips were a breath away from hers. She could smell the sweet wine on them, and she could feel the heat coming off of him in waves. She didn’t think before she spoke. She looked into his eyes, and the words came from her heart.
“Kiss me.”
His eyes narrowed, and in one gentle move, he took her in his arms and kissed her until she couldn’t think, could barely breathe. He lowered her to the blanket, still in his arms, their lips joined, their tongues colliding in a sensuous, lavish kiss. He lay beside her, one leg draped over her hips, his chest pressed to hers, breathing air into her lungs. He brushed her hair from her forehead and slid his hand to the back of her head, tilting it just enough that they both deepened the kiss. He wasn’t groping her body or pushing himself on her—and as much as she craved his big, strong hands on her body, she loved this. The closeness, the way he was kissing her, as if kissing her was all he ever needed. She’d never felt so treasured in all her life.
Pepper whined, and they drew apart, both breathing heavily.
Kurt held her face in his hands and pressed another kiss to her lips. “I like you way more than I should after just a few crazy days.” He breathed heavily.
Oh yes. Me too. She opened her mouth to say just that, but all she could manage was, “Uh-huh.” She felt her cheeks flush again.
He smiled and kissed her again.
He stroked her hair. “This is the first time I’ve really taken time off in weeks.”
“And.” Kiss me. Touch me.
“And there’s no place I’d rather be.”
She reached her hand around the back of his neck and brought his mouth to hers again. She loved kissing him. She couldn’t mess up kissing. It was the mechanics of taking clothes off and maneuvering bodies that she was worried about. But kissing? She could kiss him forever.
He ran his hand up her thigh, and her whole body shuddered. His lips slid to the corner of her mouth and he pressed a soft kiss to it; then he kissed a trail along her jaw to her neck. His strong hand gripped the outside of her upper thigh and held tight. Leanna closed her eyes and arched into him as his lips worked their way up her neck to the sensitive area below her earlobe, where he licked and kissed, then grazed his teeth along her earlobe until her heart thundered against his. She needed more of him, more of his touch, his tongue, his kisses.
He took her earlobe in his mouth and laved it with his tongue, then whispered, “I want to make love to you.”
“Yes,” she said in one long breath.
He brought his forehead to hers. “The sand?”
“Too messy?”
He looked down at the sand. “The sand will be messy, gritty, and uncomfortable, but I don’t care about any of that.” He glanced at Pepper. “But if he takes off while he’s attached to my ankle, it could get a bit awkward.”
She bit her lower lip and glanced at Pepper. “Trust me on this. You’re having sex with me; it’s going to be awkward.”
He nuzzled against her neck. “Why does that totally turn me on?” Kurt kissed her again. “This might sound lame, but I’ve never been a very adventurous guy. I’ve never had sex on a beach.”
“You? Not adventurous? You waded out into a storm and saved me. That’s pretty darn adventurous. But I’ve never had sex on a beach either.”
He cocked his head to the side. “My free spirit”—he kissed her neck—“beautiful Leanna”—he kissed her lips—“has never had sex on a beach? But you’ll whip off your clothes in my living room and put on my sweatshirt when you’ve known me five minutes?”
She was still relishing in his use of the word my. “I knew you about thirty minutes, and there’s a big difference. I’m not shy about being seen naked, but being caught in a compromising position? Not such a pretty sight.” She looked up and down the beach. They were alone, tucked against the side of a dune. The moon reflected off of the ocean, the waves lapped at the shore, and Leanna’s heart thundered inside her chest. At the moment Pepper was being very well behaved, lying in the sand beside them, and the idea of getting out from under tender and sexy Kurt did not seem appealing at all.
Nervousness and desire vibrated through her body. “I’m game if you’re game.”
“Oh, baby, with you? I don’t know what you’ve done to me, but I’m game for just about anything as long as it doesn’t involve a broom or broken glass.”
He covered her mouth with his and kissed her until the last of her worries about being seen and feeling out of sync slipped away, and all that remained was the feel of his full lips, his hard body against her, and the sound of the breaking waves. Kurt’s hand moved along her thigh, and her whole body went hot. She arched into him, and he pressed his cheek to hers.