Страница 44 из 60
Which she squeezed.
She couldn’t help it. It was a very squeezable butt.
Ford ran his thumb across her nipple while his mouth did something decadent to her neck. She could feel him hard and ready, and she rubbed shamelessly against him, soaking up the feel of him, his scent. She opened her mouth to speak but he nibbled her bottom lip and then kissed her again, making her moan.
“Tell me this is leading back to one of our beds,” he said a little hoarsely when they broke apart for air. “I don’t care whose.”
Everything inside her wanted to say oh yes, please. “And then what?” she asked, holding her breath.
“And then I’m going to get you naked, and make you a very, very happy woman. All night long.”
That sounded good, but she knew herself well enough to know that by morning, she’d be left fighting the emotions that being with him like this brought. She’d be all that much closer to the point of no return, at least for her heart. Ford was an amazing guy, a good guy. Maybe even The Guy for her-but not just for a night. Or were they past that now? She’d lost their place, she wasn’t sure, and more than that, she was afraid. Still so very afraid that this was out of her reach. “And then…?”
“And then all day long,” he murmured against her skin, ru
Yes. Yes, she knew he could do just that. And she also knew he was missing what she was getting at. That maybe he was missing it on purpose. “Ford, wait.”
He didn’t. He was, in fact, very busy trailing wet, open-mouthed kisses along her throat, silencing any protest she might have made.
And for a minute, she let him. She couldn’t help it. He kissed like heaven on earth, and before she knew it she was kissing him. When they were breathless, he cupped her face in his hands, letting his lips brush her temple, her jaw. Then he dipped his tongue into the hollow at the base of her throat, and she felt a shiver wrack her entire body. Her fingers were in his hair now, and she couldn’t let go. “Ford? And then what?”
He lifted his head. There was no mistaking the hunger and desire on his beautiful face, or the confusion as he gave one short shake of his head. “What is it?” he asked. “What do you want to hear? Tell me.”
No. She didn’t want to have to do that. “Never mind. Just quick, kiss me and shut me up.”
He did without question, and this time she had to lock her knees. Because it was too late to protect herself, far too late to worry about if she deserved to fall for him because she already had.
Again.
Oh, God. Just the thought left her wobbly. This was going to require a lot of obsessing, and maybe some more chips. Certainly a bottle of wine, and in all likelihood her sisters as well. Not for their wisdom, but to smack her upside the head for even secretly yearning for this.
For him.
For keeps.
“I’m sorry. I have to go,” she whispered, still plastered to him like a second skin.
“What?”
She grimaced at herself for being a coward. “Early morning.”
Something in her voice must have alerted him to the impending meltdown because he let her pull away, not stopping her when she straightened her dress, or when she left him on the dock.
He let her go without a word; without asking anything of her.
And wasn’t that the entire problem in a nutshell? He let her go.
He always let her go.
Chapter 20
“Remember, you’re unique. And so is everyone else.”
TARA DANIELS
The next morning, their guests left before dawn. The woman assured Tara that everything had been great, and then asked for a sample of the oil to go.
Tara put Mia to work sweeping the wood floors, which seemed to gather dust faster than a fat dog could gather fleas. “Careful not to stir it all up into the air,” Tara told her. “It irritates Chloe’s throat, and she’ll need to use her inhaler.”
“It’s sweet that you worry about her,” Mia said.
Tara laughed. She, Chloe, and Maddie were just about anything but sweet. No, scratch that, because Maddie was sweet. Tara and Chloe? Not so much.
Mia disappeared upstairs to sweep the hallway, and Tara met with Maddie in the marina office to go over paperwork. Chloe was allergic to paperwork more than dust, so she was outside in the sun, on a yoga mat in the downward-facing-dog position. By the time Tara returned to the i
“Shh!” This came from behind the bathroom door. “She’ll hear.”
Mia’s voice, followed by Carlos’s soft laugh, and a second more emphatic “Shh” from Mia.
Dammit. Dammit, Tara thought. They were in there messing around. Now see, this was why animals ate their young. Ready to rumble, she whipped open the door and blinked.
Her daughter and Carlos sat on the countertop, separated by the sink. Mia had a laptop on her thighs, the screen facing Carlos, who was cracking up. At the sight of her, he sobered and got to his feet. “Ms. Daniels.”
Weak with relief that they weren’t having sex, Tara leaned back against the door, then realized they were staring at her. “You’re not working,” she said.
“Well, not exactly,” Mia said. “But it is about the i
“Mia-” Carlos tried to block the view. “Not a good idea-”
“She’s going to find out sooner or later, and it might as well be from us.” Mia revealed the screen. Facebook, of course, the bane of Tara’s existence. She’d been forewarned by Logan, but it was another thing entirely to see it herself.
The picture was grainy and blurry, probably from a cell phone, but it was clear enough. Tara, climbing onto Ford’s boat with her basket of muffins, followed by the line:
A secret rendezvous between a certain sexy sailing champion and a very beautiful i
There was another pic of Ford and Tara standing on the marina dock. The shot was incredibly revealing and intimate, Ford trapping Tara against a pylon, his mouth devouring hers. Tara’s hands were fisted in his shirt, and he had one hand tangled in her hair, the other tightly wrapped around her back.
Guess this leaves superstar NASCAR driver Logan Perrish out in the cold. No worries, Logan, we’re ru
Tara stared at the screen in horror. “Did you-”
“No,” Mia said quickly. “I didn’t take either pic. Neither of us did. You have a spy. I was about to post a comment that people need to mind their own stinking business and leave you to yours.”
Tara smiled grimly. “You don’t know the locals here very well yet. Minding their own business isn’t a strong suit.”
Carlos turned to the door. “I should go. I got something to do…”
When he’d vanished, Tara raised a brow at Mia, who shrugged. “He’s the tough guy at his school. But you scare him.”
“I’ve never scared him.”
“You do. He’s worried you’re going to kill him.”
Tara paused. “Has he given me a reason to kill him?”
“It’s more that he thinks you can read minds, and that you’ll kill him for what’s on his. Boys are kind of obvious that way, you know?”
Yes, Tara knew. She just didn’t like that Mia knew.
“You won’t kill him, right?” Mia asked.
Tara sighed. “Do you like him that much?”
“Yes. I love him,” her daughter said without hesitation.
“Love? Mia, it’s only been-”
“I know what I feel,” her daughter said with the conviction of a seventeen-year-old. She shut the laptop and leaned back against the counter. “Remember when you said you’d answer any question I might have? Does that still stand?”