In Safe Hands (Search and Rescue #4)(82)

The kiss got a little deeper, a little harder, and Daisy discovered that his hair was just long enough to grab. From his heavy breathing, she was pretty sure he didn’t mind the light tugs on his scalp. It had been a long time since she’d been kissed, since the fumbling experiments in high school, but she didn’t worry about her technique. Her brain was completely occupied with feeling, so there was no room to think.

When he nipped on her bottom lip, she sucked in a quick breath. Chris took advantage of her parted lips, invading her mouth with his tongue, and she groaned. As if that sound was a trigger, he went wild. Rolling them so they were on their sides, he freed his hands to roam—and roam they did. Despite being distracted by his lips and teeth making their way down the side of her throat, Daisy was intensely aware of the placement of those hands.

With her head tilted back to give his mouth access to her neck, she moaned as both of his palms slid under the hem of her tank top. That motion gave her hands the green light to explore, and she slid them over the back of his head and down his neck. His bare back was hot beneath her touch. She was fascinated by the shifting of his muscles under his skin.

She stroked his shoulder blades, making him shiver as he nipped right above her collarbone. Jerking in his hold, she unintentionally dug her short nails into his back, and he made a hungry noise in response. Surprised by his reaction, she curled her fingers again, and he made the same sound. Daisy smiled, liking that she could drive him just as crazy as he’d been making her for years.

His head rose, and her happy expression changed to a frown. “Why are you stopping?” She cringed at the slight whine in her voice, but it couldn’t be over so soon. She’d waited such a long time for Chris to make a move, and they’d barely started kissing. Daisy wanted more time—much more. Even if her issues meant they would never have a future together, she at least wanted the present.

“You okay?” His voice was hoarse and breathless, his pupils dilated more than the dim room required.

“Not if we’re stopping,” she said.

He laughed, just a short huff. “You’re sure you want this?”

“Yes. Now quit trying to talk it to death and get back down here.” Both of her hands returned to his head so she could pull his mouth down to hers. His chuckle was cut off abruptly, but she still felt it against her lips. Then the intensity returned, and neither of them were laughing.

He pulled back, attempting to peel her tank top over her head. Once she figured out what he was trying to do, she quit chasing his lips and pushed up to a sitting position. His expression turned wary, as if he thought she might be pulling away, but he relaxed when she grabbed her bottom hem and yanked it up and off.

Chris made another one of his wordless sounds. “You’re beautiful.”

The cool air hitting her skin made her realize how exposed she was, sitting in just her panties, but the feeling was short-lived. Chris grabbed her, pulling her over him as he turned onto his back so their bare chests were pressed together. It felt like an electric shock when their skin connected, only without the pain.

Daisy sucked in a breath, her eyes closing as she absorbed the unfamiliar sensation.

“Okay?” Chris asked, and she nodded, her eyes still shut.

“Mm.”

“Is that a good ‘mm’ or a bad ‘mm’?” Although he still sounded breathless, there was a thread of humor running through his words.

Opening her eyes, she lifted off him enough to glare. “Well, it was a good ‘mm’ until you got the giggles.”

“I don’t giggle.” He sounded quite offended, which, contrarily enough, made Daisy want to laugh. She kept her expression serious with an effort.

“Or whimper.”

“Exactly.” His eyes narrowed in a way that made her shiver. “Were you planning on talking some more, or can I kiss you again?”

She made the motion of zipping her lips. With a growl, he lunged up to meet her mouth, pulling her head down at the same time. Flipping her onto her back, he straddled her with his knees on either side of her hips. His hands stroked over her shoulders and cupped her breasts. The heat that ran through her almost brought her off the mattress.

His mouth followed his hands, and that was even better. As he kissed and nipped over the sensitive skin of her belly, his fingers hooked into the sides of her panties. He skimmed them down her legs and off, and Daisy tensed when she realized she was completely naked.

“Wait…” she started, but then his fingers and his mouth landed between her legs. “Oh! I changed my mind. Don’t wait! Please, don’t wait.”

The vibration of his chuckles against her made her squirm and clutch handfuls of his hair again. As the tension built, she tugged harder. A tiny part of her worried that she was hurting him, but she was too caught up in the new and crazily intense pleasure to let go.

“Am I—oh!” She jolted at an especially electric touch of his tongue.

He lifted his head just enough to ask, “Are you…what?”

As his breath blew against her most sensitive spot, she forgot for a moment what she was about to say. “Am I pulling too—mm, that’s nice—hard?”

The feel of his husky laughter almost made her levitate. “No.” His teeth lightly scored her inner thigh, and she sucked in an audible breath. “It’s making me hot.”