Summer Days (Fool's Gold #7)(53)
With dinner finished and the dishes washed, the rest of the evening stretched before them. May and Glen planned to go to a movie after their meal, which meant they wouldn’t be coming home for another three hours. Maybe more. The night was young, the sun just setting, and Heidi was terrified she was going to say or do something humiliating. Her only option seemed to be escape.
She swallowed the last of her wine, possibly a mistake considering she was already a little buzzed from her first glass, and stood.
“I, ah, should get some paperwork finished.”
Rafe rose. “You sure? I thought we could go for a walk.”
“In the dark?”
“I’ll protect you.”
She wanted to say yes. Wanted to spend time with him, talking to him and maybe more. But her fear was greater. With her blood pumping and her hormones doing their best to convince her to be wild, she was very likely to say or do something humiliating. Escape was the safest route.
“Maybe another time,” she murmured, moving back, anxious to get to the door. Once there, she could run for the stairs and make it to her room before disaster struck.
“Are you all right?”
“Fine. Great. Better than great.”
She gave him what she hoped was a brilliant smile and turned. Unfortunately she’d gone back farther than she’d realized and, in her haste, plowed directly into the cabinets. Her momentum was such that she staggered back and started to trip. Rafe caught her before she could tumble. He took hold of her arms and turned her so she was facing him.
His eyes were dark as night. His face all hard planes and sharp angles. Her gaze settled on his mouth as she remembered how good the kissing had been.
Then, she didn’t have to rely on memories, because he drew her close and pressed his lips against hers.
He tasted of the wine. Strong arms surrounded her, making her feel both secure and delicate. Female to his male. Her body nestled into his, her br**sts flattening against his chest, her thighs pillowing his. She lifted her arms to wrap around his neck, her fingers burying themselves in his hair.
The kiss was everything she remembered. Tender and demanding at the same time. Taking and yielding. She parted her lips and waited a heartbeat for his tongue to brush against hers. Wanting turned liquid. Hunger swept through her, like the tide coming in.
She tilted her head so they could deepen the kiss. He moved his hands up and down her back before sliding them to her waist. He paused there, as if waiting for her to decide what happened next.
There were options, she thought hazily. She could step back, say good-night and run away. The safe course, the sensible course. Or…
There it was. That delicious word. The road to possibilities. Or. Or she could give in to the need, find out if Rafe was as good as he looked, if she could satisfy him, if they were as well matched as she imagined. And she’d imagined a lot.
In truth, there wasn’t a choice. She’d made it the second she’d kissed him back. So why pretend otherwise?
She dropped her hands to his shoulders and squeezed. A silent invitation for more.
He responded immediately, moving his hands higher. Even as his large hands closed over her br**sts, he shifted so that he was kissing her jaw, then her neck. He trailed his mouth to her ear, where he nipped at the lobe before licking the sensitive skin beneath.
At the same time, his hands closed over her br**sts. He took the weight of her in his palms, using his fingers and thumbs to tease her tight ni**les.
The combination of sensations overwhelmed her. Pleasure poured through her, making her want to cry out. Her legs trembled. The sensitive flesh between her legs swelled. She ached for him to touch her everywhere.
He continued to kiss his way down her neck to her collarbone. When he reached the edge of her T-shirt, he dropped his hands to the hem, drew back and pulled it off in one easy tug. Her bra followed as quickly.
Heidi was startled by the progression, but before she could figure out if she was comfortable or not, he bent down and closed his mouth over her right nipple. He drew in the tight bud and sucked. His tongue circled and flicked, sending jolts of need directly to the center of her being. At the same time, he cupped the other breast, his fingers matching the movements of his tongue.
She found herself growing weaker by the second. Her head fell back, her hair brushing against her bare skin. She hung on to him for balance, and because he was the only stable part of her rapidly spinning world.
He switched places on her br**sts, replacing his fingers with his mouth, and vice versa. Her breathing increased as she hung on to him. With each tug of his mouth, she found herself more and more aroused. Blood became sluggish; wanting grew. Every inch of her was sensitized, so that even the brush of his arm against her belly was erotic.
He moved his hands to her shoulders and pulled her hard against him. His mouth covered hers. She kissed him deeply, meeting him stroke for stroke. Their bodies strained together. She felt his erection, hard and thick, and rubbed herself against him.
He reached between them, fumbling with the waistband of her jeans. She felt his fingers tremble as he undid the button, then pulled down the zipper.
He turned her so her back was to his front. As her rear nestled his arousal, he cupped one of her br**sts in his left hand and slipped his right inside her jeans and beneath her panties.
He found his way between her legs, to the wet, swollen heart of her. She felt as if she’d been ready for days, so the first stroke of his fingers caused her to gasp in both pleasure and approval. He circled and rubbed, moved his fingers back and forth.