Diego obliterated all memories of prior kisses. His mouth was deliciously teasing as his tongue glided against mine before he drew back and dropped kisses on each corner of my lips. I was already in danger of melting as rapidly as ice under hot sunlight. When he did that, I whimpered, my fingers digging into the corded muscles along his spine as I pressed closer.
Along with that fiery heat dancing through my veins, there was a tug low in my belly, and my pulse thundered through my body. He played with my mouth with lazy teases of his tongue and lingering kisses.
I could hardly believe it as I plastered myself against him, my nipples tight and achy, and wet heat slick between my thighs. His lips blazed a path away from my mouth, pressing hot, open kisses along the underside of my jaw, his teeth grazing the side of my neck.
“Diego,” I pleaded, rocking my hips restlessly against him.
The sound of a car door in the distance punctured the haze of fierce need clouding my mind. Diego lifted his head, but he didn’t step away, keeping me held in a full body clench against him.
Sweet hell. I wanted to stay in this singular spot in the universe for the rest of my life, held tight against his strong body.
Chapter Six
Diego
Gemma stared up at me, her eyes glazed, her cheeks pink, and her lips kiss-swollen. Meanwhile, every beat of my heart was like flint against stone and sent sparks flying through me.
I was almost shaken. I had control, but just barely. It had been over five years since any girl got to me like this. I thought it wasn’t even possible anymore. That I’d been burned enough that it left skid marks on my heart as a reminder of what not to do.
I knew I wanted Gemma, but with desire there was never a guarantee emotion would tangle inside of it. With her, a rush of emotion and a sense of protectiveness twined like vines within my need for her.
I managed to breathe, and another car door slammed nearby. It took all the discipline I had to ease my hold on Gemma’s sweet curves and take a step back.
If anyone happened to walk by our vehicles now, they would see us standing at a respectable distance apart. A gust of wind blew, sending a loose curl across her cheek. Without thinking, I lifted my hand and brushed it away from her eyes, tucking it behind her ear. I almost kissed her again when she bit her lip, and I felt the subtle tremor run through her.
“It sounds like I might see you for a yoga class at the resort. Maybe I could take you to dinner at the lodge soon,” I commented.
She licked her lips, and my already aching cock suffered through another jolt of fiery pressure.
“Maybe?” There was a lilt in her voice at the end of the word.
“Let me clarify. Let me take you to dinner there. Just for the food.”
Gemma’s cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink, and she let out a husky laugh. “Just the food? I might hold you to that.”
“Well now, I’m not promising only the food. Maybe another kiss.”
At that moment, the sound of footsteps crossing the gravel parking lot carried to us. Reaching around Gemma, I pushed the passenger door closed because she hadn’t shut it completely earlier. At the sound of the click, I said, “I’ll wait until you go. Text me your choice: a plane ride, or dinner.”
Gemma bit her lip and nodded quickly before hurrying around her car to climb in. I watched when she drove away and waved good night to Elias and Cammi who were locking up the coffee shop.
One week later
“Dude, I can’t believe you don’t have a whole passel of kids,” Flynn commented as he leaned back in his chair at the table in the main kitchen at the resort.
It was staff night only, and we were all lounging around the table. Flynn’s comment came on the heels of a speaker phone call with my twin nieces who needed help with math homework. I was pretty good at math, but I’d enlisted some group assistance with one of the algebra equations.
I shrugged. “Not yet. We’ll see if it ever happens.”
Once upon a time, I’d wanted to tie the knot and have kids fast. Young love was stupid sometimes.
“You were engaged before, right?” Gabriel chimed in.
I nodded slowly. “Oh, yeah. I was engaged the first year I was in the Air Force. I was supposed to go home and get married that summer. That’s not how it worked out.”
Tucker’s sharp gaze lifted to mine. “You were fucking cranky as hell when you came back, but you never did tell us what happened. Want to fill us in?”
These guys were my best friends, and for the most part they weren’t too nosy. I couldn’t even hold it against them if they had questions because I sure as hell didn’t shy away from offering my opinion on their private lives.
I lifted my pint glass of beer and took a long swallow. Setting it down, I replied, “I learned that I was too young and didn’t know any better yet.”
“Man, you’re always telling us how in love your parents were. I don’t see you just dumping some girl because you decided you were too young. That’s not how being young and stupid works,” Gabriel commented.
“It wasn’t that simple. She was the accountant for my father’s business and one of my sister’s best friends in college. That’s how we knew each other. She was a good enough accountant that she knew how to steal from my parents’ business and cover her tracks, at least for a year. That was a deal breaker for me. It would’ve sat better if she tried to steal my money rather than my parents.”
Flynn looked suitably horrified, his brows flying up. “Fuck. That’s bullshit.”
“Exactly. Don’t worry, she didn’t break my heart too bad. Like I said, we were young. It burned, but there was no way we were going to be able to work things out after that.”
Cat came in from the main room, her ponytail bouncing as she approached the table.
“Looks like you’re about to ask Flynn something,” I said with a grin.
Cat narrowed her eyes at me. “Don’t ruin it for me.”
Flynn glanced up. “What is it?”
“Can I spend the night at Shannon’s house?”
Flynn’s eyes flicked up to the clock mounted on the wall above the doorway. “How are you going to get there?”
“Nora said she’s going to town. She can bring me,” Cat replied swiftly.
Flynn nodded. “All right, then. I’ll call her mom and confirm. How you gonna get home tomorrow?”
Cat let out an aggrieved sigh. “I figured somebody would be going out to fly tomorrow and could pick me up. Wouldn’t want to put you out,” she said sarcastically.
That rolled off Flynn’s shoulders easy. He chuckled. “Of course, somebody will be flying. I’d be happy to pick you up, but I didn’t know if you already had a plan.”
Cat rolled her eyes and smiled before leaning over to kiss her older brother’s cheek. Nora came in from the back hallway at that moment, and Cat called over, “Flynn said yes. I’ll go get my bag.”
Nora stopped beside the table, and Elias added, “Cat can hitch a ride with me.”
“I was already going,” Nora replied. “Just need to see some live music and relax.”
Flynn was distracted by something Daphne was saying, but I didn’t miss Gabriel standing and commenting, “I might go with you if you don’t mind.”