“What kind?”

She smirks. “The kind you bring to make-out point.”

I nudge her back so I can see her face and grin. “Is that what this is, sweetheart?”

She nods.

“Have you been here before?”

She shrugs one shoulder.

“Is that a yes?”

“In high school I came here once or twice. No one got past second base.”

“Good girl.”

Chapter Five

~Gabby~

Good girl.

Why do my insides quiver when he says that to me? Because seriously, those words come out of his sexier-than-should-be-legal lips, and my whole body does the happy dance.

Channel your inner flirt! She’s fun.

I pull my index finger down the inside of his muscular bicep and draw circles on the thin, smooth skin inside of his elbow. His breath catches, drawing my gaze up to his.

His green eyes shine in the moonlight, as if they’re on fire. His breathing has sped up. And I swear that through his shoulder I can feel his pulse speeding up too.

Talk about ego boost.

“Gabby,” he whispers, his eyes pinned to my lips. “I’m going to kiss you.”

“I hope so.” Did those words come from me? His mouth tips up in that half-smile as he scoops me right up out of the seat, pulls me over the console onto his lap with my feet sitting in the passenger seat. He cups my cheek in his palm, his thumb circling over the apple of my cheek as he nuzzles my nose with his, just the way he did last night.

I can feel the warmth of his skin, not quite touching me. His breath smells like the mint we ate after dinner.

And his eyes are dark, dark green and full of unadulterated lust.

His lips brush over mine in just a whisper of a kiss, once, then twice, before they settle at the side of my mouth and nibble, sending shivers through me.

His hand drifts down from my cheek to my neck, then over my blouse to cup my breast, and his lips settle over my mouth, firmly now.

Wet.

Needy.

Someone—me?—growls as the kiss deepens. He’s a taker, that’s for sure, but then he mixes it up, giving me more than I’ve ever had before.

And I’m no virgin. I’m a mother, for crying out loud!

But, oh, the way Rhys O’Shaughnessy makes me feel, it’s like no one has ever touched me before.

Because they haven’t. Not like this. Not like he’s drowning and I’m his first breath of air. Not like the thought of not touching me is pure torture.

He grunts as I shimmy in his lap. I can feel his excitement pressed to my right hip.

And I want to feel it. Right now.

As if he’s reading my mind, Rhys grips my hips and lifts me, helping me straddle him, and I press my center against him, making us both catch our breath.

“Jesus, you’re the sweetest fucking thing,” he growls against my lips. His hands are roaming up and down my back. I grip his face in my hands and kiss him. Deeply. Our tongues are stroking, lapping.

God, he tastes good.

He grips my ass in his hands and tugs me down more tightly against him, and I can’t help but circle my hips, enjoying the way the ridge in his jeans rubs against my center.

Holy crap, can I come like this?

Surely not.

“Surely not what?” Rhys whispers against my lips.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You said ‘surely not.’ Surely not what?”

I bite his lower lip as his hand takes a journey from my ass, up my side, to cup my breast. His thumb rubs over my tightened nipple, over and over again, making me squirm.

Everything this man does makes me squirm, and he’s technically still at second base!

“You’ve kind of got me all worked up,” I whisper.

“Back at you, baby.”

He presses a button at the side of the seat, tilting his seat back just a few inches, then grips my sides and lifts me so he can nuzzle between my breasts, and down to my belly.

Which sets me on edge.

Please, God, don’t lift my shirt and look at my disgusting stretch marks!

The scruff on his cheeks feels soft, yet prickly, on my skin.

“Why did you stiffen up?”

I shake my head and plunge my fingers in his hair, holding him close to me, loving the kisses he’s pressing to my chest, and the way he brushes his nose over my nipple.

Holy fuck, I’m turned on.

The next thing I know, Rhys is lifting me back over the console into my seat and righting his own. He’s breathing hard.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He swallows, then takes a deep breath. “Absolutely nothing.”

“Why did you stop?”

He turns to me now and kisses me, then pulls the seat belt over me and clicks it into place. “Because second base is as far as we can go here, and if I kept kissing you the way I was, you’d be naked and I’d be inside you right now.”

I feel my eyes go wide and my pulse speed up even more, if that’s even possible.

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.” He kisses me once more, then starts the car. I can’t help but cover my lips with my fingertips and giggle. “What’s funny?”

“This.”

His eyes narrow. “That’s not exactly the reaction I was looking for.”

“I can’t believe I’m making out like a teenager here.”

He smiles and brushes his knuckles down my cheek. I love how much he touches me. His touch is simply sinful.

Without another word, he pulls back out onto the highway and we drive the hour or so back to the inn in companionable silence. I’m tempted to lean over and give him a satisfying memory for later, but decide against it.