“More fun? I’m in. Let’s do it that way.” She tossed her rake into the bucket.
“You sure? It’s pretty messy business. You might break a nail, and like I said, razor clams can cut pretty deep.”
“Do I look like the type of girl who cares about breaking a nail?” She stepped in close and went up on her toes, bringing her closer to his height. “And before you answer that, you should know that if you answer yes, I’ll work twice as hard to prove you wrong.”
Their thighs brushed, and just as his body registered the feel of hers against him, every sizzling, perfect memory of the hot kiss they’d shared came rushing back. He’d tried to refrain from kissing her until he was absolutely sure she wanted him to, but everything she did drew him closer.
“Okay, skinny-dipping girl. Let’s put your money where your mouth is.”
Shelley had a handful of looks, and Quinn now realized he was cataloging them. Her eyes widened when she was excited. When she was nervous, her lower lip quivered the slightest bit. And when the air between them heated up and her breathing quickened—just the way it was right now—her whole face softened, from her stunning green eyes to her full lips, as if she were readying herself for a kiss.
That was his favorite look, he thought as she stepped in closer. And this time, he couldn’t resist lowering his lips to hers.
QUINN KISSED HER slowly, sensually, as if he was discovering her through the kiss and didn’t want to miss a single dip or curve of her mouth. Need built inside her by the second as he lingered on her lower lip, his tongue teasing her there before sweeping inside her mouth to tangle with hers.
In a heartbeat, she felt his control snap just as hers did, his hands tangling in her hair even as hers were grasping at his broad shoulders. His muscles were hard and flexing beneath her fingertips, his mouth hungry and hot as she tried to draw him closer.
She’d never known anything more perfect than kissing Quinn while the sun warmed them as they wound limbs tighter to each other and the ocean birds sang above them.
Oh God, how could she possibly resist him—his passion, his intensity? Quinn’s kiss wasn’t a moment; it was an experience…and every inch of her felt blissfully alive.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you again since I tucked you into bed last night. Wanted to make good on my promise to you to give you a kiss that you’d never be able to forget.”
It wasn’t only his words, wasn’t just the sensuality in his tone that weakened Shelley’s resolve. It was the way he looked at her—as if he was unbelievably thankful to be holding her in his arms and kissing her—that made her desperate to experience his glorious mouth again.
“You definitely made good on it,” she told him. “Because there’s no way I will ever be able to forget that kiss. Or this next one, either, I hope.”
Going up on her toes, she kissed him this time, and it was so easy to sink into the strength of his embrace as they both took each other deeper. Part of her wanted to go slow and relish every single second in his arms, but the other part of her wanted to give in to the frenzied rush of passion, the storm of desire that swamped her as she realized just how right Quinn’s arms felt around her, holding them close.
As if the intense kisses were overwhelming him in the same powerful way they were overwhelming her, he drew back and touched his forehead to hers, his breath coming fast, his fingers still tangled in her hair.
“I love kissing you, Shelley.” He moved one hand from her hair to stroke the pad of his thumb across her lower lip, and she shivered at how erotic it felt. “So damn much.”
And she loved the sensual way he said her name. For twenty-seven years Shelley had sounded like the most normal name in the world, but in one afternoon, Quinn had breathed extraordinary new life into it.
At the same time that a part of her longed to kiss him again and just keep kissing him for the rest of the afternoon, the still barely rational part of her knew she really did need to think beyond the reckless desire pulsing through her. Because while she liked the idea of a fling, in reality, she wasn’t a quickie and forget-the-guy type of girl. Besides, for the life of her, she couldn’t slot Quinn into that place in her mind. He just didn’t feel like a fling despite the fact that they’d only just met.
With her heartbeat throbbing in her ears, and her lips still tingling from their incredible kisses, she forced herself to take a step back so that they could spend more time getting to know each other before any of their clothes started coming off.