While some kisses brought pleasure and heat, this wasn’t about that. This was a connection of two bodies yearning to feel, and to experience the simplicity of touch and to solidify love in the most natural form.
Kipp’s lips burned across mine and he tugged me even closer, wrapping his hands around my cheeks and demanding more out of the kiss. I gripped his shirt and whimpered against his mouth, and then a low sound hummed from his throat and he gave me what I needed.
His kiss stopped time.
When he finally leaned away from me, the burn on my lips from his scruffy face indicated we’d been kissing a while. His uniquely colored eyes captured mine and he chuckled, as one eyebrow arched. “I’m not opposed to an audience, but I’m guessing you wouldn’t agree.”
I laughed softly, realizing we weren’t alone and we were doing a lot of kissing. I peeked over Kipp’s shoulder to find all of our friends standing around us, trying not to look, of course.
Max glanced at the grass and everyone else looked everywhere but at us. Dane and Amelia both stared at each other, while Gretchen gazed up at the stars. I continued to chuckle, and with now warm cheeks, I squirmed off Kipp.
I stood on shaky legs, and he immediately jumped to his feet, gathering me into his arms. Yeah, I got that, too. I doubted we’d let go of each other for a while, probably in fear that one of us would vanish. Maybe, too, because touching made this real between us.
My eyes were scratchy and slightly dry from all the crying I’d done, as I stared up at Kipp, my living-breathing Kipp, and regarded him. His messy hair fell over his eyebrow, and he’d never looked sexier with that curve to his mouth. “So, you look pretty good for a guy who’s risen from the dead.”
His eyes flared with heady emotion….and something much more intoxicating. “Trust me, sexy…” He pressed his groin against my hip, ensuring I felt the hardness of h
is erection. “Nothing about my body is dead now.”
The offer to go somewhere private was right there and ready for me to grab it. I nearly did. But I also remembered…again…we were not alone. I restrained the flutter in my belly and I glanced out, spotting Caley. She sobbed in Zach’s arms as he hugged her from behind.
She looked about ready to explode with squinted eyes, her teeth gnawing at her lip. Instead of watching her fight against herself, I gave her the right I knew she was dying to hear. “It’s okay, Caley, you can—“
Rushing out of Zach’s arms, and in two-point-two seconds, she was hugging both Kipp and I. “I’m so happy.” After a hard squeeze, making me suck in a deep breath, she leaned away and her teary gaze went straight to Kipp.
She gave him a slow once-over before she winked at him. “Hmm…so, this is what all the fuss has been about.” She poked his muscular bicep, and then grinned wickedly at me. “Okay, now I get it.”
Kipp shook in silent laughter behind me and I chuckled, too, totally understanding. This was the first time Caley had actually seen Kipp. Well, besides a photo, of course, but they never really did him justice.
Zach gathered Caley in his arms, drawing her in close. “Enough of that now. He is my partner, after all.”
She giggled at him before she looked to me with a warm, tender grin. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it mirrored the one I’d seen come from Alexander—so gentle. “It’s done, Tess. It’s finally over.”
I shivered at those words, almost as if I never thought I’d hear them and that we’d actually make it. Those words held so much more meaning than just words. Caley was right—it was over. But as I allowed myself to feel the happiness with that, I knew I needed to know what all happened.
I glanced up at Kipp, noticing the starry sky above him seeming clearer than it had before. When I focused on Kipp’s eyes, he appeared more composed and now returned into his tough guy intense look. “I called Brandon’s phone—like, a hundred times—and he never answered.”
A loud snort followed.
I turned to Brandon, who stood near the tall plants of the swamp by Gretchen. At a closer look, I noticed that Gretchen fiddled with the hem of her shirt and her cheeks were rosy. Maybe she and Brandon had been talking. And apparently, being charismatic wasn’t only in Kipp’s characteristics, but it was a McGowen trait.
Brandon ran a hand through his soft brown hair and his eyebrows rose over his brown, almond shaped eyes. “I didn’t answer my phone because it’s still at the hospital.”
Having the McGowen men together, the resemblance between the two was uncanny, even though Brandon was a couple years younger. But I focused away from their looks as Brandon shook his head slowly and gave a soft half-amused, half-astounded chuckle. “I didn’t think of my phone while I watched my brother wake up from being in a coma, scare the shit out of me as he ripped his breathing tube out, and then proceed to tell me we had to go home to get our passports.”
I couldn’t even imagine how shocking that must’ve been for Brandon. Even if Brandon hoped Kipp woke up, I was sure he hadn’t expected Kipp to jump out of bed when it happened. “Then you took a flight to White Castle?”
Kipp nodded, his hand sliding over the curve of my hip, and the heat flaring in his eyes still lay present. “Brett and I got lucky.”
I did a double take. “Who in the hell is Brett?”
Brandon, as I had known him, snorted at Kipp. “He calls me Brett because it’s my middle name, and as kids, I might have been a fan of Bret Michaels.” Brandon glared at Kipp. “He thinks he’s funny, which he’s not.”
“A fan?” Kipp retorted, grinning at his brother before he said to me, “He was obsessed. I bet he still has his bandanas.” I laughed while Brandon cursed, and then Kipp continued with a wink at me. “Anyways, as I was saying, a flight was heading out just as we got our tickets.”
I liked seeing Kipp so playful with his brother. It was so normal, and so what I’d been craving to share with him. “Then what happened?”
Kipp’s chin dipped, eyebrow arched. “I made it quite clear that plane would not leave without us on it.”