Her sigh was sweet as spring rain against his neck. “Kiss me again, Chad. Please.”
She didn’t have to ask twice. He crushed his mouth to hers and drank of her intoxicating sweetness. Where had she learned to kiss like a little siren? Her tongue inched along his lips, his teeth. When she sucked the point of his tongue into her mouth, his groin tightened and pulsed inside his jeans. He grabbed her and rubbed his arousal against her. That body. That luscious, tempting body.
But this was Catie Bay.
Little Catie Bay.
What the hell am I doing?
He broke the suction of the kiss with a loud smack. “Sugar. We can’t do this.”
“Why not? We’re both adults.”
“No.” He stopped to catch his breath, which was coming in rapid puffs. Damn, he wanted her. Wanted to sink into her softness with every part of his body. Especially one particularly persistent part.
“Chad—”
“Come on.” He led her back into the Bullfrog. “Harper needs to get you home. You need sleep. Or maybe you should eat first. Aw crap, I don’t know, but you need to get the hell out of here.”
“Why?”
“Because if you don’t, something’s gonna happen that we’ll both regret come morning.”
“I’d never regret it, Chad.”
“Yeah, sugar, you would. Trust me.”
“Don’t tell me what I’d regret and what I wouldn’t, Chad McCray.” She stomped her foot again and looked charmingly indignant with her hands on her luscious hips. “I’ve been in Europe for four years. Europe, where nude beaches are the rage and indiscriminate sex is as common as a—”
Chad clamped his hand over Catie’s mouth. “Christ, sugar, shut up, will you? You’re just a babe. You can’t lie on a nude beach. As for sex… I hope to hell you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Mmmffpph,” she said under his hand.
“I’m taking you back into Harper, and you’re going home. You and I are going to forget this mistake of a kiss ever happened.”
Catie stopped struggling—why? Chad didn’t know—and let him take her back to Harper. Once she and Harper were safely on their way home, he found his pickup and started the engine. He inhaled sharply, trying to get his bearings. A slight aroma of raspberries wafted to his nose. Catie. Her scent still lingered on his clothes, her sweet taste on his lips.
He hoped to God she could forget their kiss, but one thing was for damn sure.
He never would.
* * *
Maria Bay crushed Catie into her arms. “Home, finally. Where have you two been, Harp?”
“Catie wanted to stop at the Bullfrog.”
“The Bullfrog? Land sakes.”
“I just wanted a margarita, Mama,” Catie said. “The plane ride was harrowing. And then there was the two hour drive to Bakersville.”
“I could have made you a perfectly fine margarita here,” her mother said, “though God knows why it couldn’t have waited. I’m so glad you’re finally home.”
“Just push me toward my room,” Catie said. “I need to fall into bed.”
“I understand completely, sweetie, but Angie’s on her way over, and I thought we’d have a nice late supper together.”
“Ma, Catie’s been up for twenty-four hours,” Harper said.