There was something so reassuring about the way his hands held her face. She wanted to melt into them. His fingertips brushed the tears from her cheeks, his thumb running a line along her bottom lip, his eyes dark as he watched them part. Her breath caught in her throat.
This time, her speeding pulse had nothing to do with panic, and everything to do with the way he was touching and looking at her.
His stare was as intense as her emotions. Her chest hitched as his pupils dilated and eyes narrowed. Every second that passed was punctuated by the beating of her heart and the soft touch of his breath against her skin. The reality of him pushed out every other thought in her head, until Breck was the only word on her lips.
“Cait…” He traced her mouth with his thumb again, this time pressing the tip against her soft flesh. She opened her lips, submitting, inviting him in. His thumb slid inside, her lips closing over it. As the pad grazed her tongue, his breath hitched.
“You’re so damn beautiful.” He pulled his thumb from her lips and leaned forward until his mouth was a breath away from hers.
The brush of his lips against hers was so gentle she could barely feel it at first. But then he pressed harder, until the soft skin of her mouth surrendered, her lips moving in time with his.
His hand clenched and unclenched at the nape of her neck, grabbing at her hair. The other traced the line of her throat, feathering softly where her neck met her shoulders. His fingers were oh-so-soft against her sensitive skin, leaving a trail of ice along her spine. She felt the hum of his breath against her lips as he deepened their kiss, his tongue sliding against the tender flesh of her mouth.
Caitie’s pulse was drumming rapidly in her neck, echoing the rapid beating of her heart. She felt overwhelmed by him. Was it possible for somebody to make you feel so safe and on edge at the same time?
They kissed until her lips were stinging, and their lungs were burning with the need to inhale. They parted and gasped until the need had been sated. Breck pushed her back against the couch and started kissing her again. She was laying on her back, Breck half-laying across her, her arms looped around his torso. His own were sliding down her sides, lingering at her hips, where he pressed against the thin fabric of her pants.
The sweetness of their desire, in contrast to the ache of her anxiety, was like a balm to her soul. She gave herself to him again and again, letting him kiss her before kissing him back, until their lips were moving as one. She didn’t want it to stop, not ever.
It felt unbelievably perfect.
16
Breck kissed her like there was no tomorrow, desperate to feel every part of her against him. Her lips were soft and yielding, her breath warm against his mouth. With every slide of his hand, he could feel himself falling deeper. She was the kind of woman men like him dreamed about. Soft, yet tough. Beautiful, but she didn’t know it. Kissing her was like coming home, and it made his heart ache.
Caitlin Russell. How many times had he thought about her as his best friend’s little sister? But she wasn’t so little any more. She was a woman; the way she was responding to his touch was enough to tell him that.
He kissed her like she was the oxygen he needed, loving the way she kissed him back. Her touch was hesitant at first, growing bolder as she ran her fingers down his spine. When she reached the base and found the sensitive nerves clustered there, his back arched.
His whole body was aching for her. Blood rushed to his groin, pulsing through him, as she pressed her hands against his back. He lowered himself down and kissed her again, careful not to rest all of his weight against her. Caitie’s hands slid around to the back of his shorts, urging him against her, until his desire was hard against her core. Wrapping her legs around him, she hooked her ankles at his thighs, rocking until the friction was almost unbearable.
Minutes passed as they kissed wordlessly, neither of them willing to break this sensuous spell. Everything about her excited him, yet calmed him at the same time. She was a whirlwind that somehow set everything right with the world, and he wanted more.
When he caught her eye, she nodded, letting him know she wanted it, too.
Grabbing the hem of her sweater, he tugged it off, over her head. Beneath it, her skin was pale, almost translucent, her breasts swollen beneath a pale-blue lace bra. He cupped them, feeling her nipples harden beneath the fabric. Pinching her swollen flesh between his thumb and forefinger, he made her writhe and moan. The friction they created, the teasing, the delicious movement of their rocking – it was enough to blow his mind.
Lowering his head, he brushed his lips across her bra, loving the way her nipples pressed against his flesh. He sunk his mouth onto her, sucking her through the lace, until she moaned loudly, her body bucking beneath his.
She was beautiful, perfect, everything he wanted.
She’s also your best friend’s sister.
Hell no, he wasn’t going to think about that. Not then.
He moved his head up until he was kissing her again, his hands reaching around her back to unclasp her bra. The only sound in the room was his harsh breaths and her deep moans, drowning out the distant hum of the waves.
Until the sound of his phone broke their spell.
It was still in a waterproof pouch inside his board shorts. He could feel it vibrating against his skin. Caitie froze beneath him at the sound, her desperate cries fading to nothing. For a moment, he frantically tried to figure out how to recapture the moment.
“Do you think you should get that?” she asked, pulling back from him.
“It’s not important.” He immediately missed the warmth of her body.
“It could be,” she said. “You really should answer.”
Sighing, he pulled the plastic pouch from his shorts, unzipping it. A name was written across the screen for them both to see. Breck felt his stomach fall.