"Delicious," he said, licking a droplet off his lips, gaining my full attention again. Maybe I was biased since I'd already witnessed firsthand how they felt, but his lips were possibly the most erotic lips I'd ever seen. They were full and plush and every bit as soft as they looked, but had the potential to turn hard when you most wanted them too. Leaning toward him, I placed my lips on his and used the tip of my tongue to remove the last of the strawberry juice. I wanted to explore his mouth with my tongue. He groaned and in with one fluid movement maneuvered me so I was straddling him. His hands found my hips and pulled me snugly against the hardness in his pants. I felt powerful from the way his body reacted to my touch. He gave me free reign over him as I thrust my tongue into his mouth. The ache between my legs hit an all-time high. He swallowed my moan of pleasure, using his hands to guide my hips where he wanted me. My breaths came out in shallow pants as his hand crept under my layers of clothing and reached bare skin. Slowly, he caressed his way up my back, feeling the heat of my passion. I moaned again as he moved from around my back to the swells of my breasts, waiting with bated breath as he lightly played with the lace of my bra before withdrawing.
"It's time for part two of our date," he said, pulling back.
"You asshole. I thought this was part two," I said, rubbing up against him to emphasize my point.
His eyes closed briefly. "I'm beginning to think you'll be the death of me."
"It's your own fault," I breathed into his ear.
"I'm trying to show you a proper date, and all I can think about is burying myself in you."
"Proper is boring," I commented, shifting again.
"Damn, woman," he groaned, pulling my hips hard against him one last time before abruptly lifting me off his lap. Hopping to his feet, he pulled me up with him. "Phase two of the date," he stated, dragging me toward the canoe on the shore.
"Where's the fire?" I complained, trying to clear the fog out of my head his kisses had caused.
"Burning out of control inside me. If I didn't get you away from the blanket, it was go time," he stated.
"I thought that's what we were here for," I piped in, looking back at the blanket longingly.
"I'm aware of that," he said, shooting me a wry look as he pushed the canoe to the water's edge. "Hop in," he told me, holding the canoe in place.
"I'd rather go back to the blanket," I pouted, looking over my shoulder at the blanket one last time.
"Get in," he mocked growled, making me laugh.
Stepping into the canoe, I braced my legs, trying to gain my balance from the swaying beneath me. When it finally stopped rocking from my weight, I sat on one of the narrow metal benches.
"Here," Nathan said, handing the two oars to me before climbing into the canoe. The canoe rocked dangerously from his weight before settling back down. Sitting on the bench opposite from me, Nathan reached out for one of the oars. He used it for leverage, pushing against the bank of the lake until the aluminum canoe moved off the sand that was holding us in place. Once we were adrift, he reached for the other oar. He made short work of rowing us away from the shore.
I leaned my head back, wishing the thick heavy clouds weren't obstructing the moon and stars. I had to admit though, the clouds gave off a different allure that was beautiful in its own way. It was as if we were floating off into some mysterious void, shrouded in darkness and haze. When I had added this moment to my list, I always imagined something breathtaking, but the weather today made this something more. I could have stared at the big puffy clouds all night if not for the fact that the breeze blowing off the water was chilling me to the bone. A violent shiver trembled through me as one of the gusts sliced through my clothing.
"Come over here," Nathan said, indicating the floor of the canoe between his legs where he'd stacked a couple of lifejackets for me to perch on. >Her answer was a small nod before she brought my mouth back to hers.
Chapter 13: Caught in the rain
Ashton
I was a goner. I knew it the moment we pulled into the clearing and I saw what he had done. Unintentionally or not, he was slowly chipping away at my resolve to treat our relationship casually. It was if he saw through my carefree facade where I contemplated one-night stands and treated affairs like I was ordering dessert. Somehow he had figured out I wasn't that kind of person. He was offering to take it slow, and obviously planned on wooing me if the scene before me was any indication. It was like a fairytale. What girl didn't dream about a candle-filled evening with a man who made your pulse race and your heart skip a beat? The problem was I shouldn't want any of it. More accurately, I shouldn't be allowed to want it. I tried to leave, but somehow, standing in Nathan's arms with him begging me to stay with him for a few weeks crumbled my resolve.
"Let's eat," Nathan finally said, breaking the kiss.
"Okay," I answered, letting him lead me to the heavy quilt that was stretched on the ground in front of us. I sat down and watched as he unpacked the large picnic basket, doing my best to hide my surprise when each new item he pulled from the basket seemed to be a favorite of mine. There were chocolate-covered strawberries from Haley's Delectable Eats bakery, several varieties of cheeses and crackers, artichoke dip and pita slices and a bottle of my favorite wine.
"You did your homework," I said, trying for blasé. I didn't want to admit what his attention to detail meant to me.
"I may have had help," he chuckled, popping the cork off the wine and pouring me a glass.
"I suspected as much," I said, sweeping my eyes around. "Tressa?"
"That would be the one. She jumped at the chance to help me out."
"I bet she did," I said, smirking at him.
He laughed. "She's a character, for sure. I don't think she has a shy bone in her body. I got the whole lowdown on her ex and the new guy she's going out with this weekend," he said wryly, shoving a cracker in his mouth.
I laughed. "Yeah, Tressa's not shy by a long shot. And her ex is a total douche," I added.