Scandalous Engagement

“Reese, what are you doing?” she whispered, though she wasn’t putting up a fight.

“Testing a theory.”

His mouth grazed hers like a feather. Her knees literally weakened as she leaned against him for support. Reese continued to hold her hand against his chest, but he wrapped the other arm around her waist, urging her closer.

There was no denying the sizzle or spark or whatever the hell was vibrating between them. She’d always thought those cheesy expressions were so silly, but there was no perfect way to describe such an experience.

And kissing her best friend—again—was quite an experience.

Reese deepened the kiss, parting her lips and exploring further. She’d stop him in just a minute—she just wanted a little more.

Josie slid her hand from his and gripped each side of his face as he leaned her back a little more. That strong arm across her lowe

r back held her firmly in place. Threading her fingers through his hair, she tilted her head to give him even more access, but those talented lips trailed across her jaw and down the column of her neck.

Any second she should end this, but it felt so damn good she couldn’t muster up the strength to tell him to stop. She also couldn’t remember why this was such a bad idea.

That hand behind her started shifting; a thumb slid beneath the hem of her shirt and caressed her bare skin. Josie let out a moan, then quickly bit down on her lip to quiet herself. Reese’s lips continued to explore her neck, the sensitive spot behind her ear, then down into the vee of her shirt.

There were too many clothes in the way. Her body ached like it never had before and she wanted to feel his skin against hers.

“Reese,” she panted, though she didn’t know what she was begging for. She just knew she wanted him to keep going, to keep making her feel everything she’d deprived herself of.

An alarm echoed in the room, but Josie ignored it. She didn’t want this moment to end...at least not yet.

But the insistent beeping kept going. Reese rested his forehead against her shoulder and she noted his body trembling just as much as hers...if not more.

“I have to get that,” he murmured.

Get what? Her mind was still spinning and she didn’t know what the noise was, but she wanted it to go away.

Reese slowly released her, holding her steady until she looked up at him and nodded. Her legs weren’t quite as steady as she would’ve liked, so she rested a hand on the edge of the island and willed herself into a normal breathing pattern and heartbeat.

When Reese grabbed his cell from his pocket, Josie realized that hadn’t been an alarm at all, but a call. Maybe the interruption was a blessing, because she still wasn’t convinced she could have stopped what had been about to happen...and she was already wondering when it would happen again.

Seven

Reese cursed the caller before even looking at the screen. He needed to get in control and back to reality before answering, but he was having a difficult time with that considering he could still feel Josie’s sweet body beneath his touch.

Damn it, how far would he have taken things? How far would she have allowed this to go?

Glancing down at the screen, he saw Sam Hawkins’s name.

Sam Hawkins, the man who was very likely Reese’s half brother and one of the men Reese had gone to see last week. The owner of Hawkins Distillery in Green Valley, Tennessee, was a pretty remarkable guy, considering he was the youngest distiller in the country.

Reese glanced to Josie, who was staring down at the floor, her eyes wide with shock. He wasn’t sure if she was shocked over their behavior or shocked over the fact that she’d enjoyed it so much—because those pants and moans and the way she’d clutched his hair were all clear indicators she’d been more than eager for things to progress.

Turning from temptation, Reese answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Reese,” Sam responded. “I hope this isn’t a bad time.”

Bad time? Reese supposed it could’ve been worse—like if Sam had called in about ten minutes when clothes were strewn across the floor.

He looked again at Josie, who still seemed to be trying to catch her breath. Yeah, same here. He’d only meant to see if the effect of the kiss last night had been a onetime occurrence, but the moment his lips touched hers, there had been another internal snap that he couldn’t control.

“Now is fine,” he replied, focusing on the sunset outside instead of the beauty before him. “I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”