My Single-versary (Happy Endings 0.50)

Her eyes twinkle up at me. “Then we’d better do it. Or else.”

“Just a couple of rule-abiding citizens.”

On the beach, we don’t hurry, and we don’t talk much either. The shush of the waves is a gentle soundtrack.

Skyler sighs, sounding wistful. “This is magical.”

“It is,” I agree, in the same I’d-like-to-stop-time way. “Some mornings I wake up early and go outside and watch the sunrise. And it never fails to reset me.”

“Right? Like, it reminds you everything will be okay.”

“Exactly. The sun rises, the sun sets, and it’s gorgeous every time. Because every time it brings new possibilities.”

“New things you can learn,” Skyler says.

Neither of us is looking at the sunset. Instead, I’m looking at the beautiful woman across from me, the sunset setting her auburn hair on fire, the gentle breeze sending waves of goosebumps over her skin.

“New people you can meet,” I say.

“New experiences with new people.”

“First kisses,” I say. I catch myself and clear my throat, and, well, I have no strategy for this. “I know this is against the rules, but you look really beautiful against the sunset. And it’s not just because of the dress, or because of the sunset. It’s because you’re you. I really like talking to you.”

“I like talking to you too,” she says. She wets her bottom lip. “But I’d also like . . .”

I step closer, curling a hand around her hip. “First kisses that are also sunset kisses?”

Her breath hitches. “I wonder where that would be on the list of best things.”

Another inch—I’m officially in the kissing zone now, and there’s no place else I’d rather be. Especially when she lifts her chin and parts her lips.

“I suspect it would be off the charts,” I reply, but I more than suspect. I know it.

Her eyes twinkle like she knows the same thing. Her arms wind around my neck, and yeah, we fit just right. “Let’s find out,” she says, so damn seductively that I’m done for.

Rules? What rules?

Closing my eyes, I dip my head to capture her mouth in a kiss. Her soft, lush lips brush against mine, her island scent swirling around us as we explore each other. Tongues skate, hands skim, soft sighs mingle.

She tugs me closer, and I comply, hauling her against me, ramping up the kiss, deepening it, savoring her.

Her murmurs tell me to keep going, and who am I to deny either one of us this—a sunset kiss.

Yes, kisses are just better at sunset, with the ocean lapping the shore, the breeze caressing our skin, and the island setting the mood.

That mood is—don’t stop.

So we don’t.

We kiss and then kiss some more, and soon, she’s not only gone to my head, she’s filled my mind. She’s my only, all-consuming thought.

And I want to kiss her everywhere.

But first, I need to pause for breath, if only to refuel with oxygen.

Skyler’s eyes are closed, her expression blissful. When her lashes flutter open, she lets out a dazed, “Whoa.”

“‘Whoa’ is right.”

She blinks at me then the sky. “What time is it? Is that the moon?”

I glance up as if to check. “I do believe it is. Which means we’ve been kissing for, I dunno, an hour, give or take.”

Our arms are still looped around one another, and her fingers play with the ends of my hair. “So, I have a thought.”

“I’m having several.” I tug her more firmly against me. “We should see if they match up.”

Now her fingers thread through my hair. “I’m thinking of invoking the Tropical Tryst Addendum.”

“Tell me more. Because this sounds like a rule I’m into already.”

“It’s an exclusion in the Dating Hiatus Decree. See, since I’m leaving in a few days, and since you live here, and I live—”

I don’t need to hear any more. “I don’t live here, but that’s beside the point. If you’re suggesting we break the rules for one night, my answer is yes. An infinity of yeses. Screw the rules.”

“Then let’s get out of the comfort zone.”

11

Skyler

We don’t even bother with the bed.

The second the door of my hotel room snicks shut, Caleb crowds me against the wall, and yes, I like alpha Caleb very much.

I like when he grabs my wrists, pins my arms over my head, and slams his mouth down on mine.

My head is a static haze of want.

My body aches.

My pulse throbs in my chest and in my throat and between my legs.

Touch me now, take me now.

I want to scream those words, but he’s devouring my lips, consuming my mouth, and it’s all so mind-bendingly good.

So worth breaking the rules for.

As he fucks my mouth with his tongue, Caleb lets go of my wrists and snakes his hand up my skirt, right where I want him.

His fingers glide over the wet cotton panel of my panties. A groan rumbles from his chest as he breaks the kiss. “Oh yeah, you definitely need me to break the rules.”