A Chance Encounter

Reluctantly, I tear my eyes from Easton and over to Rita and her iPad she now has out. I scan the document quickly, noting it reads as she explained, and sign my name.

Easton reads it a bit more carefully before he signs.

“Great. Now, go ahead and sit together. We’re going to take some photos here first. Then, if the weather holds up, we’ll take some over there.” She points to the bridge. I glance up and notice the sky, which was clear a few minutes ago, is now a bit darker.

“We’re taking them here?” Easton asks, glancing around.

“Yep, I’m all about the natural,” Rita tells him. “Now, sit, sit.”

Easton does as she says and sits on the bench. I put my laptop into my bag and set it on the ground next to the bench, then sit next to him. It’s suddenly awkward as hell, and when we glance at each other, we both break out in laughter.

“Maybe sit on his lap,” Rita suggests. “Act natural, like you’re a happy couple in love.”

My eyes go to Easton’s lap and he chuckles. “I won’t bite,” he murmurs, patting his thigh and making me laugh.

I roll my eyes playfully but stand and do as Rita said. Only when I sit down, it looks like I’m perched on Santa’s lap—albeit a sexy Santa—and we both end up cracking up all over again.

I spot Rita out of the corner of my eye, with her camera up to her face, snapping pictures, but I ignore her, pretending like every move I make isn’t being caught on film—and wondering what I was thinking agreeing to this.

But then, I turn my body to face Easton—his warm, mesmerizing, brown eyes filled with mirth—and I’m reminded why.

Distracted by his good looks, I almost slide off his thigh, but he quickly catches me, his hands landing on my butt. My own fly out to catch myself and land on his hard chest. Our eyes lock and it feels as though the entire world around us fades away. His fingers grip my hips, and he pulls me into his lap, so I’m straddling him. As my body glides across his, I feel a hint of hardness beneath his pants.

When I raise my brows, he chuckles. “There’s a beautiful woman on my lap.” He shrugs nonchalantly, not at all embarrassed. “What do you think is going to happen?”

My cheeks and neck heat up at his words, and his grin widens. And my goodness, is his grin sexy as hell. His eyes light up with laughter at my obvious embarrassment and I tug on his beanie, lowering it enough to cover his eyes. This only makes him bark out a loud laugh, so I playfully cover his mouth with my hands to shut him up.

He bites the inside of my palm and I jump slightly. “You bit me! Thought you didn’t bite, huh?”

“I couldn’t help myself.” He shrugs a single shoulder, lifting his beanie back over his eyes.

We stare at each other for several beats, and then he reaches up and tucks a few strands of my blond hair behind my ear and murmurs, “You have pretty eyes. They make me think of the city in the summer time after a hard rain. Fresh and clean.”

I swallow thickly, shocked. Nobody has ever complimented my green eyes before. “Thank you,” I mutter, feeling suddenly shy.

“Good,” Rita says, breaking the trance. “How about if we move this into the grass? Oh, what about these rocks?”

I’m about to climb off Easton’s lap, when he clasps his hands under my butt and lifts me. He walks us over to the cluster of rocks, like I weigh nothing, perching himself up against them with me sandwiched between.

“Good, good,” Rita says. “You guys are perfect.”

My legs wrap around Easton’s waist, and my hands tighten around his neck.

“I never got your name,” he says.

“Sophia.”

“Beautiful name for a beautiful woman.” And just like that, once again nothing exists but Easton and me.

Our faces are now close, too close. My eyes drop to his mouth as his tongue darts out, wetting his fleshy lips. And then, before I realize what’s happening, his mouth is on mine. Warmth floods through my veins. It’s been years since I’ve been kissed, touched. His lips are soft yet strong. His tongue traces my top lip, then my bottom one. I’m frozen in place, unsure of what to do, until his tongue slips into my mouth, finding my own, tasting me, coaxing my tongue to duel with his. He tastes like cinnamon: spicy yet refreshing.

He pulls me closer, and my center grinds against his hard length, making him groan into my mouth. Our kiss deepens. My fingers run through the hair at his nape, while his massage the globes of my ass.

And then Rita yells out, “Wow! Perfect,” slicing through the moment.