Mouth to Mouth (Beach Kingdom 1)

He watched as she flitted from room to room, turning on lights and toeing stacks of books out of the way. She cleared paperwork off her kitchen table and looked at her reflection in the stainless steel refrigerator, patting down little flyaway hairs and fixing smudged eye makeup. They traded a laugh when she pressed a few buttons on her laptop and the sounds of Sting’s voice singing “Fields of Gold” filled up the apartment. Watching her set the mood was so fucking enjoyable, he had to tear his attention away to take in the rest of the apartment.

Straight ahead was the connected dining room and kitchen, which she’d painted a sunny yellow, two vases of daisies perched on the counter and table. Her Freud towel was drying over the back of a chair, and she’d left a half-drunk mug of tea beside an open textbook. To his left was a small living room, complete with a big trunk that doubled as a coffee table—and a suede couch, a pillow that looked as if it came from her bed on one end. That room led to a balcony with a view of the beach that had Rory whistling under his breath.

“You don’t even need to walk to the beach to visit me,” he said. “You can probably see me from here.”

“Nope. I’ve tried,” she returned, swinging around the kitchen’s partition wall and sliding toward him in her socks. “The up-close version of you is better, anyway.”

He leaned down and brushed their mouths together. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She studied him, as if trying to gauge his reaction to the expensive apartment. Rory smiled back, letting her know he didn’t give a shit where they were, as long as it was the same place. “Come on,” she murmured, pleasure softening her features even more. “I believe you requested a shower curtain and towel viewing.”

Watching her tush sway on the way down the short hallway, Rory made an appreciative sound. “On second thought, maybe that can wait.”

He reached for Olive, but she evaded him with a giggle, dancing into the bathroom and flipping on the light. “May I present proof of my adulting skills.”

Rory craned his neck to peer into the immaculate bathroom…and dropped his head forward on a chuckle. Her shower curtain was a retro version of Belle from Beauty and the Beast. The cartoon character was naked—except for some well-placed books—and the towels were the exact shade of the purple streak in her hair.

“All right, baby, that’s pretty cute.” He slapped off the light and tugged her out of the bathroom, kissing her as they swayed down the hallway. “But if you’ve got Disney characters on your bedsheets, we might have a problem.”

She nibbled her bottom lip. “How late is Bed Bath & Beyond open?”

Rory narrowed his eyes.

“I’m kidding. They’re a tasteful heather gray.”

“Phew.”

There was another balcony attached to her bedroom, he saw, when the glow from her bedside table lamp was turned on. He went over to inspect, unlocking and sliding open the door to find a deckchair wedged in the corner. “You sunbathe out here?” He stepped outside and turned in a circle, noting how many other windows looked out onto that exact spot. “Ah, baby. You’re trying to kill me.”

“What?”

Don’t be a possessive asshole. “Nothing.” He looked back to find her sitting on the side of her huge, fluffy bed, complete with furry throw pillows. So soft and sexy and female in her pretty dress and the muted lamp light. “I can’t help wanting to be the only one who looks at you.” He reentered the room and advanced on her, loving the way her eyes raked over him, her body reclining slightly on the bed, as if she couldn’t help lying down for him. “I want you to know I’ve never been jealous. Not in my entire life. It’s all for you, so it’s…strong.”

“You don’t want me in my bathing suit on the balcony?”

“I want you to do it, even though it makes me crazy.” He stepped between her thighs and eased her all the way down onto the bed. “Don’t give me too many inches, okay, sunbeam? You’ll tempt me to take a mile.”

“I can do that.” Her breath caught as he lowered the side zipper on her dress and tugged off the garment, leaving it on the end of the bed. “Jesus Christ,” he muttered, staring down at perfection in panties and glasses. Nothing but panties and glasses. He trailed his fingertips from her neck, down between her bare breasts, circling them around her belly button. Watching her stomach hollow. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, Olive Cunningham.” Rory stripped off his T-shirt and scooped her up, placing her in the center of the bed and setting her glasses out of harm’s way. Leaving his jeans on so he wouldn’t be tempted too soon, he dropped down beside her onto his back, stacking his hands underneath his head and staring up at the ceiling. “If I never brought up what happened tonight on the boardwalk…who we ran into…would you ask me?”