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Says the SEAL, I snicker to myself.
He stays rooted in his spot, studying me. “Oh shit! A whale,” he exclaims, pointing out to the water.
I spin on my heels. “Where?”
Stupid, stupid, Ell.
He pounces like a tiger. I scream as I’m tossed over his shoulder, and he runs toward the water. Cheers from the restaurant float down to us. This guy could be attempting to kill me, and they are cheering him on.
“Kase, don’t you dare!” I yell, slapping him on the ass as he gets closer to the dark waters. When water covers his feet, he stops. “Put me down, Cowboy.” I try for stern, but being upside down, it comes out more strangled.
He leans forward so I can hop off. The cool water tickles my feet and my toes sink in the soft sand. I slap him in the chest, but I can’t pull my hand back. “Jerk, you tricked me,” I say, my voice losing its fight. He stares down at me as he lifts his hand to sweep my wild hair blowing in the wind behind my ear. His fingers graze my ear and work their way down the curve of my neck. I lean into his touch.
“I told you, I’ll use every means necessary to get what I want.”
Leaning down, his lips caress mine as he keeps the kiss soft and sweet. They linger on my lips, his fingers press into my lower back, and he’s wavering on the line of losing control. I slide my hand up his chest, wrapping it around his neck, pulling him down into me, daring him to cross that line. He deepens the kiss, our tongues dance with each other and I melt in his arms. The world slips away and I wonder if he knows how all-encompassing he is. The need to back away dissolves. He feels safe in my unsafe world. I revel in the feeling knowing it won’t stay.
When he breaks away from the kiss, he leans his forehead against mine. “That was worth the wait,” he mumbles, embracing me in his strong arms and giving me a warm hug. The gentle embrace catches me off guard. It’s not sexual, and it’s not goodbye.
It’s a hello hug you give someone you haven't seen in a long time.
I pull back and his eyes flash down to mine, his body tenses as he studies me. With a slight tick at the corner of my mouth, I ask, “Did I make you wait that long?”
“I’ve been dreaming about your lips on mine since the day I met you.”
I touch my lips, still swollen from his, and spin to walk back up to our table so he can’t read the emotions written all over my face. I try to hide that I want him as much as he wants me, try to hide my fears about my past, preventing me from moving forward and try to hide my heart, where it’s been the last ten years, hidden behind scar tissue.
Slipping my shoes on, I stand tall, staring back up the beach. Why does he have to be so perfect? His chest hits my back, yet he doesn’t reach for me. I close my eyes wondering how the moment got intense so fast. His uneven sigh has me turning around. “I didn’t mean to scare you off.” His confident voice wavers with panic as he searches my eyes for answers. I shouldn’t have turned around. Not yet. “What are you afraid of, Ellie?”
You. Me. Everything.
I let out a soft sigh and look away from the intensity in his eyes, avoiding the question I can’t answer. “I can’t fall for you, Kase.”
When I lift my gaze and meet his, there’s understanding there to something he has no idea about. It’s unnerving to think he can see into my past.
“The last thing I want is for you to fall and get hurt.”
I swallow the lump in my throat, hating what he’s implying. Hating myself for feeling upset over his reaction when I’m the one ruining this. “Are you saying you’d hurt me?” I whisper.
“Never. I’d be here to catch you. But I can’t make you like me.” My lip twitches. It’s too late, I already do. After a few silent beats, he tips his head up the beach. “C’mon, I’ll take you home.”
I’m thankful we’re on a bike so we don’t have to talk. White lights blur as we pass them, the cooler night air blanketing us. The long ride helps me work through the tight ball of what-ifs knotted up inside me. I think back to the last ten years, where backing away from men came easy, none holding my attention long enough to want more. One date with Kase and I’m reevaluating everything.
Maybe, he’d accept my past.
Maybe, he wouldn’t need to know about my past.
Maybe, he’d accept our future.
I groan knowing there isn’t a man alive who would accept any of that—regardless of how hard I want to try. His hand covers mine, and he squeezes it. My heart tells me he’s answering yes, my head is telling me not to be so naïve, it’s just a sweet gesture.
Kase leans against the parked bike in the parking garage, giving me space, waiting for me to make the first move. He looks downright sinful. If I had my camera, I’d snap a shot so I could study it, search for his story in those blue eyes. I step forward in between his legs and press my lips to his. It’s a soft, chaste kiss, knowing if I lean into it anymore, I won't be able to stop. I know I told him I’d show him my project, but if I invite him in, I’ll be showing him more than just pictures.
“Thank you. I had a great time tonight.”
His hands relax on my hips, thumbs gently stroking small targets that shoot an arrow of desire straight through me. I step out of his grasp, the air around us thickening. His arrogant smile a reminder that the man sees everything. He’s just going to sit back and wait for me to come to him. I’m usually not the sheep. It scares the hell out of me that my body doesn’t care if he’s the shepherd or the wolf. Either way, I’ll be his. How do I fight this instinctual pull? A spark of hope builds, if I give in and let him own me, will my past release its hold on me?
“I did too. If only you’d let me take you out again?”
