Page 42 of My All American Girl

She threw her head back, singing along to the music. When she looked over at me, there was a smile on her lips and an unmistakable invitation in her eyes.

Danger.

Her hand reached out to me, fingers beckoning. For a moment, I felt the pull, a powerful urge to join her, to let go of all the reasons why it was a bad idea. But I shook my head and looked away from her. I needed fresh air. She was sucking the oxygen out of the room.

I turned my back to her and went behind the bar. It wasn’t enough distance between us. I went out back into the rear parking lot, where the garbage bins were lined up against the wall. I sucked in a breath and closed my eyes.

“Get a grip,” I muttered to myself. “She’s off-limits.”

The hum of music and laughter from the bar were a reminder of the life I’d built here so long ago. I remembered being one of the young pilots letting loose at the bar. I remembered having drinks and meeting girls. I needed a moment to clear my head, to push away the images of Sarah’s body moving in a seductive dance.

Sarah Thomas was Mo’s daughter. Period. Full stop. Mo was a respected figure, a man who’d taken me under his wing and guided me through some of the toughest moments of my life. He was also a friend. The idea of betraying that trust by pursuing something with Sarah was unthinkable. I couldn’t do that to him. He had entrusted me with his most precious possession.

But damn, she was tempting. The thoughts I’d been having, the lines I’d been crossing in my own mind? They weren’t just inappropriate. They were dangerous. They could ruin everything I’d worked so hard to build.

My new bad habit was picturing her naked. It had become my dirty little pastime. When I closed my eyes, I pictured her writhing under me.

I shook my head, trying to banish the image of her dancing, her body moving with such effortless sensuality. It wasn’t good. None of this was good. I was only human. I considered myself to be a pretty strong dude, but this woman was proving to be too much to resist.

Just as I was beginning to regain my composure, the door swung open again, and there she was, breathless and still smiling from dancing. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair slightly tousled.

“Where’d you run off to?” she asked, her tone light and teasing. “Are you hiding from me?”

I tried to keep my voice steady. “Go back inside, Sarah.”

She shook her head, taking a step closer. “Out here, off base, you’re not the boss of me.”

Her words were a challenge, and despite every rational thought telling me to walk away, I found myself stepping toward her. She took a step back, probably one of the smartest things she had done. But I wasn’t finished. I took another step toward her, backing her against the exterior wall.

I leaned in, my eyes dropping to her mouth. “Are you sure about that?”

The air between us was thick with tension, the kind that was full of heat and an absolute demand for relief. There was an undeniable attraction. I was losing the battle against my own desires. She wasn’t helping matters. The way she was looking at me was making me crazy.

Her words, her touch, everything about her made it impossible to keep the walls up. I put my hands on either side of her, telling myself it was okay if I didn’t touch her. Before I knew what I was doing, I leaned in, my lips brushing against hers. It was a tentative kiss at first, but the moment our lips met, it was like a dam breaking. Passion surged between us, desperate and hungry.

My hands moved to her waist, pulling her closer as the kiss deepened. She responded with equal fervor, her fingers tangling in my hair, pulling me impossibly close. It was a kiss that spoke of all the things we couldn’t say. It expressed all the feelings we’d been trying to ignore.

For a moment, I allowed myself to get lost in her. I forgot about the complications and the consequences that came with touching her like this. My hands roamed over her back, feeling the warmth of her skin through the thin fabric of her shirt. She fit perfectly against me, her body responding to mine in a way that felt completely natural.

As excited as I was, reality came crashing back all too soon. I pulled back, my breath coming in ragged gasps. “We can’t do this, Sarah.”

She looked up at me, her eyes dark with desire but also with understanding. “Why not, Dean? We both want this.”

I shook my head. My heart was pounding against my chest. Every cell of my body was demanding to get close to her. I needed the physical connection. She was staring at me with her lips slightly parted and her eyes heavy-lidded. She was the sexiest woman I had ever laid eyes on. For her, I was actually considering going AWOL and hanging up my wings just so I could taste her again.

“But it’s wrong,” I said, my voice rough with the intensity of my desire. “Your father⁠—”

“He’s my father, Dean. Not yours. And he’s not the one kissing me.”

There was a defiance in her tone that startled me. This was typical Sarah. Always so willing to break the rules and do whatever she wanted. She was bad news. She was going to be my downfall. The realization was clear as day. I wasn’t even afraid of it.

“I’m not a child anymore, Dean,” she continued, her voice softening. “And you’re not just my father’s friend to me. We’re here. Me and you. That’s all that matters.”

“We need to go back inside,” I said softly. “Before someone sees us. Before we do something we regret.”

She grabbed the front of my shirt, yanking me back to her hard enough to make me stumble and nearly fall against her, which I had a feeling was her goal. I didn’t resist. Our lips met again, the kiss even more urgent, more intense. My hands were everywhere, exploring her curves, committing every inch of her to memory.

I knew this was dangerous. I was crossing lines that shouldn’t be crossed. But in that moment, I didn’t care. All that mattered was her, the way she felt in my arms, and the way she responded to my touch.