Page 51 of Colton’s Inferno

“Oh, Lucy,” he sighed the word into her mouth.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he grabbed her hips. His fingers dug into her skin with a delicious pain. She kissed him again, harder this time. He pressed his tongue against the seam of her mouth. She parted her lips, and he slipped his tongue inside. His kiss held the same intensity as the storm outside.

A bolt of lightning lit up the sky. It was followed by an immediate rumble of thunder.

And now, Lucy was in the middle of the storm.

Chapter 13

Lucy kissed Aiden harder and deeper. She was starving and he was her banquet. His hands were still around her waist. He gripped her tighter, pressing her to him, and she melted into him. His hands skimmed her back, sending a shiver of anticipation up her spine.

His touch traveled to her shoulders and down her arms, lacing his fingers with hers. Aiden kissed her mouth, her cheek, her ear, her throat. She was on his lap, and beneath her, he was hard. He wanted her as much as she wanted him.

Another flash of lightning was followed by a rumble of thunder.

But even as Aiden’s kisses blazed a trail down her neck, to her throat and the top of her chest, she asked herself if she wanted him as a lover. She wasn’t a virgin. There had been a boy during her sophomore year in high school. He was a junior and would come to the ranch and help her father, grandfather, and Derek with the chores. After, he would walk around the property with Lucy. They’d kissed and rubbed against one another, the denim of their jeans chafing. Finally, they’d had sex.

Then, he never came by again.

Derek had teased her that the guy didn’t want to hang around because she was a prude.

Lucy knew that wasn’t the problem. But she told nobody.

The year after Derek’s death, she had dated one of his friends. They were both heartbroken and found solace in each other. But there was nothing keeping them together beyond their shared grief. He went to college—the University of Wyoming, if she recalled. She had no idea where he was or what he was doing.

But now, she was with Aiden. As his lips blazed a trail across her skin, Lucy wondered if she had somehow lived in suspended animation since her brother’s death. She didn’t have the same experiences as people her age, and honestly, she didn’t know what came next.

Pressing her hands against his chest, she pushed Aiden back. “I’m not sure how far I want to take this,” she said. “I like you. I’ve had a fun evening. You are a great kisser.” He was actually an amazing kisser. “But…”

“But kissing is all you want to do,” he said, trying to finish her thought for her.

That wasn’t it, either. A flash of lightning struck outside, filling the room with bright light. Aiden looked at her. In his gaze, Lucy felt beautiful. Desirable. And seen. “I just want to take it slow.”

“You can set the pace,” he said. “We can stop now, if you want.”

“That’s not what I want at all.”

Thunder rumbled, rattling the windows and stopping whatever else she might have said. She shifted on Aiden’s lap. Beneath her, he was harder than before.

“I think it’s getting worse,” he said.

How had he known what she was thinking? “Umm.”

“The storm,” he said, “is definitely getting worse.”

“Then, we’ll just have to find something else to keep us busy.” She placed her lips on the side of his mouth.

“Only if you’re sure,” he said.

“Positive. It’s just I’m not sure where the line is or will be.”

“You have the right to your body,” said Aiden. “But I appreciate you being honest from the start.”

He kissed her again, tentatively this time. It was as if he were dipping a toe into a pool to check the temperature. She kissed him back, slipping her tongue into his mouth, urging him to jump in all at once.

A growl came from deep in his chest. His lips moved from her mouth to her throat to her chest. He stroked her breast through the silk of her shirt and the fabric of her bra. Her nipple hardened under his touch.

“Oh, Aiden,” she said.