A fat tear slips down my cheek. “Yeah, I can. What kind of heartless person cheats on someone who’s in the service?”
“You’re allowed to make mistakes in life.” He kisses the side of my head.
I lean into him as the boat circles back into the harbor, preparing to dock.
“You asked why Kelly said that, what’s changed. If you really want to know, I’ll show you.” I grab my phone from my pocket and turn around to show him a picture of us from the night before, smiling like total goobers. “Us. This thing we have going on, whatever it is. You’re the first reason I’ve had in a long time that has made me want to go out and do something that will make me feel alive. You’re the reason I suddenly want to get up in the morning. You’ve changed me, Adam. When I’m around you, it’s like I can barely breathe because I’m afraid I’ll do something to screw up, and lose you, too. I don’t think I’m worthy of being anyone’s girlfriend after what I did.”
“You can’t let one mistake define you. You are worthy. I wish you could see yourself the way I do. You’re amazing, Jewels.”
Eyes locked, we grab each other’s faces at the same exact moment our lips collide.
I’m filled with the scent of him I’ve desperately missed, mixed with aftershave. All of me throbs in celebration of the kiss I’ve waited for so long to return. My head tips back as his mouth covers mine, urgently making up for lost time. His warm lips part, giving me access to his mint-flavored tongue, igniting sparks deep within me. I gasp against his lips, feeling like I’ll dissolve into a puddle when his hands trail down to my waist, his fingers lifting under the back of my shirt, teasing the small bits of flesh exposed.
The undeniable need for him becomes more intense. I curve myself against him, clutching his shirt in my fists. My lips and tongue can only do so much to appease my appetite for him. I have to remind myself we’re in public, on a boat. Still, I yearn to have his hands all over me, releasing the sexual tension building up inside. Heat fills me from head to toe, making my head spin. Adam’s thumbs continue to stroke the skin above my shorts as his kisses become more intense.
Then there’s a loud, brash cough behind us. We turn to see the young tour guide standing next to us, her hands clasped in front of her. “So...we’ve, like, docked.”
After lunch at Bubba Gump, we ride the infamous Ferris wheel. My fear of heights escalates when we’re stopped at the top until Adam kisses me. It’s a sweet and light kiss, but it makes me wild for him all over again. When we agree we’ve had enough sightseeing, we head back to the hotel to “freshen up” before going out for the night. We hold hands in the elevator, but don’t speak of the kisses or what has changed between us.
Right outside my room, I lean up against the wall. Adam moves in front of me like there’s a magnetic pull keeping us together. The heat from his body drives me insane with desire.
“So what time are we meeting up?” I trace the lines of his arm with my finger, grinning down at his perfect body. By the way his shorts have shifted off to the side, he’s most definitely as turned on as I am. I bring my mouth up to his slowly, tauntingly.
“What happened to the no touching rule?” he asks, his breath tight.
“I never said anything about kissing, did I?”
I duck away from him and slide my card through the door, grabbing his arm to pull him along. We float across the room to the bed where I push him down and straddle over him, my hair falling across his face. We both laugh. Gathering my hair to the side, I bend down to take his lower lip between my teeth, giggling when he flips me around to my back. He removes my shirt before brushing my blond locks from my face.
His baby blues drink in my exposed breasts and stomach before coming back up to stare into my eyes long and hard, as if trying to mentally pass me a message. I’ve never felt so exposed and vulnerable as I do underneath his gaze. I’m suddenly electrified to a new level, ready to devour him.
But he won’t kiss me. His lips trail across the curve of my neck, down the soft line of my shoulder and beyond before he uses his thumb to yank my bra cup aside. His tongue circles around my hardened nipple, teasing it before taking a soft nibble.
Moaning, I reach out to pull his face back to mine.
Our lips mash and suck, trying to make up for lost time. Our mouths move with our staggered, eager breaths. His fingers are like searing fire against my skin, caressing and kneading and softly pinching.
“You’re so damn beautiful,” he whispers, holding his mouth right over mine. His lips drop down to my stomach where his nose brushes against my skin as soft as a whisper.