“No, stupid, you don’t have anything on you.” Except me. I grab the front of his shirt and twist it in my hands, shaking him a little when I have a firm grip. “I’m just … ergh.”
He leans over and gently slides his hand back around my waist again. “Is that a good ergh or a bad ergh?”
His face is getting closer as I stand straighter and he leans more into me. I can feel the front of his waist pushing into mine and something is getting bigger and harder between us. I can’t help but push up against it a little.
“I think it’s a good ergh,” I say, my voice mostly breath.
He’s going to kiss me. I tremble just the slightest bit with anticipation. The warmth of his arms and hands seep through the thin material of my shorts and t-shirt. As we come together, his fingers slide up my back and pull me to him. My heart feels like it’s about to beat itself right out of my chest cavity.
Our one and only other kiss was a playful thing. This one is not. His lips come to mine softly at first but then become more insistent. His warm tongue is there too, sliding along with mine, touching my lips, my teeth, anything that gets in its way. It’s hot out here in the woods. Really hot. My nipples go hard and I press into him farther, reveling in the feel of his body up against mine.
A loud horn honking just behind us, makes us both freeze in place. With our lips still pressed together, Mick says, “I think we’re being paged.”
I smile, a slight breeze washing over my hot skin, making me shiver just a tiny bit. “I think we are too.” I can’t come up with anything sexier or cooler to say. I feel like a complete goof. I suddenly realize that I’m actually making out with a guy behind a bathroom. Could I be any lamer?
He smashes his lips to mine and gives me one last, loud kiss before pulling away. “Come on. Time to go fight crime.”
I push him away, trying to act all casual even though my heart is going too fast and I’m anything but chill. “Stop saying that. We’re not fighting crime. We’re just doing some recon.” Don’t trip. Whatever you do, don’t trip.
“Yeah, right.” He walks slowly, waiting for me, staying by my side.
I’m afraid he’s going to take me by the hand and turn me into a complete and utter loon as I stutter and flutter and go all red in the face, so I stay far enough away that he can’t. It’s torture to want him to touch me like that but know I can’t let it happen. I need to keep it together, not let this simple kiss get the best of me and turn me into a flaming idiot. There’s nothing less sexy to a guy than that, and I really want him to find me sexy.
This whole thing is probably a bad idea, I know this, but that isn’t going to stop me from pursuing it. I need to play it right and not mess it up. Mick and Meeee, sitting in a treeeee, k-i-s-s-i-n-geeeee…
We get back to the car and he hesitates before getting in. I stare at him over the roof while my door remains shut. Words come flying out of my mouth without any forethought or planning on my part.
“Thanks for kissing me.”
I instantly feel beyond stupid over the fact that I can’t seem to control my mouth - not when it wants to kiss Mick or when it wants to say things that should probably just stay in my head.
“Thanks for kissing me back,” he says. The expression on his face is more adorable than I can stand. Maybe it’s not so bad that my mouth runs away from me sometimes.
I open the door and get in before it can do anything else and blow this moment between us. “We all good?” I ask, twisting around to see Alissa and Colin.
They’re each looking out opposite windows. Colin doesn’t acknowledge me, but Alissa nods silently.
“Okee dokee. Off we go, then.”
As Mick leaves the parking lot, I pull out a Slim Jim and dangle it in front of his face. It stays stiffly out in front of his nose for a few seconds but then starts to bow down, going limp in my hand. I bounce it a few times for effect and it taps his nose. “Want one?”
He takes it from me, smiling just before he rips off a big chunk with his teeth. “Don’t mind if I do.”
We’re both grinning like fools as we drive north on the Pacific Coast Highway. I don’t know what’s going on in his head, but I’m looking forward to the next time we can catch a stolen moment with no one looking. I wiggle with the anticipation. I’m totally going to touch his junk.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
AFTER SEVEN HOURS ON THE road, my ass feels as flat as a pancake. Maybe not even a full pancake. More like a crepe. Alissa and I stand at the front of the car, discussing our game plan while I shake it out and fluff it back up to its badda-boom glory. The guys are inside the car, because Alissa said they look too suspicious. She also claims that there’s nothing more non-threatening than a pregnant girl, but I beg to differ. She’s somehow managed to work everything to her advantage and get exactly what she wants from three fully grown adults who used to think they were in charge of their lives, and she hasn’t even broken a sweat getting it done, either. She’s a monster in pregnant lady clothing.