It was.
For a split second, she wondered if the mascara that Suzette had insisted upon was streaming down her face. But then, she caught sight of Luke’s heated gaze trailing over her mouth down to her neck to rest on the swell of her modest breasts, she realized that she didn’t care.
One night of fun was right in her grasp. All she had to do was reach out and take it.
Like he’d read her thoughts, Luke closed the gap between them, his knee brushing the inside of her thigh beneath the water.
“I’m not saying I’m glad I lost the race,” he murmured, reaching out to swipe a lock of wet hair sticking to her lips away gently with the tip of his index finger, “but I gotta admit, Doc, you sure were a pretty sight to wake up to.”
The water rippled around them as she shuffled a little closer still, her breath suspended in her chest.
He dipped his head towards hers, moving slowly enough for her to stop him if she wanted to. But, god, she so didn’t want to.
His mouth touched hers and he groaned, resting a hand on her hip, slipping just the very tip of his tongue between her lips. She melted into him, her legs instantly going weak at the riot of sensations rushing through her.
Now, his rock hard body was lined up with hers, hip to hip, and it was all she could do not to press closer.
What the hell was she thinking? She barely knew this guy. Not to mention, he was an Anderson. Trouble with a capital T. But no matter what excuse her brain tried to supply, her body shot it down. She wanted Luke and she wanted him bad. And the fact that she barely knew him was even better, wasn’t it? There was no chance this was going anywhere. He was a bad boy, she was a good girl. After tonight, she’d probably never see him again. But still, the fact that she had never felt this way before, not even about her high school boyfriend Greg. Not even about her college boyfriend Dan.
Not even about Jason Momoa?
Terrified her.
She found herself wishing she had taken a shot from the flask for a little bit of…What was it they called it? Liquid courage? Instead, she worked up some of the natural kind and it gave her just enough balls to lean even closer.
Her arms curled around his neck of their own accord and she whimpered as the motion pressed her chest against his, making her nipples spike with need.
She pulled away and stepped back in an effort to break away from his atmosphere of hotness that seemed to be rattling her brain into mush. She needed just one second to think.
“You look like you’re deep in thought,” Luke murmured, shooting a slow, crooked, half-grin her way.
Wondering if the cops are going to come and arrest you, because those dimples should be illegal, she almost shot back.
Instead, that last bit of resistance evaporated under the heat of him and the words tumbled from her mouth like something from a bad dream.
“Do you want to, um, do…sex with me?"
He stared back at her, his face a mask of confusion for an instant. Then, the half-grin faded and his jaw went tense.
“Well, I don't think I've ever heard it phrased that way, darlin', but if you're asking what I think you are?" He dipped low and pressed a kiss to her jawline, sending a shiver through her whole body. "Then the answer is, fuck yeah I do."
The real Tawny balked. She should think this through. She should get out of the water, sit down and weigh the pros and potential consequences. She should--
But before the real Tawny could finish that sentence, fake Tawny…Wild, crazy, fun Tawny…Tawny who only got out once every few years or so, took the reins and lunged at him.
Their teeth clacked together as she mashed her mouth to his. To Luke's credit, he didn't let it faze him. He slid his arm around her waist and dove one hand into her damp hair, anchoring her closer. His mouth was so firm and warm, she couldn't get enough. Her lips parted and his tongue traced the tender flesh inside.
His low groan sent a lick of fire through her, landing straight between her thighs.
"You taste so damn good, girl,” he muttered against her mouth.
So did he. God, so did he. She'd been kissed dozens of times, but it had never felt like this. His tongue thrust into her mouth now, and she held on to his broad, wet shoulders for dear life. The blood rushed to her ears and suddenly the distant noise of the party faded away altogether. There was only her, and the gentle lap of the lake against the shore...and Luke.
So much Luke.
He angled his muscled chest against hers, supporting the small of her back as he lowered her into the sand. His body felt so right against hers. Hard where she was soft, firm where she was pliable...they fit like two pieces of a sensual puzzle.
His hand slid from her lower back up and around, trailing gently over her waist and then higher, to rest on her rib cage. Just beneath her breast, directly over her frantically beating heart.