Page 44 of Wild About You
My soft gasp hangs in the air between us. “Wh-what does that mean?”
“It means…” He pauses, a few seconds that feel like hours. “It means my teammate is strong, brilliant, big-hearted, and…and beautiful from the inside out.” He sucks in a deep breath and sounds like he’s holding it when he continues. “And I really, really want to kiss her.”
A flicker of feeling ignites in my tender heart, equal parts warm comfort and hot desire spreading into all my buzzing limbs and extremities. I know I’m not having a panic attack, but I also can’t quite breathe.
Still, I somehow manage to turn my head to face Finn and gasp out the words, “That’s…troublesome?”
My smile threatens to take over my entire face, but I hold it back, not quite ready to believe in what’s happening.
He props up on an elbow, his big brown eyes, dark as the night sky, now boring into me. “I’ve been telling myself it is, though I can’t quite remember why at the moment.”
His breath teases my lips as he speaks, we’re so close. It’s a whisper of a suggestion at what could be. His scent wraps around me, the hotel’s eucalyptus soap mixed with a lingering note of campfire smoke.
“How long have you and yourself been discussing the matter?”
He swallows heavily. “A while.”
I bring my hand up and bite down on my thumbnail as I consider him. I’d be huffing the hell out of a lavender rollerball if I had one right now. But I don’t, which is probably why I just keep blurting things out.
“Me and myself have had similar talks.”
Finn’s nostrils flare, eyes brightening ever so slightly. “Have you?”
“Mm-hmm.” I watch his gaze drop to my bottom lip where my thumb presses against it. “Consensus is I’ve been wanting to kiss my teammate too, whether it’s in our best interest or not.”
“It feels like my best interest tonight. Maybe the best interest of all time.” There’s a hint of teasing in his voice, but his quickening breaths tell me he’s plenty serious, too. He reaches up and takes my hand from my face to wrap it in his hand, his thumb pressing into my palm and stroking back and forth.
My reply is more exhaled than spoken. “Can’t say I disagree.”
Finn’s response is to lean forward as I tilt my face up, inching closer so slowly I could scream, before he finally takes my lips with his. Though I knew it was coming, the kiss surprises me. It isn’t awkward or tentative, like first kisses with a new person so often are. It feels at once wildly exciting and perfectly familiar as our lips connect in a firm, lingering press.
When he starts to pull back I find myself trying to follow, but quickly see he wasn’t really going anywhere. His mouth returns to play over mine, lips slightly parted, and I welcome the change. Both my hands reach up almost of their own accord to cup his jaw and pull him closer so he leans more of his chest onto mine. I want it all, as much of him pressed to me as I can get. He lets me position his face just how I like, in the perfect spot for me to deepen the kiss.
It’s fiery, exploratory, and achingly gentle in different turns. One of Finn’s hands comes to my hair, sifting through before sliding down to grip the back of my neck. His other leaves a path of sparks in its wake as it runs down my side, across my stomach, to my hip and back again, seemingly unable to land on just one place to grab, wanting to claim it all. And god, do I want that, too.
I slide one foot up closer, bending my leg at the knee to rest against Finn’s hip, caging him in, and it has the unintended effect of sending the skirt of my dress to pool around the very tops of my thighs. Finn isn’t expecting this when he coasts his hand down without looking, and I feel the surprised grunt from the back of his throat when he connects with bare skin. I’ve been wanting to taste his grumbly sounds nearly as long as I’ve known him, and they’re every bit as delicious as I’d hoped, causing me to tighten my grip in his hair.
Still, he’s able to pull his head back for real this time, breaking our connection to let his gaze travel down my body. My ensemble is starting to look as disheveled as his, but still not nearly as wrecked as I feel.
“Natalie…” My name scrapes out of him in a hoarse voice, and I feel a flush of pride that I’ve gotten him just as undone.
“Yes?” My chest rises and falls rapidly.
He squeezes his eyes shut and gives his head a brisk shake before looking back up at my face. Both his hands on me give a single matching squeeze before landing flat on the ground on either side of my head.
“That was…This is…” I watch him give up on searching for words. “Wow.”
My answering giggle is cartoonishly high-pitched and breathy, but I can’t find any shame. There’s no room for anything but good vibes inside me, a witch’s brew of happiness, desire, attraction, relief, all bubbling together.
This is happening, and it is wow. Who the hell would’ve thought?
“Right back at ya, stud.” I reach up to give his chest a pat, then leave my hand there, wondering why I didn’t explore more of this territory as we kissed. Something to remedy next time.
Finn’s brows shoot up, cheeks going adorably even redder than they already were. “Stud?”
His voice cracks on the word, which I only find more endearing. I’m a goner.
“You heard me. Who knew you had”—I dart a look up and down his body, meaning to encompass his entire sexy essence right now—“all of this in you?”