Page 28 of The Trolley Kiss
He groans as his fingers dig into my hip harder. “God, all I want to hear is my name on your lips.”
His lips ghost over mine. I can almost feel them. I want him to kiss me so bad. Everything in me aches for him to kiss me. All it would take would be a little lean forward on my part.
I can’t do it. I know if he kisses me, then I won’t be able to resist. The only way it could end would be us naked together in his bed. Fuck, I want that so bad.
I take a breath for courage. “Please don’t,” I whisper against his mouth.
His hands linger for a moment like it takes every ounce of restraint he has to pull away. He does pull away though. He gives me the space I asked for. I’m already regretting my decision when the coldness washes over me, no longer having his body heat pressed against me.
His face is disappointed, but he’s not defeated. Like he knows this isn’t over yet. “Goodnight, Addison.”
Chapter 12
The sun blinds me as I step out of the back slider into the backyard. I drop my sunglasses to cover my eyes, trying to relieve some of my hangover symptoms. I wobble down to the beach with my kindle in hand and plop down on a beach chair. Almost everyone has already been out on the water for a while. I couldn’t manage to get myself out of bed this morning once I finally fell asleep last night.
I was restless the whole night. My mind kept wandering back to the fact that Declan’s room was only right down the hall. I could have snuck in and out without anyone else being the wiser. My imagination ran wild with a million different scenarios that all ended with me on my back. So even though I slept in, I probably only got a few hours of sleep throughout the whole night.
I reach my hand up to my lips to cover my smile as I think back once again, imagining what it would feel like to have his lips against mine again. I close my eyes, remembering the way his scruffle rubbed against my skin, the way his fingers threaded into my hair, the way his tongue slipped into my mouth, the way his teeth bit down on my lip.
“There’s our little sleepyhead.”
My eyes pop open to Mack’s smiling face. He falls down on the chair next to me. “You ready to ride?”
“Hm?” I ask, forgetting for a moment that he was going to show me how to ride the jet skies today. “Oh, right. Yeah, sure. I’m ready.”
“Fuck yeah,” he says as he jumps to his feet. “You’re gonna love it!”
I giggle as I follow him down to the dock. “Just promise we won’t go too fast before I get it all down because otherwise I will crash us. Guaranteed.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you,” he flirts, winking over his shoulder. “Here, the life jackets are hanging next to the shed.”
Declan turns our way as we approach the rack with the life jackets. His chest is still dripping wet as he runs his fingers through his hair, shaking out the water. His navy blue swimsuit hangs low on his hips. I try to avert my eyes, but they keep finding their way back to him.
“Mack!” Trevor, one of Mack’s friends, calls out. “Where’s the fuse box? Powers out!”
Mack nods at Declan. “Can you get Addy a jacket? I’ll be right back.”
He smiles at me and leaves before I can protest. I pause before turning back to Declan. I can feel the look he’s giving me before I even finish moving my eyes in his direction. I pinch my lips in a thin smile, trying to not let his stare affect me.
He grabs a life jacket off the hook and steps closer to me without a word. He holds the jacket out and motions for me to turn around. I follow his instructions without question.
He holds it out for me to slip my arms in, but I stop before I do. I grab the hem of my cover up and yank it over my head, dropping it to the ground, leaving me in my little black bikini. I feel his gaze run down my back.
I peek over my shoulder with a smirk as I step back into the jacket. He immediately takes back control, grabbing my arm and turning me to face him. He yanks me forward by the jacket before snapping the buckles together. His eyes bore into mine as he grabs the life jacket strap, pulling it tighter until it fits me snug.
“Thank you,” I whisper, stepping back and brushing my hair behind my ear.
He nods but doesn’t look away. I’m desperate to end the silence between us. “Look, about last night, I can’t-.”
“Deck! Can you take Addy out for a ride? I’m going to be a few minutes figuring this out,” Mack calls from the house, interrupting what I was going to say.
I can’t very well be stuck alone with him any longer. “That’s okay! I can wait!” I call back.
Mack, being the oblivious, happy-go-lucky guy he is, doesn’t even question it being weird. “No, I don’t want to make you wait. You’ll be in good hands with Declan. I promise. I’ll be out as soon as I’m done!”
He’s back in the house before I can even try to explain that being in Declan’s hands is the absolute last place I want to be. I dart my eyes back to Declan, and his face is neutral. I give him a nervous smile, not wanting to finish the conversation I started because I thought I was going to be able to run away after.
He grabs his own jacket and starts walking back toward the dock. “Hurry up. We’re taking the boat out after lunch and you slept half the morning already.”