the beach crowds roll back into town to shop and eat.” She chattered on about some local jewelry artist who had a meeting scheduled for this afternoon, and how she’d be filling in while her mother stayed in Boston. Chase nodded, trying to keep up with this new line of conversation. How was he supposed to think straight after that kiss? Seriously?
He appreciated her effort to start fresh and avoid the minefields they’d stumbled into previously, but he only half followed along with her chatter. He was in an absolute fog of need and want. He closed his eyes trying to rein in those baser instincts.
Because all he wanted at this moment in time was another taste of those lips. To trail kisses down her neck and twirl his fingers through that silky hair. To touch and taste every part of this intriguing woman, and feel her naked body pressed against his.
One simple lunch date and one mind-blowing kiss with this girl would never be enough. Never. He wanted more.
Which was so not like him.
Chapter Six
Emma babbled on about the various Provincetown shops and tourist attractions as if she were the official spokesperson for the local Chamber of Commerce. She picked at the edges of her sandwich and sipped the iced coffee, her gaze darting all around the café and up the sidewalk, searching for something familiar, trying to get a handle on the situation. She tried to ignore the flashes of heat she felt down low each time their eyes connected, tried to forget the sizzling jolt of electricity passing between them with that kiss.
Which she totally didn’t understand.
She hadn’t felt a jolt like that since…well, ever, actually. Sure, Chase was kind of cute. Adorable, to be perfectly honest, in a rumpled, geeky sort of way that tugged at her heart and messed with her head. He wasn’t perfectly pressed and manicured like every guy she interacted with at city hall functions. Or like Tony, who never had so much as a hair out of place let alone a wrinkle on his suit.
This guy seemed totally unconcerned with his appearance, or by the fact that he had a smidge of ketchup clinging to the corner of his upper lip from that last french fry. She felt a strong urge to lean in and lick it clean for him, and maybe lick her way down his torso to find out how solid those muscles really were…
She blinked hard. Wait a minute! Where did that thought come from?
Five minutes ago she’d wanted to kick his shins and poke his eyes out. Now she wanted something a lot less violent…and way more intimate. The idea of his mouth on other parts of her body sent a tremor running straight through her. She took a deep, steadying breath . This is only a friendly lunch. And he most likely works for some alphabet soup agency my family and neighbors dislike. It would never work out.
“Are you all right?”
Concern splashed across his face along with the ketchup smudge. She reached across the table to wipe the corner of his mouth with her thumb, her fingers grazing the spot she’d planted that first innocent kiss. “You had a bit of ketchup stuck there.”
“Thanks.” His stormy eyes darkened a shade.
She shook off the urge to caress his cheek, retracting her hand and dropping it to her lap. “So enough about me. Tell me, Dr. Anderson, what exactly is it that you do, if you don’t actually work for NOAA?”
His expression turned serious. “I’m a scientist. I study climate change and the environmental impact we humans have on our oceans. Nothing to do with fisheries management.” He cleared his throat. “Should we, uh, talk about what happened?”
“Hey, I’m sorry I accused you of being a federal agent and all, but the contact list on your phone…”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks, understanding exactly what he was asking. She wasn’t ready to talk about that kiss, mostly because she didn’t understand it herself. At that moment, a smiling Kallie appeared next to their table, oblivious to the tension
He appreciated her effort to start fresh and avoid the minefields they’d stumbled into previously, but he only half followed along with her chatter. He was in an absolute fog of need and want. He closed his eyes trying to rein in those baser instincts.
Because all he wanted at this moment in time was another taste of those lips. To trail kisses down her neck and twirl his fingers through that silky hair. To touch and taste every part of this intriguing woman, and feel her naked body pressed against his.
One simple lunch date and one mind-blowing kiss with this girl would never be enough. Never. He wanted more.
Which was so not like him.
Chapter Six
Emma babbled on about the various Provincetown shops and tourist attractions as if she were the official spokesperson for the local Chamber of Commerce. She picked at the edges of her sandwich and sipped the iced coffee, her gaze darting all around the café and up the sidewalk, searching for something familiar, trying to get a handle on the situation. She tried to ignore the flashes of heat she felt down low each time their eyes connected, tried to forget the sizzling jolt of electricity passing between them with that kiss.
Which she totally didn’t understand.
She hadn’t felt a jolt like that since…well, ever, actually. Sure, Chase was kind of cute. Adorable, to be perfectly honest, in a rumpled, geeky sort of way that tugged at her heart and messed with her head. He wasn’t perfectly pressed and manicured like every guy she interacted with at city hall functions. Or like Tony, who never had so much as a hair out of place let alone a wrinkle on his suit.
This guy seemed totally unconcerned with his appearance, or by the fact that he had a smidge of ketchup clinging to the corner of his upper lip from that last french fry. She felt a strong urge to lean in and lick it clean for him, and maybe lick her way down his torso to find out how solid those muscles really were…
She blinked hard. Wait a minute! Where did that thought come from?
Five minutes ago she’d wanted to kick his shins and poke his eyes out. Now she wanted something a lot less violent…and way more intimate. The idea of his mouth on other parts of her body sent a tremor running straight through her. She took a deep, steadying breath . This is only a friendly lunch. And he most likely works for some alphabet soup agency my family and neighbors dislike. It would never work out.
“Are you all right?”
Concern splashed across his face along with the ketchup smudge. She reached across the table to wipe the corner of his mouth with her thumb, her fingers grazing the spot she’d planted that first innocent kiss. “You had a bit of ketchup stuck there.”
“Thanks.” His stormy eyes darkened a shade.
She shook off the urge to caress his cheek, retracting her hand and dropping it to her lap. “So enough about me. Tell me, Dr. Anderson, what exactly is it that you do, if you don’t actually work for NOAA?”
His expression turned serious. “I’m a scientist. I study climate change and the environmental impact we humans have on our oceans. Nothing to do with fisheries management.” He cleared his throat. “Should we, uh, talk about what happened?”
“Hey, I’m sorry I accused you of being a federal agent and all, but the contact list on your phone…”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks, understanding exactly what he was asking. She wasn’t ready to talk about that kiss, mostly because she didn’t understand it herself. At that moment, a smiling Kallie appeared next to their table, oblivious to the tension
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