tasted like cinnamon,” he said gruffly.
Her head swung around to look at his profile. “What?”
He didn’t look at her as he tipped the bottle back, eyes locked on the dark waves in front of them. “The other night when I kissed you. You tasted like cinnamon.”
Between anyone else, the comment would have been harmless and random, but the way her heart pounded was anything but harmless.
Leah forced herself to shrug. “Says the guy who thinks cinnamon Tic Tacs are a food group.”
This time Jason did look at her, his gaze both steady and urgent. “I hadn’t had a Tic Tac since before dinner. That taste was coming from you , Red.”
Leah couldn’t look away. “So I use cinnamon toothpaste. Big deal.”
She reached for the champagne bottle, but he pulled it away, just out of reach. “You didn’t before.”
“People are allowed to switch toothpastes.”
“But from regular old mint to the far more unusual and controversial cinnamon?”
Leah pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, feeling the need to protect herself from his questions.
“Leah.”
His voice was quiet but insistent, and she turned her head, resting her cheek on her knees as she forced herself to look at him.
Leah had expected his eyes to be demanding and prying, but instead they were tender.
Slowly he reached out a hand, brushing his fingers along her cheek before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Why’d you switch, Red?” he asked, but the look in his eyes told her he already knew the answer.
She pressed her lips together and held his gaze, begging him to understand without making her say the words out loud.
Because I wanted a little piece of you. If only in something as ridiculous as toothpaste.
His brown eyes seemed to darken as he searched her face before he nodded once, slowly.
Jason stood then, picking up the unused champagne flutes and tucking them into the same hand as the champagne bottle he still held.
Leah’s heart dropped as she realized she was losing him. That he was going to walk away without understanding, without knowing—
And then his other palm extended in front of her . . . reaching for her.
She glanced up into his eyes, and he lifted his eyebrows in question, his mouth tilting up at the corner in a gentle smile.
Before she could think better of it, Leah placed her hand in his, the heat of his palm warm and sure beneath hers.
He pulled her up, waiting as she bent down to pick up her bag.
Jason pulled her closer, gently, until their toes bumped, and then her breasts against his chest, and then they were belly to belly, plastered together beneath the moonlit sky as she tilted her face up to his.
Jason’s kiss was slow and soft, his lips moving across hers in gentle seduction as he slowly wrapped both arms around her.
The embrace should have been awkward. Between the champagne in his hand and her big, bulky camera bag, they couldn’t get as close as either wanted, but it was enough. The hot, tongue-twisting kiss in the sand was enough.
And then his tongue swept deeper into her mouth, his arm wrapping around the back of her neck, and it was no longer enough. Not nearly .
She needed more. She needed all of him.
Jason pulled back slowly, his eyelids heavy as he looked down at her. “Spend the night with me, Red. Just one night. I won’t ask for more if you don’t want to give it.”
It was the moment she was dreading and the moment she’d been longing for, all mingled into one glorious second of time.
In the end there was only one answer.
She lifted her hand to his face, her fingertips tracing his full bottom lip. “Take me.”
T hey reached for each other even before the door of his hotel room had clicked shut.
Their mouths were hot and hungry as their lips met and clung, their hands ripping at each other’s clothes.
It had always been like this with him. From the very first time they’d locked eyes, she’d known . Known that there would never be
Her head swung around to look at his profile. “What?”
He didn’t look at her as he tipped the bottle back, eyes locked on the dark waves in front of them. “The other night when I kissed you. You tasted like cinnamon.”
Between anyone else, the comment would have been harmless and random, but the way her heart pounded was anything but harmless.
Leah forced herself to shrug. “Says the guy who thinks cinnamon Tic Tacs are a food group.”
This time Jason did look at her, his gaze both steady and urgent. “I hadn’t had a Tic Tac since before dinner. That taste was coming from you , Red.”
Leah couldn’t look away. “So I use cinnamon toothpaste. Big deal.”
She reached for the champagne bottle, but he pulled it away, just out of reach. “You didn’t before.”
“People are allowed to switch toothpastes.”
“But from regular old mint to the far more unusual and controversial cinnamon?”
Leah pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, feeling the need to protect herself from his questions.
“Leah.”
His voice was quiet but insistent, and she turned her head, resting her cheek on her knees as she forced herself to look at him.
Leah had expected his eyes to be demanding and prying, but instead they were tender.
Slowly he reached out a hand, brushing his fingers along her cheek before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Why’d you switch, Red?” he asked, but the look in his eyes told her he already knew the answer.
She pressed her lips together and held his gaze, begging him to understand without making her say the words out loud.
Because I wanted a little piece of you. If only in something as ridiculous as toothpaste.
His brown eyes seemed to darken as he searched her face before he nodded once, slowly.
Jason stood then, picking up the unused champagne flutes and tucking them into the same hand as the champagne bottle he still held.
Leah’s heart dropped as she realized she was losing him. That he was going to walk away without understanding, without knowing—
And then his other palm extended in front of her . . . reaching for her.
She glanced up into his eyes, and he lifted his eyebrows in question, his mouth tilting up at the corner in a gentle smile.
Before she could think better of it, Leah placed her hand in his, the heat of his palm warm and sure beneath hers.
He pulled her up, waiting as she bent down to pick up her bag.
Jason pulled her closer, gently, until their toes bumped, and then her breasts against his chest, and then they were belly to belly, plastered together beneath the moonlit sky as she tilted her face up to his.
Jason’s kiss was slow and soft, his lips moving across hers in gentle seduction as he slowly wrapped both arms around her.
The embrace should have been awkward. Between the champagne in his hand and her big, bulky camera bag, they couldn’t get as close as either wanted, but it was enough. The hot, tongue-twisting kiss in the sand was enough.
And then his tongue swept deeper into her mouth, his arm wrapping around the back of her neck, and it was no longer enough. Not nearly .
She needed more. She needed all of him.
Jason pulled back slowly, his eyelids heavy as he looked down at her. “Spend the night with me, Red. Just one night. I won’t ask for more if you don’t want to give it.”
It was the moment she was dreading and the moment she’d been longing for, all mingled into one glorious second of time.
In the end there was only one answer.
She lifted her hand to his face, her fingertips tracing his full bottom lip. “Take me.”
T hey reached for each other even before the door of his hotel room had clicked shut.
Their mouths were hot and hungry as their lips met and clung, their hands ripping at each other’s clothes.
It had always been like this with him. From the very first time they’d locked eyes, she’d known . Known that there would never be
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