Free Unafraid (Beachwood Bay) by Melody Grace Page B

sweater, I should have thought.”
    “It’s fine.”
    “It’s not. C’mon,” He pulls me closer, and even though my goose-bumps are nothing to do with the chilly night air and everything to do with his presence, I willingly move into the circle of his warmth.
    It’s a mistake.
    I realize right away, but it’s too late; his presence is overwhelming, and it’s all I can do just to absorb the feel of him, closer than he’s ever been before. His masculine heat radiates through the thin fabric of his T-shirt, and with his arm wrapped tight around me, I can feel the rise and fall of his every breath, the power coiled tight in those biceps.
    God, I want him.
    Desire snakes through me, and it’s all I can do to stay frozen in his arms, forcing my breathing to stay steady and not betray the dirty thoughts flooding my mind.
    I want to tear that T-shirt from his body.
    I want to lick my way down his chest.
    I want to feel that weight bearing down on me, surrounding me, invading me...
    “Better?” Hunter murmurs, oblivious to the X-rated movie playing in my mind. Of course he’s oblivious: he’s trying to keep me warm, and meanwhile, I’m using any excuse to be close to him.
    “You’re such a gentleman,” I tell him, guilty.
    And you’re such a slut, the voice in my mind adds.
    “I’m not.” Hunter answers.
    I laugh. “Please. Taking me out, planning all this stuff. You’re like the dictionary definition of chivalry.”
    “Don’t say that.” Something hollow in Hunter’s voice makes me lift my face to see him. He’s got a twisted look marring his face, a shadow in his eyes.
    “I’m no gentleman.” he mutters darkly. “Believe me.”
    “You are—”
    He speaks over my protest. “If I was a gentleman, I wouldn’t have picked this ride, just to get you alone someplace you couldn’t run. I wouldn’t have slipped the guy twenty bucks to stop when we reached the top,” he continues, with self-loathing expression, “And I sure as hell wouldn’t be hard right now, crazy with wanting you.”
    What?
    I blink at him, my mind reeling as I try to process what he’s just said.
    He wants me.
    He wants me.
    The words are like a lit fuse, igniting my ravenous desire. It’s more than I can stand. Before I stop to think, or even breathe, I reach across the booth and grab him by the shirt, pulling him across and kissing him with everything I have.
    Hunter freezes against me, shocked, but it’s too late to take it back. His lips taste of cotton candy; forbidden and achingly sweet. I have to have it all. I run my fingers through his hair, kissing him hungrily, delving into the dark warmth of his mouth to drink him in deeper and tease his tongue with mine.
    He breaks.
    Hunter lets out a tortured groan, and then he’s yanking me closer, kissing me with a fevered intensity that blots the world from my vision and fills my mind with stars.
    It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. My blood sings, pounding wildly in my ears as Hunter’s mouth devours mine. His hands rove across my body, clutching at my waist, my back, my hair, sending fresh waves of desire through me with every touch. I clutch at him, overwhelmed, dizzy with the sensation, but it’s not enough. I break away, kissing a trail down his jaw, licking daringly at the salty-sweat taste of his skin.
    “Goddammit.” Hunter groans again, gripping my hips and lifting me so I’m straddling his lap. The safety bar of the Ferris car digs into my back, but I’m beyond caring. All I can feel is the sweet friction of Hunter, pressing hard between my thighs, and the blazing path of his mouth as he kisses down my neck and licks across the sensitive hollow of my throat.
    I shudder in his arms.
    “You’re so beautiful.” Hunter gasps, lifting his eyes to meet mine. “Your body is a fucking miracle.”
    I can’t speak. The feelings crashing over me are almost too much to take. We’re suspended here, high above the world, but if it wasn’t for the hard steel