Free Cole by Tess Oliver Page B

begged me to give it up. I was freaked out enough to stay out of the saddle for a few years. I got on the varsity track team instead. And, if I do say so, I was fast. Could have given the Flash a run for his money.”
    “Oh really? Huh? I was pretty good at track myself. And I do like a challenge.”
    “You’re in luck, buster, because so do I.” She pushed bravely out of the blanket and stood up. She immediately wrapped her arms around herself. “Did not realize just how warm it was under there.” Her smile gleamed white in the light coming from the house. Then her attention dropped to her cowboy boots. “These will not do. If I’m going to throw sand in your face, like you moto boys like to say, then these have to come off.”
    I watched with more than just casual interest as she stepped right in front of me and braced her hand on my shoulder to yank off each boot. As she lifted her leg to reach for her boot, the hem of her dress slipped back, exposing more of her smooth thigh.
    “This is turning out to be an even more exciting challenge than I expected.” I could no longer contain myself. I leaned forward and pressed my mouth against her thigh. She took a quick breath at my unexpected move.
    I peered up at her. “That’s the fee I charge for using my shoulder to take off boots.” I wasn’t completely sure if she was shocked or pissed or indifferent until she put the first bare foot on the ground and lifted her other foot, making sure that the dress slipped back farther.
    “Then, since I’ve got two boots . . .” She pulled it off and dropped it to the ground but kept her bare thigh in front of me.
    I took the invite without a moment of hesitation. I wrapped my hand around her calf and brought her leg closer. She kept her hand braced on my shoulder as I pressed my mouth against the inside of her thigh. A deep sigh floated down over my head. There wasn’t a damn thing about Kensington that didn’t have my head fucking spinning, and this quick erotic moment on the beach was only intensifying the effect. She wasn’t an uptight, prissy bore. On top of being sexy as hell, she was fun.
    I lowered her foot to the ground. She gazed down at me with a heated look that went straight to my cock.
    “Seems to me that you’re just trying to find an easy way out of that challenge because you know I’m going to beat you. And you don’t want to lose to a girl.”
    “You’re wrong. I don’t mind losing to a girl. But I’m pretty fast.” I smiled. “Or I would be if—well—if kissing your thigh hadn’t caused an unexpected development.”
    She laughed. “Good, then my plan worked. To the water.” With that she spun around and took off toward the ocean. I pushed off the wall and ran after her.
    Kensington squealed as she felt me gaining on her. She hadn’t been kidding. She was fast. Her long legs carried her over the soft sand. I reached for her arm just inches before her feet touched the foamy water rolling onto shore. She laughed and turned toward me as I pulled her against me. Her green eyes glittered in the moonlight. Her lips softened, begging me for that kiss. My mouth covered hers. As her body pressed closer, my arms wrapped around her. Her lips parted and our kiss deepened. The coastal breeze was brisk, but heat swirled around us.
    I lifted my mouth from hers. Her expression was a mix of teasing and wild flirtation and longing. I’d been holding back, not wanting to send her scurrying off, but something told me that that had been a mistake. She was confident, a woman who was sure of herself and what she wanted. And hell if I wasn’t the luckiest damn bastard in the world to have her in my arms.
    I’d already grown obsessed with her smile. I knew every line around her mouth as if I’d taken a picture and glued it to my brain. “You surprise me at every turn,” I said.
    “Do I? I like that. Keeps you on your toes.” She hopped up and pushed her mouth to my ear. I could feel her lips against my