Free Into the Fire (Bridge Book 2) by Meredith Wild Page A

those unknowns flickered against my foot, I screamed.
    “What’s wrong?” Darren swam close and caught my hand, grinning broadly.
    “Something touched my foot. I’m freaking out.” I looked across the dark water that I couldn’t see through.
    A wave pushed his body closer to mine, and then his hands were on me and he pulled me against him. “Don’t freak out. I’ll protect you,” he murmured.
    I swallowed over the breath that was caught in my throat. We were chest-to-chest, bare, and suddenly nothing had ever felt so perfect. My toes curled into the sand below.
    “You know I’m more than my hair color, right?”
    He traced a damp strand of hair that clung to my cheek. “So much more… You’re like this streak of bright red through my head. Whenever I see you or think about you, it’s vibrant. I can’t think of anything else. Or anyone else.”
    I was speechless. If that came from his player toolbox of pickup lines, he deserved a medal. Silence fell between us, making my nakedness against him all the more tense.
    A gentle wave crashed against us, but he held me solidly. His eyes were the darkest I’d ever seen them. He caught my face in his palms, caressing his thumbs over the apples of my cheeks.
    “I still want that kiss you promised me.”
    My breath hitched. “That wasn’t a promise. That was a threat.”
    “Then teach me a lesson.”
    I lifted my chin, saying yes in every silent way I could think of. I wanted him to kiss me. And I wanted a hell of a lot more than that. I slid my fingers into his wet hair in wordless assent.
    “Vanessa.”
    My heart raced at hearing my name on his lips. Not a nickname, but my name. I gasped at the feel of his erection against me, his lips on me at the same time. I moaned into his mouth. I was instantly overwhelmed, consumed at the first touch of his tongue sweeping against mine.
    I let my hands wander, exploring him. Down his muscular arms and back up his cool hard abs. I wanted this man. So did half of Brooklyn…and probably half the women at this damned hotel. But right now, I was the one in his arms. As much as he was lusting after me, I wanted him to be.
    I caught a breath, but before I could think about breaking away from the heated embrace, he lifted me, hooking my legs around his waist. I went willingly. Desire for Darren raced across my sensitive skin, thrummed between my legs where the slightest friction between us made me dizzy.
    “I know what you’re thinking,” he murmured, trailing slow kisses from my lips across my jaw.
    He couldn’t know, because all coherent thought was being overridden by the suddenly loud demands of my body.
    He held my hips, caressing up and down my thighs like silk under the water. One more second like this, and I was a goner. I was going to sleep with Darren Bridge and enjoy every irresponsible minute of it.
    “What am I thinking?” My voice was a whisper. If he only knew…
    “You’re wondering whether this is a good idea. Because you’re smart and you see right through me, but you can’t help but want this anyway.”
    His touch crept up my side, his wandering fingertips curling around my tight breast. I shifted my hips against him, wanting more of that delicious friction. I bit my lip, stifling a desperate sound that was crawling up my throat.
    “Just give me one night, Vanessa. One night, and I won’t let you regret it.”

    * * *
    M y back hit the wall of Darren’s hotel room. We were tangled up the way we’d been in the water. Except our touches were no longer tentative. I was needy and frantic, ready to give in.
    Bringing my thigh over his hip, he ground against me and groaned. “God, I want you so damn bad.”
    I whimpered, tightening my grip on him. Our clothes were damp and sandy, and I wanted to strip away all the barriers between us again. He pushed his hands up under my dress, lifting it off and then unsnapping my bra. The cool conditioned air hit my bare skin, making my nipples and breasts tight and