I wanted him inside me. I angled my body for him, groped at his hips, silently begging him to enter. But he grabbed my wrists and pinned them to the bench seat, his gaze burning into mine.
“Not yet,” he growled.
Then his mouth was busy. He lapped gently at my earlobe and nipped it, then dropped kisses down my throat to my collarbone. My breaths came in trembling gasps as his lips closed around my hardened nipple, his tongue flicking at the sensitive tip. One, then the other, then his kisses ran down my quivering belly.
His name escaped my throat in a warm, throaty sob as his teeth raked over my hip. Jesus! I moaned. And moaned. And moooaaanned like he was giving me the full length of him. It would have been pathetic if I gave a damn. But I didn’t.
Releasing my wrists, Kash’s fingers found their way to my thighs, tickling over them until they slid over the slickness at my center. He hesitated, trembling lips blowing hot breath on my clit, fingers poised.
“Tell me what you want, Daisy.”
“You,” I sobbed. “Kiss me, Kash.”
The wet warmth from his mouth spread through my body, clit to navel to breasts, making my spine twist and hips flex as he drove his fingers into me. He stole my breath with his soft, firm lips, forced cries through my throat with his undulating fingers, building my climax with the speed of a freight train, driving me to the crest.
“Oh God, Kash! Fuck, I’m cumming!”
He groaned as I drenched his face, a sound of pure lust and hot desire. While I was still limp in the aftermath of my orgasm he crawled over my body, reaching for the glovebox.
“Watch your head.”
I rolled my head out of the way as he popped the ancient thing open, spilling a chain of condoms onto the floor.
“Those haven’t been here this whole time, have they?” I asked, alarmed. “Coz, you know, those things come with an expiration date.”
He grinned. “Bought them fresh today.” He kissed my cheek, then my mouth, fumbling with the condom as I drank his kisses like water.
I came again as he entered me, strange and familiar. He was the only key for my lock, a perfect fit. Groaning, he wrapped his arm around my neck, anchoring his other fist at the curve of my hip. His, all his. I screamed into his shoulder as he thrust, fast and rough. He was lost to the moment and he’d taken me with him. There was nothing else in the world but the motion of his body and his sweat on my tongue.
That first deep pulse took me over the edge a third time, and as he growled my name into my hair my eyes rolled back in my head and my legs shook, tightening around him. He came and came, until his arms gave out and he was gasping for breath just as hard as I was. Finally, with a trembling sigh, he laid his head on my breast and released his grip on my neck.
“I love you so damn much,” he breathed.
The words hovered somewhere behind my tongue as clarity returned in the wake of satisfaction. I held him close and kissed his hair, hoping it would be enough for now. I wished like hell that I was as certain of him as he was of me.
But as uncertain as my rational mind was, my instincts were blissfully silent. My limbs were molten relaxation, my breath deep and even. Between the warmth of his body and the sound of the rain, my conscious mind didn’t stand a chance. I drifted off to sleep still wrapped around him, all of my thoughts a buzz of white noise somewhere irrelevant in my mind.
Silence woke me with a start. “Oh God, what time is it?”
His only response was a soft, stuttering snore.
“Kash! Kash, wake up.” I shoved at his broad shoulder in a panic and he finally pushed himself up, rubbing his eyes.
“Whashup?” He asked through a yawn.
“The time, what time is it? Oh, no, oh shit. Fuck! My dad’s going to lose it.”
“Mm, hold on.” He switched the car on and squinted at the clock on the dash. “7:48. Dang, really?”
I looked out the window and breathed through the knot in my chest. The storm had dispersed, and sunset’s afterglow was still shimmering on the horizon. I wasn’t late, but I was damn well close.
“We have to hurry,” I said shortly. “Please get me home!”
I started shimmying into my wet clothes. Shoving my legs into my pants was an unattractive and very uncomfortable fit. By the grace of God, I somehow managed to get myself fully clothed. Kash looked down at his naked body, shrugged, and tossed his t-shirt over his head. Naked from the waist down, he turned the truck back onto the road. I stared at him as I shoved my feet back into my soggy shoes.
“What are you doing?”
“You gotta get home now, don’t you? Lights out at eight or whatever stupid thing? It’s gonna take me at least ten minutes just to get down the mountain. I don’t have time to screw with pants.”
I squealed. “What if somebody sees you?”
“They’re welcome to send me a thank-you card,” he said with a smirk.
I laughed, shaking my head in disbelief. “You’re impossible, you know that, Kash Lawson?”
“Impossibly awesome,” he said. He grinned at me and squeezed my thigh. “Anything for you, Daisy.”
My heart pounded with something like guilt. I knew I couldn’t say the same to him, not yet, and it killed me. What was I waiting for? For them to exonerate him entirely? The cops would have to find the real killer to do that, and I knew they were all done looking. Blind faith had never been my strong suit, but I knew I was going to have to make that leap eventually. Because eventually I
