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The trill of Ella’s excited voice trailed back to them on the wind as the group marched up the hill together. She was out in front with Beckett and Sierra, pushing Walter along in his little buggy.
Tiana was a short distance behind them, keeping a slower pace alongside Mac, who hobbled along on his crutches. Noah and Poppy were next. Behind them, Molly and Jase had Savannah by the hands and were swinging her between them, her delighted shrieks and laughter ringing through the night.
Bringing up the rear, Danae smiled next to Ryder, their breath fogging in the cold air. “Love that sound, but glad I’m past that stage. Though parenting a teenager isn’t a cakewalk either.”
“I’d say you’re doing a helluva job.”
She glanced over at him. “Yeah? Well, then thanks.” Most of the time it didn’t feel like she was killing it as the single mother of a teenage son. But it was nice that someone thought so.
She tucked her arm through his and leaned into him a little. It was probably stupid of her given that anything between them would result in a dead end, but she wanted to get closer even though she knew it would mean heartache for her later. Having loved and lost, she understood better than anyone that you had to grab a chance at happiness when it came along—even if it could only be temporary.
She’d felt him watching her all evening, and the answering tingle inside her. She wasn’t gutsy enough to make a move, however. She didn’t want to seem desperate or needy.
“Walter seems to be enjoying himself,” she said, watching as Ella dutifully pushed the buggy over the crest of the hill above. She was taking her training to be a big sister seriously.
“Not as much as when he was in the dune buggy.”
She laughed. “Course not. Who could blame him?”
They reached the crest of the hill. A little ways ahead Mac was still keeping up with the others, but Danae deliberately slowed, wanting to have some privacy and steal Ryder away for a little while. “There’s a trail just up here that’ll take us around the point to the lighthouse.”
“Lead the way.”
They angled away from the others, cutting across a small grassy clearing between several stands of evergreens. She could feel the muscles in his arm flexing beneath her hand, and with every step the outside of his forearm brushed her breast, sending little streamers of heat through her.
What are you doing? a little voice demanded in dismay.
She silenced it and focused on the here and now. On Ryder. On how attracted she was to him, and how safe she felt beside him.
“It’s such a perfect night.” She tipped her head back to breathe in the cool, damp air. A three-quarter moon hung bright above them in a rich indigo sky, the sound of the ocean growing louder as they approached the pathway that wound around the edge of the cliff. “What do you usually do on Christmas? I mean, when you’re back home in North Carolina?”
“Haven’t been home for Christmas that much for the past decade. But usually I go to my mom’s in the late morning, and Molly’s mom and my grandma will come over after lunch and stay for dinner. I tried talking my mom and aunt into coming out here with me this year, but they’re homebodies, and my grandma doesn’t like to travel.”
The wind picked up when they passed the screen of trees, and suddenly the wild, rugged beauty of the Oregon Coast lay spread before them.
In the distance, perched high on the end of the point, the Crimson Point lighthouse stood like a shadowy sentinel. No longer in use for shipping traffic, its light was only decorative, pouring a wide circle of amber and gold over the mist-slick rock around it.
“What a view,” he said, curling his arm more tightly around hers.
The feel of his muscles turned her on, and it was a thrill to know that could still happen. “I know you’ve got lighthouses back home, but you have to admit, this one is pretty spectacular.”
He made a sound of agreement. “The landscapes are totally different. This one is wild and...raw.”
They walked past the lighthouse to the end of the point, and stopped in front of the safety railing, just out of the pool of light. The wind whistled around them on the exposed cliff edge, sharp and cold. Danae shivered and hunched down a bit, pulling her arm free of his to rub her chilled hands together.
Ryder stepped in front of her to block the direct force of the wind and took her hands in his. Danae froze, her gaze jerking to his.
His dark eyes gleamed amber with the reflection of the lighthouse as he slowly raised her hands to his mouth. Her heart kicked hard against her ribs, her insides tightening in anticipation. With his big hands cradling hers, he bent his head slightly and blew on her cold fingers, then rubbed them between his own, never looking away.
Heat pooled low in her belly. She stood immobile, held by the force of his stare, the sensual glow there making anticipation fizz like expensive champagne.
“You shouldn’t let me touch you,” he said, releasing one hand to glide his fingertips through the hair at her temple.
She was having trouble concentrating. “No?”
He shook his head slowly. “I’m leaving in a week. And I’ve still got...personal issues to deal with.”
She nodded, suddenly finding it hard to slow her breathing. He wanted her. She wanted him. They didn’t need to make this complicated. “But that still gives us a week.”
He stilled, her hands held securely in his, their faces inches apart.
His lashes lowered as his gaze dipped to her mouth. Tiny nerve endings in her lips began to tingle.
When he didn’t move, just stood there until she thought he was going to pull away, he suddenly tugged her toward him and pressed her hands to his chest. Holding them there with one hand while the other came up to close around the nape of her neck.
She bit back a groan of longing. And before she could draw another breath, his lips were on hers.
Tender at first. Brushing. Testing.
More.
She curled her fingers into his coat and stepped into him, lifting her face into the kiss with a moan filled with need. The hand at the back of her neck tightened, long fingers contracting in a sensual grip that made her head swim.
Holding her like that, he angled his lips across hers, learning the shape of her mouth. Caressing. Sucking gently first at her top lip, then the bottom, his tongue gliding over it like velvet before deftly sliding inside to touch hers.
Desire ripped through her, sending a rush of heat between her legs. Her nipples hardened, her body coming alive in a way it hadn’t in over three long years.
There was no stab of guilt, no self-recrimination. Only joy, and the thrill of Ryder’s tall, powerful body pressed to her, his mouth moving over hers in a way that made her knees wobble.
She made an incoherent sound, almost a whimper, and kissed him back, struggling to rein in the insane tide of hunger that gripped her. She didn’t care if this made sense. Didn’t care that they didn’t have much time together. It had been so long since she’d felt like this and she didn’t want to miss a second of it.
His hand left her neck, his strong arm coming down to band around her lower back and pull her even closer, his other hand still cradling the side of her face. As if he couldn’t stop touching her. As if he couldn’t bear to let go.
She shivered again as his tongue twined with hers, then retreated to glide across her lower lip. Teasing. Savoring, until she was ready to climb him and wrap her legs around his hips just to relieve the building ache between her thighs.
Closing her eyes, she let her head tip to the side as his mouth burned a path down the side of her neck, his lips and tongue hitting every sensitive spot that made her tingle and throb.
Then he stopped suddenly, his muscles tensing, his stillness momentarily breaking through the haze of arousal swirling in her mind. And over the rush of the wind, she heard indistinct voices in the distance.
They were about to be interrupted.
Disappointment flooded her as he eased his hold on her and raised his head. But the look in his eyes, the taut lines of his face as he stared down at her with pure, molten hunger made the breath catch in her throat.
“I want more. So much more,” he rasped out.
Her mouth went dry at the stark hunger in his voice. Holy shit. The need pulsing through her shocked her.
She wanted more too, but they were about to lose all privacy for the time being.
As she turned to face the others, she couldn’t help but wonder if the interruption was actually a blessing in disguise. Because if Ryder had just made the whole world fall away with a single, blistering kiss...
Maybe it was better not to experience the more she so desperately wanted.
