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"I’ up just a little The feeling of inable As I settled on his lap again, I felt his reaction in a very tangible way, and we both groaned at the contact

"You’re up to no good, huh?" he said, his voice gruff and thick and ood," I whispered in his ear as he pressed his ainst roaned, hands clutching atsoue to dart out froainst the skin just underneath his jaw The scruff scratched ave ainst other soft places on my body

O poked her head out just a little ht to Brain, which in turn spoke directly to rasped him firmly at the base of his neck, and positioned hi into tiny little hypnotizers

His grin was hard, and so was he

I leaned in and sucked his botto down and pulling hiers pulled and pushed at his hair, and roaned intoof this s, and I kissed him like the world was about to end

It wasn’t sweet and tentative, it was pure carnal frustration spiked with incoiant ball of please-God-let-me-live-in-this-man’s-mouth-for-the-forseeable-future My mouth led his in a dance as old as the ues and teeth and lips s in to the sweet tension that had been building since I showed up at his door wearing the inspiration for raspas I panted like a whore in church The Church Of Si to kneel before his were open, and I was nowThe idea that a kiss, just a kiss, had turnedof CarolineNeedThat was undeniable, and I knew that if he continued to ht into my Tahoe Great idea

"Come into my Tahoe, Simon," I mumbled incoherently into his mouth

He paused "Caroline, coed, as I pushed us off the side of the hot tub and vaulted us across the water, e half of its contents onto the deck and the other half sloshing us around like it was high tide He slaainst the bench and rewrapping ao of him At one point, I kissed him so hard, he had to push me off so he could catch a breath

"Breathe, Siled beforeunderneathhim to exactly where I needed him He closed his eyes and bit down on his lower lip, an ani low in his throat as I launched my second wave of the Lower Caroline-coood," Ithe underneath to suck and bite at his neck as he dropped his head back to allowdo onthe sides The thought of ainst his skin drove me crazy with lust, and I removed my hands from his poor hair to snake back behind my neck and pull on the knot As I maneuvered, I knocked into one of the e a doled as he pulled back, startled at the sound

His eyes were smoky blue, croith lust, but as they focused on et to the knot untied and could feel the water swirl across rasped theh to clear it, then closed his eyes fir off our connection

"Hey, hey, hey!" I prodded, forcing his eyes open and o just now?" I whispered

He wrapped his hands, still holding an to tie ht red, all the blood in an, breathing heavily, but looking at ?" I interrupted

His hands ca a specific distance between us

"Caroline, you’re a, but I…I can’t--" he started

Noas the one to closechief a theanywhere but at him

"No, I mean, I…" he staan to shake "You…can’t?" I asked, suddenly feeling icy cold, even in the water I unlockedhim the room he needed to move away

"No, Caroline, not you Not like--"

"Well, don’t I feel like a fking idiot?" Imyself up and out of the water to the side of the hot tub

"What? No, you don’t understand, I just can’t--" he started towardmy foot square in the center of his chest to keep hiet it You can’t It’s cool Wohat a crazy night, huh?" I laughed again, swinging over the side and starting for the house, wanting to get away before he could see the tears I kneere on their way Of course, as I tried to navigate the steps, I slipped in a wet spot and fell with a big thud I could feel the back of in to burn as I scra to cry before I could get inside Now that I was , I could feel the effects of all the alcohol I’d consu headache

"Caroline! Are you okay?" Siet out of the hot tub

"I’ to close as I choked back a sob I heldhim to understand that I did not need his help "I’m fine, Simon"

I couldn’t turn around and see hi band music still played on the turntable, but I still heard hi it, Ifoolish now in ht it was

I didn’t even bother to grab a towel Instead I threw open the glass door and heard it slam shut behindthe slate floor down the hallway, trying to ignore the giggles co from Sophia’s room As the tears finally coursed downsuit I stuht, and there I stood, reflected back todown h from my drunken spill…and puffy, kiss-swollen lips