And I don’t know what comes over me—maybe it’s the heat from the water that’s making me unable to think straight. Or maybe it’s what he started by kissing me slowly, scrubbing my brain of any coherent thoughts.
But I answer by closing the gap between us, shifting toward him so I can wrap my arms around him and be as close to him as possible. I kiss him back with a desperation that makes me dizzyand breathless. My hands slide up his chest, trace over his wet shoulders, and thread through the damp hair at the back of his neck.
A moan slides from his throat as he pulls me toward him, each kiss questioning,Should I continue?
And I answer with lips and teeth and tongue,Please don’t stop.
If there were any doubt about the authenticity of our relationship, it’s been blown away. There’s nothing pretend about the way his hands slide to the base of my neck and his fingers move through my hair. Nothing fake about the slight groan that escapes him when I nip at his bottom lip or the goose bumps that rush over my skin when he touches me. His fingers move over my back like he’s been aching to touch me. When his mouth finds my jaw, trailing kisses along it, it elicits a soft moan of pleasure.
Whenever I imagined kissing Brendan again, it was more of a revenge fantasy—a kiss where he’d finally realize his mistake and come crawling back. I had no idea that the truth would be the exact opposite. That I wouldn’t want revenge at all. I’d just want him.
His mouth is mesmerizing, fading everything else away until there’s nothing left but him. I can’t tell which is hotter—the heat of his body next to mine, the steamy water bubbling around us, or his lips on my skin as he drags warm kisses along my shoulder.
“Do you have any idea,” he murmurs between kisses, “how much I’ve been trying not to do this? You’ve been driving me crazy, Rossi.”
I tip his mouth to meet mine. “That’s just payback, Marco.”
He grins against my lips. “For what?”
“For showing me how good you look without a shirt and—” His lips cut me off, and I forget whatever I was going to say, lost entirely in this kiss.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know this is reckless and impulsive, but I can’t bring myself to care right now. Not when he’s kissing me like this.
I attempt to pull away, trying to catch my breath, but he makes it very hard to concentrate as his mouth grazes my neck.
“You were right, Brendan Marco.”
He pulls back just enough to look at me, his eyes hazy. “About what?”
I reach up and trace my thumb along his jaw, feeling the stubble there. “Do you remember what you said on the Ferris wheel?” A smile spreads across my lips. “You do know exactly how I like to be kissed.”
He leans his forehead against mine. “There never was any question about that.”
“And you’re still the best kisser,” I add, making sure he knows that part hasn’t changed.
The grin on his face makes my heart ping. “Scarlett, I’m theonlykisser you’ve ever had.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’d still win.” I wonder if he can see the truth behind my eyes—that I’m not just attracted to him, but have gigantic, complicated feelings for him. “Which means you set an impossibly high standard.”
He brushes a thumb across my bottom lip, like he’s already planning the next one. “Easy to set the bar high when you’re the only person I want to kiss.”
TWENTY-SIX
Brendan
After that hot tub kiss, I can’t think straight, which is saying something for a guy whose entire career depends on intense focus.
We’ve been waiting in the spa’s “relaxation lounge” for ten minutes with the rest of the wedding party, and I haven’t heard a single word anyone’s said. All I can think about is Scarlett—the way her lips felt against mine, how soft her skin was in the water, how perfectly she fit in my lap. And that little sound she made when I kissed her neck? I’d rather forget my own name than forget that.
“Brendan, are you even listening?” Tony’s voice cuts through my thoughts.
“What?” I blink, pulling my gaze away from the generic picture on the wall that I’ve been vacantly staring at. “Sorry…didn’t hear you.”
“Tonight’s bachelor and bachelorette party.” He waits like this will ring a bell.
I shake my head. “Um, I have no clue what you just said.”
He laughs. “Man, what’s with you? Did that hot tub do something to your brain?”