feel it, don’t you, Jillian? It’s crazy, I know, and it’s something I can’t explain, but I feel it each and every time I’m within a few feet of you. As far as I’m concerned, Pam and Dillon are the least of our worries. Figuring out just what the hell is going on between us should be at the top of the agenda. You can deny it as long as you want, but that won’t help. You need to admit it like I have.”
She did feel it and a part of her knew there was real danger in admitting such a thing. But another part knew he was right. With some things it was best to admit there was a problem and deal with it. Otherwise, she would lay awake tonight and regret not doing so.
His hand slowly traveled up her arm toward her lips. There he cradled her mouth in the palm of his hands. “And whatever it is has me wanting to taste you and has you wanting to taste me. It has me wanting to lick your mouth dry and you wanting to lick mine in the same way.”
He paused a moment and when he released a frustrated breath she knew that whatever this “thing” was between them, he had tried fighting it, as well. But he had given up the fight and was now ready to move to the next level, whatever that was.
“I need to taste you, Jillian,” he said.
As much as she wished otherwise, there was a deep craving inside of her to taste him, too. Just one more time. Then she would walk away, mount her horse and ride off like the devil himself was after her. But for now she needed this kiss as much as she needed to breathe.
She saw him lowering his head and she was poised for the exact moment when their mouths would connect. She even parted her lips in anticipation. His mouth was moving. He was whispering something but instead of focusing on what he was saying, her gaze was glued to the erotic movement of his lips. And the moment his mouth touched hers she knew she had no intention of turning back.
* * *
Nothing could have prepared Aidan for the pleasure that radiated through his body. How could she arouse him like no other woman could? Instead of getting bogged down in the mystery of it all, he buried his fingers in her hair, holding her in place while his mouth mated hungrily with hers.
And she was following his lead, using her tongue with the same intensity and hunger as he was using his. It was all about tasting, and they were tasting each other with a greed that had every part of his body on fire.
He felt it, was in awe of it. In every pore, in every nerve ending and deep in his pulse, he felt it. Lowering his hand from her hair he gently gripped her around the waist and, with their mouths still locked, he slowly maneuvered her backward toward the tree he’d leaned against earlier. When her back rested against the trunk, her thighs parted and he eased between them, loving the feel of his denim rubbing against hers.
Frissons of fire, hotter than he’d ever encountered, burned a path up his spine and he deepened the kiss as if his life depended on him doing so. Too soon, in his estimation, they had to come up for air and he released her mouth just as quickly as he’d taken it.
He tried not to notice the thoroughly kissed look on her face when she drew in a deep breath. He took a step back so he wouldn’t be tempted to kiss her again. The next time he knew he wouldn’t stop with a kiss. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he had tasted her in other places, as well. And then he would want to make love to her, right here on his land. On the very spot he planned to build his house. Crap! Why was he thinking such a thing? In frustration, he rubbed a hand down his face.
“I think we need to move on.”
Her words made him look back at her and an ache settled deep in his stomach. She was beautiful and desire escalated through him all over again. Giving in to what he wanted, he took a step forward and lowered his mouth to hers, taking a sweep of her mouth with his tongue. His groin swelled when she caught his tongue and began sucking on it.
He broke off the kiss and drew in a ragged breath. “Jillian! You’re asking for trouble. I’m within two seconds of spreading you on the ground and getting inside of you.” The vision of such a thing nearly overpowered his senses.
“I told you we should go. You’re the one who kissed me again.”
He smiled. “And you kissed me back. Now you understand what I meant when I said there are some kisses that can’t be avoided. You didn’t want me to kiss you initially, but then you did.”
She frowned slightly. “You seduced me. You made me want to kiss you.”
His smile widened. “Yes, to both.”
“So this was some sort of lesson?”
He shook his head. “Not hardly. I told you I wanted to taste you. I enjoyed doing so.”
“This can’t become a habit, Aidan.”
“And I don’t intend to make it one, trust me. My curiosity has more than been satisfied.”
She nodded. “So has mine. Are you ready to show me the other parts of Westmoreland Country?”
“Yes. We’re headed for Adrian’s Cove next and then Bailey’s Bay and Bane’s Ponderosa.”
He backed up to give her space and when she moved around him, he was tempted to reach out and pull her back into his arms, kiss her some more, until he got his fill. But he had a feeling that getting his fill would not be possible and that was something he didn’t want to acknowledge.
* * *
“So, how did the tour go with Aidan yesterday?”
Jillian glanced up from her breakfast when Bailey slid into the chair next to her. Pam had shared breakfast with Jillian earlier before leaving for the grocery store, and had asked her the same thing. It had been hard to keep a straight face then and it was harder to do so now.
“It went well. There’s a lot of land in Westmoreland Country. I even saw the property you own, Bailey’s Bay.”
Bailey smiled. “I can’t claim ownership until I’m twenty-five so I have a couple years left. But when I do, I plan to build the largest house of them all. It will even be bigger than this one.”
Jillian thought that would be an accomplishment because Dillon and Pam’s house was huge. Their house was three stories and had eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, a spacious eat-in kitchen, a gigantic living room, a large dining room with a table that could seat over forty people easily, and a seven-car garage.
“I can’t wait to see it when you do.” Jillian liked Bailey and had from the first time she’d set foot in Westmoreland Country to attend Pam’s engagement party. And since there was only a couple years’ difference in their ages, with Bailey being older, they had hit it off immediately. “What happens if you meet and marry a guy who wants to take you away from here?”
“That won’t happen because there’s not a man alive who can do that. This is where I was born and this is where I’ll die.”
Jillian thought Bailey sounded sure of that. Hadn’t Jillian felt the same way about her home in Wyoming at one time? Although it hadn’t been a man that had changed her mind, it had been the thought of how much money Pam would be paying for three sisters in college. Although her older sister had married a very wealthy man, it still would not have been right.
“Besides,”
