He was going to kiss her. He should have kissed her.

Or maybe he shouldn’t have? He was still Josie’s brother, after all.

Damn.

Amber couldn’t think of it anymore. She unscrewed the lid of her Booze and tapped it to his. “Cheers. Happy fall festival.”

He smiled. “This kind of makes us locals, doesn’t it?”

“Hardly.” She laughed and took a small sip of her drink. Not really sure what to expect, she guarded herself, but the pumpkin spice flavored-alcohol was delicious, so she took a bigger swallow. “But this is delicious. What flavor did you get?”

“It’s kind of an apple cider. Delicious, but…strong, I think.”

“Be careful,” a man across from them offered. “Borcher’s Booze will sneak up on you.”

“What is it?” Amber asked. “Because it’s delicious.”

The man laughed. “No one really knows the recipe, but it definitely is delicious.”

“Which is what makes it so dangerous.” The woman next to him laughed. “Welcome to town. There’s a bonfire down by the river tonight. You two should check it out.”

“That sounds fun.” Cole looked over at Amber for confirmation.

With the way he was looking at her and the warmth of the Booze in her belly, she was fairly sure she’d say yes to anything he suggested.

“Great,” the woman said. “The hay ride will take you there.” She winked at them and went back to snuggling with her man.

They looked cozy and sweet. In the past few months, since breaking up with Randy, more than once there’d been moments where Amber missed the togetherness that came with being a couple, the companionship that having someone special in your life afforded you. She thought she was over it and had moved on. Watching the young couple, those old feelings came back. But only a little bit. She pulled her gaze away and turned to Cole, who was watching her carefully.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he said. “I was just wondering where you went. You looked like maybe you were lost in your head there.”

Amber smiled, which was easy to do when she was looking at Cole, and took another big sip of her drink. “I was just thinking about something I used to have and don’t anymore.”

“And that made you sad?”

She shook her head, enjoying how the waves of hair hit her face. It had been so long since she’d worn it down. “You know what, it really didn’t. A little nostalgic maybe. But I think I’ve realized that what I thought I had wasn’t so great. I’m looking forward to the future and having fun.”

His hand slid across the hay to hers. He didn’t take it in his, but instead only one finger wrapped around hers. “Good. I’ve built a whole life on having fun and exploring the world.”

“But there’s more to life than just having fun, isn’t there?”

He laughed. “Spoken like a true accountant.”

“Maybe.” She ignored the twinge of hurt she felt at his words. “But I think I’m starting to see that it should be a balance. I’m twenty-four. I can’t just live a life of fun and no responsibility.”

“Have you ever?”

“That’s why I think it should be a balance.” She winked at him. “I definitely haven’t had enough of it. I was so busy trying to be a ‘good girl’ and not cause any waves at home that I don’t think I really had a chance to do any of the wild and crazy stuff you’re supposed to when you’re a teenager.”

She really didn’t want to get into her family life with Cole. It was hard enough to explain to people that her and her younger sister were the products of a long-running affair and when their father finally left his other family to be with them, it had basically destroyed the lives of all six kids. She’d mostly come to peace with the situation, but there was no denying that the choices of her parents had shaped who she was.

As if he could sense that she didn’t want to get into the details, he squeezed her finger with his and smiled. “Well, it’s never too late. We both have some Booze and we’re at a festival. I can’t think of a better time to have a little of that wild fun, can you?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I can’t.” They each raised their jars and drank deeply. In the back of her head, Amber knew it was a bad idea to let loose completely, but the part of her that no longer cared was a lot louder than the part that did. She took another drink right as an eerie howl split the peaceful night. She jumped, splashing her drink.

“What was that?”

Cole chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “I imagine that was the haunted part of the haunted hay ride. Don’t be scared.”

She wasn’t. At least, not of whatever fabricated haunts were waiting for them on their ride to the river. No, if Amber was scared of anything at all, it was the way her stomach fluttered and her body burned at Cole’s touch.

* * *

Cole liked his arm around Amber. So much so that he didn’t bother moving it until the wagon arrived at the river and the bonfire. He helped her down from the wagon and easily took her hand in his. It felt natural. Everything about spending time with her felt natural.

The fire was roaring and it looked as if the entire town was there gathered around the flames. The two of them slipped into the crowd, chatting and laughing with the locals easily. The entire time, Cole was very much aware of Amber’s presence. Every time he looked at her, his attraction for her spiked a little more. With her hair framing her face, and the way her smile lit up her face in the firelight every time she laughed. Finally, Cole was done making small talk and listening to stories about Sapphire Falls. Maybe it was the Booze he’d had, or the beautiful woman by his side, but he was ready for something a bit quieter.

Amber was talking to a group of women when Cole slid up behind her. He smiled charmingly at the women and bent to whisper into Amber’s ear. “Come with me for a minute. I need to steal you.” He had to physically hold himself back from nibbling on the creamy skin of her neck that he’d been eyeing all night. Without waiting for an answer, Cole took her hand and with an apology to the women, he pulled her away from the crowd.

“Where are we going?” She giggled.

“I just don’t want to share you anymore.” The bonfire was huge, with most of the party gathered on one side. But as they circled the fire, it was clear that the opposite side of the fire was going to be much more private. There were piles of hay bales stacked, creating seating both near the fire and a little farther away, toward the river. Cole found a quiet spot and climbed up on the hay into a private nook where they were both close enough to the fire to keep warm and far enough away that they weren’t likely to be interrupted.

“You don’t want to share me?” Amber asked once they were settled into the hay. She leaned in toward him.

It may have been the Booze, which definitely was more potent than he’d expected, but she’d been flirting with him all night. A fact he didn’t mind at all.

“Are you having fun?”

He ignored the question.

“I really am. Thank you for bringing me.”

“A deal is a deal.” He reached over and took her hand. “Besides, I’ve really enjoyed myself with you tonight.”

He couldn’t be sure in the dim light, but he was fairly sure she blushed and the idea of her skin flushing turned him on. With his spare hand, he reached up and stroked the side of her head. “You look beautiful tonight.”

There were reasons he shouldn’t do it, but the reasons he should outweighed any objection he could think of. Cole leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

She tasted like pumpkin spice and something even sweeter. Her lips yielded to his and he deepened the kiss, cupping her cheek with his hand to hold her to him. A small moan escaped her lips, which only encouraged him. He pulled her tight, needing her closer still.

It was clear that one taste wouldn’t be enough, and he deepened the kiss, opening his mouth. His tongue traced the seam of her lips until she opened to him. When their tongues twined together, Cole was sure it was the most erotic thing he’d ever experienced.

He could have kissed her all night. Only it didn’t take him long to realize that when it came to Amber, he was definitely not going to be satisfied with only a kiss.

Reluctantly, he pulled back and looked at her. Amber’s eyes were still closed, her lips parted for a second before she realized he was gone. She brought her fingers to her lips.

“What?” She shook her head slightly. “Why…why did you stop?”

“I just thought that maybe I—”

“Oh.” Amber’s hands fluttered in front of her. “Of course. You’re right…we shouldn’t…okay…I get it. You’re not…I’m not really…”

“What?” He couldn’t help it. Cole laughed a little, which only seemed to fluster her more. “What are you talking about, Amber?”

She took a breath and attempted to compose herself. “I get it,” she said after a moment. “I’m not really your type and we probably—”

There was no way Cole was going to let her finish that thought. He moved quickly, straddling her body with his legs, and took her face in both his hands so he could kiss her deeply and thoroughly, leaving zero room for doubt about whether or not she was his type.

When finally he’d made his point, and her chest was heaving, her breath coming in short pants, he pulled his mouth away but didn’t make any move to leave her space. “Don’t ever doubt that you’re my type, Amber. I can honestly say that I’ve never wanted any woman the way I want you.”

Her lips turned up into a sexy smile, but she still didn’t look convinced. “Then why did you stop?”

“Because I just thought that maybe—”

“Josie,” she interrupted him and her face fell. “Of course. Your sister. I’m a terrible friend.”

“Stop.” He laughed and held her face so she was looking at him. “I didn’t stop because of Josie. In fact, I can tell you that when I was kissing you, my sister was the very last thing I was thinking of.”

“But I mean, you’re her brother.”

He nodded.

“And I’m her best friend.”

He nodded again.

“And—”

“I don’t see how one has anything to do with the other.”

Her eyes squeezed closed for a second. “I promised her I would keep you away from the local women.”

Cole laughed and swung his leg over her so he was sitting next to her again. “I think you did a pretty good job of that, don’t you?”

It took her a moment, and then she joined his laughter. “I guess I did.”

“She didn’t say anything about you staying away from me, did she?”

Amber shook her head.

“Good.” He twined his hand in her soft hair and pulled her toward him. This time, instead of tasting her sweet lips, he moved to her neck.

“But I think that maybe—oh…”

Cole trailed kisses down her skin, biting and licking his way down her neck.

“Maybe she meant that I should—ohhh…”

He got to the opening of her blouse and the swell of her breast and deftly unfastened the next button, exposing her bra.

“I just don’t know if we—oh, that feels good.”

He nibbled his way along the top of her bra before he pushed it down to expose her pebbled nipple. He swirled his tongue around the peak before he popped it into his mouth and sucked gently.

“Do you think that Josie—”

“Okay.” Cole sat up. “We can either talk about my sister or we can do this.” He raised his eyebrows. “But we can’t do both.”

He waited for her to answer, but he didn’t have to wait long because a moment later, she reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her.