Tempt Me Like This

But he never even got the words out to ask her if they could break the rules, just this once, because the next thing he knew, her hands were on his jaw.

And she was kissing him.

Chapter Eleven

Drew Morrison’s mouth was a miracle.

Ashley had been kissed before, of course, but she’d never made the first move. A part of her could still hardly believe that Drew’s stubble was scratching against her palms and that his arms were around her waist as she pressed her lips to his.

She’d never expected anyone to say such wonderful things about her. And, honestly, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever really believe they were all true. But knowing even one person on the planet felt that way about her had given her a boldness that she’d never known was there. Yet another adjective to add to the others: Beautiful. Passionate. Fun. Exciting. Brainy. Colorful. Bold.

He’d said he didn’t know who he was anymore, but tonight, Ashley was the one who felt entirely different. All because of the man she was kissing.

For several long moments, their kiss remained sweet. Soft. Gentle. The barest brush of lips.

And then, on a groan—she honestly wasn’t sure who broke first—their kiss shifted from gentle and sweet to pure, unfettered passion. She was overflowing with need, with desire, with the urge to give Drew everything she was. And, oh, how perfectly he took what she had to give, his tongue sliding against hers, his teeth nipping at her lower lip.

His hands curved down over her hips, and he lifted her so that she could wrap her legs around him. He growled her name against her mouth as he lowered them both to the sand.

She’d never felt like this before, had never known such heat. Or such hunger. Hunger that seemed to come from a boundless well inside of her that had been deeply hidden for far too long. A well that only Drew knew how to tap into.

He rained kisses across her cheeks, and when she arched her neck, she shivered at the shockingly delicious sensation of his teeth scraping across her sensitive skin. She threaded her hands into his hair as his tongue licked out over her collarbone, and then lower, over the upper swell of her breasts.

Pleasure whiplashed her at the feel of his hands on her hips dragging her against him, and his mouth on her bare skin—and destroyed any rational thoughts that might have tried to invade. All she knew was that she wanted more. More of his mouth and hands on her. And her own on him, too.

She didn’t think, couldn’t process anything apart from how much she wanted him as she pulled at his shirt. But when her hands found his bare stomach, muscles rippling beneath her fingertips, the shock of just how hot, just how hard he was—everywhere—momentarily broke the spell. Just long enough for her to realize she was beyond overwhelmed by one kiss that had so quickly spiraled off into more.

All her life she’d worked to be rational and analytical. She’d always believed that thinking things through would keep her safe. But right now, with Drew lying over her on the sand, with his hands on her curves and his mouth on her skin—and with arousal swamping her system—she couldn’t figure out how to go back to that analytical, rational place.

And, in that moment at least, it scared her. Scared her enough that she began to pull away.

Drew lifted his head to look down at her. “Ash?”

“I thought it would just be one kiss,” she blurted. “Just one quick kiss so that we would stop building the idea of it into this big thing. Just one kiss because we’re here at the ocean, beneath the moon, and you understand even more than I already thought you did just from listening to your songs.” She shook her head, her lips, her skin, still tingling from his kisses. “But I was wrong. It’s so much more than that. And I didn’t know.”

“I did. I knew better.” He looked as though he was warring with himself for a moment before he finally went up on his knees and brought her up, as well, so that they were facing each other on the sand. “I knew I would never be able to stop at one kiss. Even kissing every perfect inch of your body won’t be enough. I’ll only keep needing more, Ash. So much more.”

Her whole life, she’d been sensible. Careful. And her life had been fine. Good, even. There had been laughter. And happiness. But nothing she’d ever felt had been like this. Nothing had come anywhere close to the way she felt when Drew was kissing her. Not even listening to his music had taken her this high.

Coming on this tour with him was already a break from her normal life. What if she took the next step? One that suddenly seemed inevitable. Ashley’s choices had always been clear to her before: Get good grades. Be a good daughter. Carve out a place in the corporate world via Stanford Business School. And one day, she’d always assumed, she’d find someone just like herself to date and eventually marry.