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I nod, taking a bite of something sticky and sweet—a caramel slice that practically melts in my mouth. But when I spot a piece of lamington in his hand, my attention shifts. Without thinking, I reach for it, but Kiefer pulls it just out of my grasp.

“Oi,” I say, narrowing my eyes at him.

“Say please,” he teases, still holding it out of reach.

“You’re unbelievable,” I mutter, but when he grins, I cave. “Fine. Please.”

He chuckles and holds it out, but instead of handing it to me, he brings it to my mouth. My breath catches, and I let him feed me the piece, his fingers brushing my lips. It’s ridiculous how turned on I am by something so simple, but the way his gaze lingers on me makes my chest tighten.

“Good?” he asks, his voice lower than usual.

I nod, my tongue darting out to catch a stray coconut flake. His pupils dilate, and I swear I stop breathing. The air between us feels electric, charged with something I don’t know if I’m ready to name.

He reaches for another piece, repeating the gesture. This time, I let my tongue swipe over his finger, and his sharp intake of breath is audible. My heart pounds so loudly I’m surprised it doesn’t echo across the lake.

“Ste,” he murmurs, his voice husky. “I’ve been thinking….”

I blink at him, unable to form words, and then he says it: “Can I kiss you?”

The question barely registers before I’m leaning forward, my lips finding his with a desperation I can’t control. Kiefer groans against my mouth, his hand coming up to cup my jaw as we lean into each other.

Our lips move together, slow at first, then more insistent. The rough brush of his beard against my skin sends a shiver down my spine, and I whimper, the sound swallowed by his mouth. He tastes like caramel and red wine and something inherently him, and I’m already addicted.

But the boat rocks violently as another tinny zooms past, the wake throwing us off balance. We stumble, grabbing at each other and the sides of the boat to steady ourselves. Laughter bubbles up between us as we collapse against the bench seat, water splashing over the edge and soaking our legs.

“You all right?” he asks, his voice full of laughter.

“Yeah,” I say, grinning. “Didn’t think my first kiss with you would end with me half drenched, though.”

He snorts. “Could’ve been worse. At least we didn’t capsize.”

The water’s warm, the lake’s shallow enough that even if we had fallen in, we’d only be wet to our waists, but none of it matters. I reach for him, hauling him close and capturing his mouth again. This kiss is slower, deeper, and I’m sure I’ve died and gone to heaven.

Eventually, we pull back, our foreheads resting together as we catch our breath. Around us, the lake carries on, kids laughing in the distance, birds calling from the trees, but it feels like the world’s narrowed to just us.

“We should probably salvage the Esky,” he says, his voice soft.

“Yeah,” I reply, though I make no move to let him go before what he says really registers. “Shit, the Esky!”

He snorts as we glance at his Esky bobbing in the water. “Well, we’re already half saturated.” He turns to me with amusement in his gaze.

“True that.” Grinning, I don’t hesitate to strip off my T-shirt. I’m not packed with muscles, and there are no defined abs, but I’m more than okay with that. Especially when Kiefer rakes his gaze over my broad chest and flattish belly, fresh heat burning in his eyes.

He follows suit, revealing his slimmer frame. He’s fucking perfect, especially with the smattering of freckles across his chest. I want to trace them with my tongue, let them lead me to his soft stomach that I’m sure will have me ready to blow as soon as I dip below his waistband.

Kiefer clears his throat, and I jerk into awareness. When our gazes me, I simply shrug, not at all fazed by being caught eye-fucking him. I want to do so much more than that.

“Ready to get wet?” he asks with a raised eyebrow, amusement dancing in his blue eyes.

I snort and shake my head, even as I say, “With you? Any chance I can get.” There’s no taking back that kiss. No hiding or pretending it didn’t happen. And from the molten stare aimed my way, I don’t think I need to worry about any of that.

Thank fuck. I’ve waited so damn long for my chance with Kiefer, a soggy lamington and a floating Esky won’t be what dampens this chemistry between us.

ChapterFour

Kiefer

It would be so easy to kick my own arse for waiting so long. I could’ve had his mouth on mine for years.