Page 20 of Delivery After Dark (Gansett Island #28)

Did he want something special right now?

Not even kind of, but he couldn’t deny it was happening regardless of whether he was ready for such a thing.

After a few hours with her, he already knew he’d regret letting her slip away.

Not only was she stunning to look at, but she was easy to talk to.

That last part had been a problem in the past. He hated having to pull information out of a potential partner.

Sierra gave it up willingly. She told him stories about her life and was refreshingly blunt about her own shortcomings, which apparently included math, anything mechanical and sometimes a lack of tact.

“That one gets me in trouble with my friends,” she confessed, “because if I think they’re doing something stupid, I don’t hold back.”

Refreshing , he’d thought.

As they listened to Julia’s beautiful performance, he wanted so badly to raise his hand from the back of Sierra’s chair to her shoulder, which was bare since she’d removed her sweater during dinner, revealing her stunning sleeve tattoos.

Would she welcome him touching her? Almost as if he conjured him, he heard Billy’s voice saying, Why don’t you just ask her?

You like that she’s straightforward, so why don’t you be, too?

He sat riveted, feeling as if Billy was standing right next to him.

Sierra looked over at him. “Are you okay? You just got all tense.”

“Did I?”

She nodded. “What happened?”

“I was having an internal argument with myself, and I heard Billy’s voice telling me what to do, as if he were standing right here.”

“What did he say to do?”

“He said I should ask you if it’d be okay if I did this.” He moved his hand from the back of her seat to cup her shoulder, moving his thumb over her soft skin. “Is it?”

She flashed a cute little grin that revealed a dimple he hadn’t noticed before. “I was wishing you’d do something .”

“Why didn’t you say so?”

“Why didn’t you ask?”

“Because Billy hadn’t told me to yet.”

“Thank goodness for him moving things along for us. Otherwise, we might’ve wasted a lot of time.”

Morgan grinned at her, and since he had permission to move things along , he leaned in to kiss her, hoping she’d kiss him back.

She did—and whoa .

What he’d intended to be a quick kiss, a promise of more to come later, turned into a fiery collision of desire that had him pulling back to stare at her.

What the actual hell? A kiss had never delivered such a punch.

It had him wanting to take her by the hand to get a room at the hotel since it was closer than either of their places.

“Oh, to be a fly on the wall for whatever you’re thinking right now,” she said with that sexy little grin.

“I’ll bet you’re thinking the same thing I am.”

“I’m not that kind of girl, Morgan. This is our first date.”

Morgan wasn’t sure if she was serious or if she was screwing with him. He desperately hoped it was the latter, because after that kiss, he wanted to be alone with her as soon as possible. “Oh, um, well… Okay, then.”

His entire body vibrated with the kind of energy he’d rarely experienced from a simple kiss—although nothing about that kiss had been simple. This woman had complication written all over her gorgeous self, but all he wanted was more, and he wanted it right fucking now.

However, she was in charge. She said what, she said when, she said how much—or she said no.

Her husky, sexy voice cut into his thoughts. “You want to get out of here?”

“More than I’ve ever wanted anything ever.”

As they stood and headed for the door, he pulled a twenty out of his wallet and dropped it in Julia’s tip jar.

She thanked him with a smile.

Julia Lawry was a beautiful, talented woman.

In another life in which she wasn’t with Deacon Taylor, and he wasn’t following Sierra in an all-fired rush to get her somewhere they could be alone, he might’ve been interested in getting to know Julia better.

However, now that he knew Sierra Mancini existed, he wasn’t looking to get to know anyone but her.

Was it possible for a single kiss to change a life? He wouldn’t have thought so until about ten minutes ago.

Now… He wasn’t so sure.

Outside, she took hold of his hand and towed him along with her to the parking lot.

When they were standing next to the passenger door, she stepped forward, put her arms around his neck and fused her lips to his in another kiss that was somehow even hotter than the first one. This one included tongue and teeth and her fingers buried in his hair, pulling him closer.

His arms were wrapped around her so tightly, he hoped he wasn’t hurting her. His right hand slid down her back to grip her ass and pull her in as close as he could get her, which still wasn’t close enough.

The blustery, cold air blowing in from the ocean was no match for the heat they generated. Turning them, he pressed her against the car and pulled her right leg up to improve the angle.

She moaned.

Morgan couldn’t recall the last time he’d wanted anyone the way he wanted her. When he had no choice but to come up for air, he rested his forehead on hers as she sucked in greedy deep breaths of cold air right along with him.

He pulled the keys from his back pocket and managed to unlock her door. As desire throbbed through every inch of him, he got her settled and then walked around to the driver’s side. “Your place or mine?”

“Mine.”

“I don’t have?—”

“I do.”

Okay, then.

The short ride across town gave him enough time to recall the many reasons why he shouldn’t be getting involved when his whole life was unsettled.

However, the thought of pulling back, of putting a stop to this while he still could, was so revolting that he pushed that out of his mind to focus on reliving the hottest kisses of his entire life.

No matter what happened next, he already knew he’d relive those memories over and over again for the rest of his days.