Page 32 of Take the Blame (Seaside Mergers #3)

Understanding seemed to light his eyes, his hand rubbing high along his wife’s back. He slid a finger underneath the curtain of her hair, pushing it away and searching for her eyes. It was a gesture that seemed like it didn’t fit him somehow. Yet they were so natural together.

His voice was low, different, as he spoke to her. “ Listas, Lunita ?”

Her lip wobbled as she nodded. He nodded too, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. He found his sister next. “Thank you. For taking care of her and for inviting her. We’re heading out.”

“Ox…” Alta trailed off but her voice was hopeful, her eyes clearly wanting to know what was going on.

He shook his head. “Don’t pry, Al. Thank you for including us… Her. And great work here, this was really smart.”

She didn’t even look like she was breathing. I couldn’t tell if she was trying to hide it or not, but it was obvious his good opinion meant something to her.

Dark eyes settled on me, even as he was still addressing his sister. “And make sure Augustus here walks you back. I don’t want you walking around alone like that.”

Then they were gone.

“What was that all about?” she asked.

“What?”

“He called you Augustus like he knew you or something,” she said. “How does my brother know you?”

“Uh,” I scratched my neck. Did these people ever miss anything? “What do you think that was all about? Why was she crying? ”

She didn’t take the bait immediately, giving me a long suspicious look, but eventually her excitement took over and a huge smile crossed her face.

She moved, and I had to curb a moan as I felt her front press into my side, effectively rubbing up against me.

I needed to stop thinking with my dick, because she was simply reaching up to whisper in my ear, not making a move.

“I think it had to do with babies!” she said excitedly.

I felt my own smile pull only because hers was so big. “I bet you can’t wait to be an aunt.”

She nodded enthusiastically, biting her lip. “No one likes to ask them because of Clementine’s… past. But I know he wants them. I wonder if they’re trying. I hope everything’s going okay.”

“You just can’t help it can you?” My thumb brushed against her cheek, my eyes taking in the pretty soft features of her face.

“Help what?” She blinked innocently.

I leaned into her, my other hand coming around her back and holding her to me. “Even dressed up like Satan's plaything you can’t help being the sweetest thing in the room.”

A pout took over her face, and she gave me a glare from underneath her eyelashes. “You know I’m supposed to be a devil, right?”

“Can I tell you a secret?” I asked. She bit her lip, her eyes getting heavier the closer I held her. Slowly, her head bobbed. “When I first saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful thing to ever be set in front of me. Like an angel.”

“ What ?” she whispered.

“Mhmm,” I leaned in further. “But I gotta admit. I like seeing you all muddied up like this, too. I’ve seen you nice and clean, but I think I’m ready to see you dirty, Alta.”

“Well.” Her chin lifted on her own this time, bringing her mouth closer to mine. “ Somebody’s supposed to be teaching me how.”

“Oh, something tells me you already know how,” I said. “You just don’t know how to take it.”

“ Teach me, ” she ground out, and I was not imagining the press of her body full against mine now. Blood flooded straight to my dick, and it grew heavy as we pressed against each other. “Show me again, please.”

I swear her begging me would turn me undone.

My own voice rasped. “If these lessons of yours keep expanding, you’re going to take everything I have to give.”

“You offered,” she reminded me. “And I know how to say yes.”

“Fuck, why are you so sexy?”

“I don’t know.”

My mouth curved in the familiar tilt she always pulled from me. “Rhetorical question, Alta.”

“Are you going to kiss me again or?—”

“No.”

“What?” Her words came out quick and distressed. “But you said that I could come to you whenever?—”

My hand skated up the expanse of her costume clad back, my fingers pushing behind her neck in a gentle squeeze. “I’m not going to kiss you because, this time, you’re going to kiss me.”

Surprise parted her lips as she looked up at me with eyes so wide. She was probably thinking about the way she almost backed down last time.

I could just kiss her. God knew I wanted to. I wanted to kiss the shit out of her. But a small part of me wanted her to be the one to kiss me. I wanted to know that she wanted it, me , without me leading her there first.

Pointed coughing cut the tension in the air. Alta and I broke apart, turning to see Ryan standing there looking at us.

His eyes were wide though he tried to keep his voice even. “Gotta lock up, Gus.”

“Right,” I said, hardly paying Ryan any mind. Instead, I looked down at the girl beside me. “Rain check, Boss?”

She bit her lip, a soft whine coming out, and I felt a soft pinch sting my side where her hand rested. There she went, pulling another smile from me. “Ryan will walk you down to your party. I’ll find you in a bit.”

She nodded, but I detected a bit of impatience in her tone. “Don’t take long. I want you to see everything before it gets taken down.”

And there she went pulling my heart away from me too. I tucked her soft waves behind her shoulder, the expanse of her exposed skin on clear display for me.

“Of course, Boss,” I said. “I wouldn’t miss a thing.”

I had to hand it to her, it was a good set up and just like the brother said, it was smart.

After locking up the shop and walking the couple blocks down to the courtyard where Alta’s party was in full swing, I came face to face with the masterpiece my girl had created. I would have come earlier, but just as she predicted, we were booked to the teeth ever since “party hours” began.

Now, as I approached the crowded courtyard, I was met with something different than I was expecting. Her personality lended me to think any party Alta threw might look more trick-or-treat than thrasher. But the girl was full of surprises, that much was becoming clearer and clearer by the day.

Tents outlined the area of what once was a regular shopping street, now it resembled one of those theme park haunted Halloween grounds.

Tattered white and black fabric hung from structured canopies, mood lighting decorated the floor in festive oranges and reds and purples, and tables filled the tented areas strategically .

Stacks of those samples Alta had gone on about were everywhere— ours were little peel and stick tattoos—and gory decor like skeleton bones, half melted candles and other spooky items littered the area. Seeing this, I could understand now why we had so much traffic all day.

It was fun.

She was fun.

I wouldn’t have pegged her as that before, but looking around and seeing how the little gathering had quickly turned into a full-blown party, I had to admit it.

Music permeated the small area from a table near the edge of the courtyard. Out on the sand beyond the party, there were tall stacks of hay formulated in a large circle.

Distantly, I wondered what that was; but presently, my vision was filled with the sight of Alta dancing in front of the tables in the crowd of people who had made themselves a makeshift dance floor. She was flanked by Lana and Jules, though I was surprised they’d chosen to stay.

I didn’t blame them. I’d want to be by her too. I wanted to be by her right that second as I watched her sway to the music around her.

Alta’s body moved freely. Not overly sensual, but in a way I had yet to elicit from her. Comfortable. Loose. Unbound to expectation or opinion. Just feeling.

I watched her legs, toned and exposed. I watched her hips, full and enticing. I watched her hair, long and alluring. All those things called to me. But none of them compared to the feeling in my chest. Like I wanted that feeling she elicited to be mine. Wanted her to be mine.

I wanted her to want it too.

Before I could blink and lose sight of her, I was there.

Lana and Jules saw me and smiles the size of Texas crossed their faces before they danced off in another direction.

Absently, I recognized people with our tattoo samples plastered over their bodies, but honestly I wasn’t worried about all that. Only one thing had my attention.

One girl.

Alta gave a little jerk as I slid up behind her. Quickly, I pressed my lips to the back of her ear. “It’s me, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

She let out a sigh of relief that may have just signed the lease to my heart, her body relaxing as she realized who was behind her. As if she felt safe with me.

Leaning her head back, she took a peek up at me. “Wanna go?”

“Nuh-uh. Dance with me a little?” I said, not ready to give up my hold on her just yet.

“I don’t really know how,” she said sheepishly.

Humming, my hands gripped her hips firmly as I led her to move with me, keeping the beat and tempo while refusing to let her go. “Just like before, baby. Just with me this time.”

“Okay,” she smiled, still shy but more relaxed with my guidance. That shit made my heart squeeze.

We moved to the music, bodies in sync, breathing matching just as perfectly. I reveled in the feeling of her against me, every movement causing the ache she gave me to pulse more and more. But even more intense was the harmony I felt.

The feeling that I was right where I was supposed to be.

She turned in my hands, her arms, going to wrap around my neck, her face giving me an expression I’d never seen from her before. Need, clear and insistent in her countenance. “You’re really not going to kiss me, are you?”

I let my hands curl into her hips. Let her feel me against her as we continued to sway in tune with the beat. It was no secret that I wanted her but this time she would have to take it if she wanted me back. “You’ve always been the boss, Alta. This goes how you want it to go.”

I thought she would stall. I thought she would be shy and take her time and waver like she did all the other times we got close like this. But that was my own mistake for ever assuming anything about this girl. Because a second later, she was kissing me.

Hands circled the back of my neck and pulled me down over the sweetest softest mouth before I could even make sense of what was about to happen. If her breath of relief had won me over before, the little whimper she let out as soon as my lips touched hers owned me.

She owned me.

Especially as she parted her lips right there in the middle of everyone and let my tongue trace the line of them. Let it dip deeper and taste the sweetness of her mouth. Let it explore her like she wanted nothing else.

On and on she gave herself to me. Took from me. And I didn’t know whether I was dreaming or dying, but I knew one thing. This woman was steering the ship.