LITMIR.BIZ

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reuniting. That he didn’t want to see them hurt each other again. “Yes,” he said quietly.

      He wasn’t sure she heard him, until she slid her arm around his neck and hugged him. There was the sound of her shoes dropping on the sand and then the feel of her lean body wrapping around his. He liked that. Liked it a lot.

      They stood that way for a minute. The wind tugged her hair loose so it draped across them. Her scent filled his head. Their bodies pressed together. Some of the ice inside him started to melt.

      He pulled her closer. “It bothers me an awful lot.” And let his hands slide up her back to tangle in her glorious hair. “I’m practically devastated, but this helps. You know what else would help?”

      “What?”

      “A kiss.”

      She shoved at his shoulders, but he wasn’t letting go. “Beck.”

      “I’m not going anywhere.” He dipped his head into the curve of her neck and inhaled. A quiver racked her body and caused an answering one in his own.

      “I’m serious.” She turned her head so she could see him, but all that did was bring their lips within touching distance. “I was being supportive.”

      “I like supportive.” He ran a hand down her side. Her dress was silky smooth. He moved his lips closer to hers. If he stuck out his tongue, he could lick her.

      “About your parents.”

      “I don’t want to talk about them.” He had other things on his mind, like seeing if Poppy’s skin felt as soft as her dress and if she tasted as good as he remembered.

      “Well, I do.”

      “No.” Her evasive games didn’t work on him. “You don’t. So about this help you’re offering me...”

      “I’m not offering anything, you forced me,” she reminded him, though she hadn’t made a move to leave his embrace.

      He took advantage of that by hauling her closer to him. “You don’t seem to mind.”

      “I’m being polite.”

      He laughed. “You’re going to have to do more than that.”

      “Oh?” Her eyes were wide. If he stared into them long enough he could lose himself.

      “You’re going to have to pretend you like me.” He ran a thumb over her lips.

      There was a small pause with only the sound of the waves lapping on the shore and the dock. And the occasional speedboat as someone zipped down the lake.

      “I like you,” she finally said.

      A knot he hadn’t known was in his belly began to unravel. “As I mentioned, my mother thinks we’re dating.” A notion he was increasingly glad he’d let her keep. He touched her lips again and Poppy’s eyes darkened. “You’ll have to play along.”

      “Seems like quite a hardship.”

      “Well, there’s something hard about it.”

      “I’ve noticed.”

      Beck laughed softly. “So you won’t have a problem acting like we’re dating?”

      He watched the decision play out on her face. She wanted to say yes, that was obvious, but something held her back. He placed a finger on the spot below her ear and pressed gently. She sucked in a sharp breath and closed her eyes. He drew little circles over and over.

      “Exactly what would dating include?”

      “I’m open to suggestions.” He was open to pretty much anything at this point. He wanted to suck on that sensitive spot, but that was his money shot. And she hadn’t said yes yet.

      She opened her eyes. His heart hitched. “And you’ll get me some time with Jamie?”

      “Yes,” he agreed before she finished asking. “I’ll find some time for you to have a private conversation.” He didn’t know how, didn’t care. He needed her to say yes. It was vitally important to his health because he was pretty sure if she didn’t, he would be taking cold showers for the rest of his life. “In return, you’ll start showing just how much you really do like me.”

      She nodded.

      Good. He cupped her face, held her still. “I think we should seal it with a kiss.”

      “We should what?” Her tongue flickered out to wet her lips.

      “A kiss.” He ran a hand around the back of her neck. “That expression of interest that two people who are dating share.”

      “You didn’t say anything about kissing.”

      No, they’d just done everything leading up to it. The breeze kicked up again, blowing her hair around them and causing her skirt to twist around his legs.

      “Part of the deal,” he told her. “But if you’re not into that...”

      She wasn’t going to turn him down. She couldn’t. But she was thinking again. He knew from the small wrinkle between her eyes. “Just kissing?” she asked.

      Beck flexed his fingers, massaging her neck, gratified when her eyelashes fluttered. She might not be ready to admit it, but she wanted the kissing as much as he did. “If that’s what you want.”

      “Just kissing,” she repeated. This time it wasn’t a question. “And what if I don’t agree?”

      He couldn’t believe she was bargaining. He struggled to keep his mind on the basics of their conversation and she hunted for loopholes. “I’m not going to force you,” he said. He couldn’t let her know she had all the power. But he did stroke that spot again.

      She let her head lean to the side and Beck smiled. There it was. She was going to say yes. He started thinking of all the ways he planned to take full advantage of the just kissing portion of the agreement.

      “So we have a deal?” She melted against him. He remembered how she used to do that. Let herself flow into him so their bodies touched everywhere.

      And then she stepped back. He frowned. She smiled. Her eyes darted to the right and the path that led back to the house.

      Beck rolled onto the balls of his feet. She was going to try to sidestep him. His frown morphed into a grin. So she wanted to play, did she? He was game for that. “Unless you think the kissing will be too much for you.” He nodded sagely. “Happens all the time. Women, they can’t resist me.”

      She shook her head. “I’ll do my best to manage. But—” she pinned him with a look “—just kissing.” Then she smiled, catching him off guard long enough to make the dodge he’d been expecting.

      Fortunately, he was tall, with a long reach, and he’d played football in college. His reflexes were still good. His hand snapped out and caught her by the wrist. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

      “No.” She put her free hand on her hip. He supposed she thought she appeared intimidating. He wondered if she had any clue how she really looked standing there in her bare feet, her dress blown by the wind, showing off all her curves. “You didn’t say I had to kiss you now.”

      He pointed to her shoes lying in a heap on the sand. “I meant those—” he hadn’t “—but I’m up for the kissing, too.”

      Her eyes flicked toward the shoes, then her feet, then the wrist he still held. Beck tugged, slowly reeling her in, not letting the fact she tried to dig in her heels have any effect. The sand was useless for bracing anyway and he continued to pull until she pressed right up against him.

      “You seem to be thinking a lot about the kissing.” He brushed away a piece of hair that had fallen across her cheek.

      “I have not.” But her voice was breathless.

      He rubbed both her

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