Ryan Hunter

“What did you forget this time?” she teased me.
    “Same as always,” I answered and took her mouth in a savagely slow and tender goodnight kiss.

Chapter 14
     
    LIZA SMELLED FANTASTIC. We’d spent most of Sunday at my parents’ beach house, hanging out in the sun, fooling around in the sea, or kissing in my bed inside the house. She was wearing this hot, green triangle bikini top and shorts as she lay on top of me right now, arms folded under her chin on my chest, gazing into my eyes.
    Playing with the silky strands of her hair, I wished I could freeze time and never had to let her get out of this room again.
    “What are you thinking about?” she demanded, tilting her head a little.
    “That I can’t believe how I’m finally able to hold you.”
    Liza seemed to like my answer, because she dragged herself farther up then and placed a soft kiss on my lips. I totally started getting into that again, but when I stroked her cheek, she caught my wrist and glanced at my watch. “It’s late,” she said. “We have to go back now if we don’t want to be late.”
    “I’m fine with being late,” I told her before I thrust my hand in her hair and made her kiss me again.
    Her body shook on my chest as she laughed. “Stop it, Hunter.” Then she got off of me, leaving my bare chest yearning for her warmth. She closed the window, which she’d insisted we keep open the entire time. Initially, she’d told me she just wanted to smell the sea breeze, but I was pretty sure it had to do with a possible escape if one of my folks showed up here unexpectedly.
    When she stood in doorway, hands on her hips and arching one brow at me, it was clear that she wasn’t coming back, so I got up, too, and picked up my shirt from the floor, which I’d discarded over an hour ago. Closing the buttons, I watched Liza slipping on her red blouse and regretted I hadn’t hid the piece earlier, when I had time to. I liked looking at her when she was wearing as little as possible. Her bikini and a smile would totally do.
    Outside, I locked the door and dropped the keys back into the clay pot on the porch. But I couldn’t resist hooking my fingers through the belt-loops of Liza’s short jeans and pulling her into me one last time before we started to walk back. “Come here, sexy wench,” I growled, and unbuttoned the top of her blouse.
    “What are you doing? We just left your room.” Playfully, she lapped my hands away. “I think I have enough hickeys all over me for a day or two.”
    Ah, I wasn’t sure about that. There was definitely a spot on her left shoulder begging for another. Damn, I loved suckling on her skin.
    “It’s hot,” I teased. “And you look amazing in that bikini. I can’t allow you to hide that from me.” I nibbled a path down her neck, getting closer to the spot on her shoulder that I wanted to mark next.
    The shivers running along her skin were proof that she loved what I did to her, even if she tried to fend me off. “If you don’t stop that, we’ll be late for the movie.”
    “What do I care about a movie, when I have my lovely girlfriend all to myself?”
    “Tony and the others are waiting.”
    The mentioning of that name made me stop. Tony and I had yet to talk things out between us, and I didn’t like Liza thinking about him when she was with me. But I knew they had a history going way back, and Tony would always be part of our relationship, because she would never give him up as a good friend. I told myself I could handle this. But right now, I’d rather not hear that name when I was nibbling my girlfriend.
    I quickly glanced at my wristwatch. Five-twenty. “We still have an hour and a half.”
    “I want to shower before we go out.”
    “All right. But this—” I slid the blouse down her arms and cast her a determined grin. “Is mine.” A short hard kiss was enough to stop her protest.
    Lacing my fingers through hers, I dragged her down the stairs after me, and we ambled back to where I had parked my car. The cool sea brushed around our ankles. I tucked Liza’s blouse partly into my back pocket then bent down to roll up the hems of my jeans.
    As I straightened, I caught Liza ogling my backside, but she tried to hide her interest and quickly looked away. Her cheeks turned lovely red.
    “What, Matthews? You like my butt?” I mocked her.
    When she looked at me again, she lifted her chin. “Yep. That and a few other things.”
    “So? What would that be?”
    She didn’t answer