Last Name - Dr. Rebecca Sharp Page 0,31

I replied, branches cracking under my feet as I moved toward her.

That was the one interesting thing about the lake—it was so vast and blue, standing on the shore felt as though it could be the ocean in front of you. But ocean beaches weren’t lined with trees—unless they were part of a boardwalk.

But here, in Tahoe, between the parking lot and the sand, there was a buffer of forest one had to practically hike through in some places in order to reach the surf.

And that forest was where the bathrooms and firepits and grills and tables were all housed, giving them an added layer of natural privacy… giving us a hidden haven right now.

“I told you, I have to go,” she insisted, grabbing the rest of her clothes off the ground from where they’d spilled out of her bag.

“Carrie…” I growled her name, closing the space between us, needing to stop this cat-and-mouse between us.

I watched her throat bob, trying to find more words to fight me—and herself—on this.

“James, what are you doing?” She stood straight, her pile of clothes forgotten on the sandy forest floor.

I halted in front of her, noting how she stood tall and didn’t back away. My gaze roamed hers, finding desire as it mingled with fear—their mixture like a sun shower, the warm heat incongruent with the flurried drops of water.

“I want you.” I reached up and cupped the side of her face.

She shuddered. “We’re getting an annulment.”

My nostrils flared. “That doesn’t mean I can’t want you… and you can’t want me.”

Her mouth parted but no rebuttal came out. Her eyes flitted over my face as I slowly bent down to her, the tempting pink softness of her lips drawing me closer.

Need boiled in my chest—the desperate kind. The kind I’d felt when I’d needed to gamble in order to save my family’s business… the kind where if I didn’t kiss her, I knew I would lose everything.

“But we’re getting an—”

“Carrie,” I growled her name, cutting off her defense that was as weak as a paper shield against the sharp steel sword of need slicing through us.

Her head angled to mine, an unspoken act of surrender.

“I know,” I confirmed roughly. “We’re getting an annulment.” My lips just brushed against hers as I spoke. “But one kiss won’t change that.”

She sagged against me the moment my lips sealed over hers.

Warmth and woman exploded against my tongue as it delved into her mouth, tasting temptation and thrill with every stroke.

A long groan erupted from my chest, forced dormant by her denial and now set free.

She was everything I remembered. Adventurous and responsive. She was cautious about what she wanted, but as soon as she decided she wanted it, she left nothing off the table.

And it was the same with this kiss.

It didn’t matter that our marriage was a mistake or that our separation loomed, she wanted me now, her need fueled by the same intoxicating risk as mine was.

Like picking up a hand of cards and knowing deep down in your gut you were going to win the hand—that you were going to bring down the house.

I kissed her harder. Deeper.

My fingers speared into the damp hair at the base of her neck and I angled us toward the small building until her back was against the planed wood. Lust drove through me like a spike through stone, feeling the way her soft curves molded against me.

“James…” She whimpered into my mouth, her tongue demanding mine for more.

Tightening my grip, I angled her head, giving myself deeper access to her mouth, devouring every inch of the woman I’d spent one night with and now couldn’t stop thinking about.

“Fuck, gorgeous, I want you so bad,” I growled, letting my free hand clamp down on her thigh to lift and lock it around my waist.

Black and red spots erupted in my vision as my throbbing cock wedged against her pussy with only the thin material of our bathing suits separating us. She was hot and wet. And all mine.

My fingers skated up over the curve of her ass and the dip in her waist, searching for those tits that drove me insane. The way the suit taunted me with their delicious weight, the way it reminded me how the soft flesh spilled from my palm… Fuck. Falling in the water was probably the only thing that had saved me from coming on the spot.

But now… now there was nothing to save me.

A hoarse groan ripped from my chest