we’d share this nice, sweet kiss under the stars and … that wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough.”
“That was magic,” I whisper. “Complete magic.”
He lowers his head and drops a simple, gentle kiss on my lips. “I don’t think I’m letting you go tonight. Not after a kiss like that. Not knowing how many kisses we have yet to try.”
“Kisses to try?” I ask.
Xander grins and slides a hand around my back, drawing me into his chest and holding me tight.
“There’s all kinds. Forehead kisses,” he says, dropping one on my forehead.
Swoon.
“Bridge of the nose kisses,” he continues, his lips gently brushing against the bridge of my nose.
“I like this,” I say, smiling as he lifts his head.
“Wait, I’m not done,” Xander says, cupping my face in his hands and tracing his thumbs over my cheekbones. “Sweet kisses.”
He drops his mouth on mine for an innocent kiss.
Oh, this man, this man, this man! How can he be so sweet and wonderful yet scorching hot all rolled into one?
“Mm,” I murmur. “What else?”
Xander chuckles, the deep sound reverberating happily into my soul. “Jawline kisses. Slow, long, lingering kisses. Kisses on the neck, which I happen to enjoy, as you now know,” he says, winking mischievously at me.
I smile happily up at him. “Sounds like I could stay here all night if this is the case.”
“I would not object to that.”
I laugh. “You know I’m not doing that.”
“I know, but I have a perfect idea of how we can spend the next few hours. It involves exploring all these kisses. And a few more. All while lying in that hammock. What do you say, Sunshine?”
Xander called me Sunshine.
“I think,” I say, with so much joy in my heart it very well might burst, “that is the best idea I’ve ever heard, Xander Wales.”
And as his lips meet mine, I can’t think of a better way to spend the rest of the evening.
* * *
This is bliss.
I’m wrapped up in Xander’s arms in a hammock. He went inside and retrieved a blanket for me, covering me up when he noticed my nose was cold. We’ve kissed for hours—I don’t want to even know what time it is. More to the point, I don’t care.
I just don’t want this magic to end.
Xander’s fingers comb through my hair. We’ve kissed. Talked. Laughed. Stared up at the stars—he even pointed out some constellations to me. I feel so alive being with him that it nearly takes my breath away.
While we’ve been lying in this intimate way, our bodies entangled in this hammock, Xander’s hand moved to my thigh, lightly caressing it, but his hand never, not once, even tried to go up my skirt. If his hand went to my waist, it stayed there, never trying to inch up to cup my breast.
The fact that he’s so respectful, so concerned to not push—all the while kissing me in ways that are sensual and passionate—tells me so much about him. How he’s thinking of me. That he has spent time talking in between these drugging kisses, that he’s been gently playing with my hair and dropping kisses on my temple—I feel not only respected, but something more.
I feel utterly and completely adored.
I rest my head against his chest, hearing the steady rhythm of his heart, feeling the soft cashmere fabric caress my cheek.
I let out a happy sigh as he continues to play with my hair.
“Happy?” he asks.
“So happy.”
“Me, too.”
I lift my head, so I can look at him. He’s gazing back at me with a contented smile on his gorgeous face. It’s so beautiful, I nearly lose my breath at the sight of it. The moon is shining down on us, casting a lovely light on his jet-black hair, and the only sound I hear in this garden is the occasional rustling of leaves when a gust of wind blows across us.
“Xander?”
“Yes?” he asks, dropping a kiss on the top of my head.
“I’m afraid to go home.”
He shifts, and the hammock sways lightly as he does. “Why?” he asks, furrowing his brow.
“I don’t want this magic to end,” I confess, staring up at him. “It’s so perfect, it can’t be real.”
“I promise you, it’s real. And I’m definitely not letting you disappear once you leave here,” Xander says firmly.
A dreamy sigh escapes my lips. “I’m going to hold you to that, Xander Wales.”
He laughs softly. “When can I see you again?”
I snuggle back into him. “I have a very open calendar.”
“Tomorrow, I have a black-tie dinner at