had a pad and paper or at least more fingers. Problem was, thinking of Harper with anyone but him caused his intelligence to turn off and…
The music suddenly changed.
Someone shrieked, the boombox volume blared.
The sound of The Bangles reached across the sand. “Eternal Flame.” Almost all the women paired off to slow dance with one another.
Tatted Arms took Harper into his.
On impulse, Mad moved forward, no longer lifeless, dull, or cautious.
He ran to take what he wanted, feeling completely, thrillingly alive.
Chapter Seven
One second she was loosely held by a lean stranger, his arms impressively tattooed, and in the next, her hand was in Mad’s and he’d pulled her free so they faced each other.
And just like that, the world went away. Except for him. And “Eternal Flame.”
“It’s our song,” he said, even as his fingers released hers. “We dance to this song.”
“Right,” she said, because it felt so. So right.
His arms lifted, hovered, and a perplexed expression crossed his face. “Harp, I don’t know where the hell to put my hands.”
She glanced down, felt heat rush from her forehead to her feet. Most of her was naked. “I told Sophie this bathing suit wasn’t right for me.”
“Oh, I disagree,” his gaze slid down her body, “it’s very right for you.”
Embarrassment easing, Harper smiled and put one fingertip on his chest. “What a nice thing to say.” It might have come out like a purr.
He took a step forward and this time his arms didn’t hesitate to surround her. She shut her eyes as he pulled her closer, their bodies brushing. The notes of “Eternal Flame” embraced them like a blanket.
“Why is this our song anyway?” she said, her head woozy. The beer she’d downed too fast? Just Mad, so close? In any case, it seemed important to prove that she could still speak. “It’s an oldie.”
Their feet shuffled in the sand. “I’m just glad it’s not the piña colada song.”
She giggled. “The Daggetts are still playing that?” she asked, glancing up. His eyes were shut now, dark lashes fanned on his tan cheeks.
God. How had she ever managed to leave him?
His lips curved in a faint smile. “They’re still playing it.”
With him not looking at her, she snuggled closer and then bowed to impulse and brushed her mouth against the soft cotton of his T-shirt. His fingers flexed, digging into her hips.
“It became ‘our’ song when we were parked at ‘our’ spot,” he said. “I had the radio tuned to a station with 80s programming.”
Harper knew all this. “Hmm,” she said, as if it was just coming back to her.
His head drew closer and his mouth breathed heat against her ear. “You know those ‘say my name’ lyrics?”
“Hmm.” She bit back her smile.
“During that song you did that exact thing the first time I made you come.”
Her body quivered. But she’d matured, hadn’t she? So she lifted her chin and caught his eye. “Well, not the first time you made me come.”
He pushed her three inches away, his eyebrows arching. “What’s this?”
Now it was her turn to lean in. “Self-pleasure, Maddox Kelly. Before that particular night, I may have been having filthy thoughts of you when I indulged.”
His slack jaw made her laugh. She pushed it up with one finger. “You should know females do this. Didn’t you say something about women friends?”
“We’re not that close,” he said. “And you…back then, I just never would have thought…”
“Cute,” she said, grinning up at him. “You are definitely cute.”
He yanked her close again and his voice lowered to that stern tone that made her toes curl into the sand. “For that, you’re getting kissed.”
“Punish me, sir,” she whispered, daring him.
His mouth brushed hers. Her belly clenched and a rush of want rocketed through her veins. Her arms tightened around his neck and his hands slid from her hips to the bare flesh of her butt cheeks. Her whole body shivered as her lips opened. His tongue slid inside and she moaned at the taste of him, apple-tart and slightly salty. Her fingers found the short hair at the back of his neck, the strands cool against the sensitive insides. She shivered again, and beneath the skimpy top of her suit her nipples pearled.
Mad groaned and drew one hand up her naked side to cup her breast, his thumb flicking the hard bud. Sudden crowd-awareness cleared her head and she half-opened her eyes to find he’d danced her away from the rest of the party. They were on the far side of a