Sun-Kissed - Frankie Love Page 0,86

trees and whiskey with a cherry on top. If he was oxygen, I'd just keep on breathing him in. As it stands, I'm the one who just slapped him, yet I'm the one being consoled.

This is wrong on every level.

I pull back and wipe my eyes and dare to look up at him. In his arms, I feel so petite like I fit. With his chiseled arms around me, I feel like I'm not just the curvy girl who squeezes into sweaters, always finding them one size too tight. I feel like Levi would rather I didn't wear a sweater at all.

I swallow. These thoughts are what nearly got me into trouble only moments ago. What led me to wrap my body around his, feeling his hard length pressed my ass, his tongue devouring me like I was the best thing he had ever tasted. I am certain he is the best thing I have ever, ever had in my mouth.

Oh Lordy, I'm hot all over again and I step away. I don’t trust myself when I'm in his embrace.

"So, are you gonna tell me why you slapped me?" he asks, running a hand over his thick beard. That beard is trouble. I close my eyes, trying to push away images of him kneeling before me, spreading my thighs, and ticking my most tender places with that beard.

Trying to collect myself, I inhale, deep. Then I open my eyes and tell him the truth. "I just... I don't kiss on the first date."

He smirks. "That a rule of yours?"

I nod. "Yep."

"What happens now that you broke it?"

I bite my bottom lip. "I guess. I... I... honestly, this is unchartered territory. I've never done that. Ever."

"Done what?"

I lean in toward him, very aware of my bright red face. Am I the only one here burning up like I'm standing outside in the Vegas heat?

Whispering, I say, "Kissed a man I didn't know."

He looks at me like he knows every last thing about me. "But you have kissed a man before?"

"Okay. Not technically. So..." I wave my hand in the air, flailing. Or grasping for something. Straws maybe?

"So technically, I'm your first kiss, is that what you're saying?" He's grinning like I'm standing in front of him in my birthday suit.

I nod. "Yes. Usually, dates end before we get to that part." I exhale, reaching for my still half-full glass of champagne next to the slot machine. I take a sip, avoiding his gaze.

"And why do dates usually end so soon, Lucy? From where I'm standing you're the whole package. Endearing. Funny. Hard working. Beautiful."

"I just have a few rules is all," I say, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "And most men aren't interested in playing by them."

"Is one of the rules dropping nickels into that slot machine?" he asks, nodding to the game that just paid out more than my weekly paycheck.

"Oh, speaking of, here." I hand him the ticket, but he won't take it. "No, seriously it was your money. It's your prize."

"I don't want that, Lucy."

"Why not?"

"Because the only thing I want to win over is you."

I shake my head. "You haven't even heard my rules."

"Try me. I'm a burly-ass man and don't scare easy."

"Okay, well." I lick my lips. "Besides no kissing on the first date... um, I plan to be a virgin until my wedding night."

A flicker of desire lights up his green eyes. "Of course, you're a virgin. You've never even been kissed."

"Does that make you want to run away?"

He laughs. "Run? Baby, I don't mind the chase."

"Don't say that," I say, more sharply than I intended. "Listen, I'm not joking. This isn't some game. It's my heart. I'm saving myself for marriage. And when I marry, I plan to do it once. I'm not some bachelor weekend conquest."

He narrows his brows. "You're serious, then?"

I nod. "Completely."

"So, you're as wholesome as they come?"

I nod.

He grins. "A nice old-fashioned girl who plays a Sex and the City slot machine?"

I frown. "I may be old-fashioned, but I'm still a woman. I still have... interests."

Levi steps closer to me again, his hand on my back. "Then why'd you jump from my arms so fast the moment you got all hot and bothered?"

I exhale slowly. "I didn't trust myself."

"With me?" He uses the crook of his finger to lift my chin.

"With you," I agree shakily.

"And why did you slap me, Lucy?" he asks, looking at me intently. His mouth is nearing mine again and I want