Between Breaths (The Seattle Sound Series Book 2) by Alexa Padgett Page A

down. Keeping my eyes locked on hers, I waited.
    “If I kiss you, I’m going to want to do so again.” I drew her closer until her breasts touched my chest. Right where she belonged.
    “I think I’m going to want you to do more than kiss me.”
    “This will take us past the friend agreement we made yesterday,” I said as I pressed my lips to the very edge of her mouth, pulled back. We stared at each other for a long breath. She slid her arms around my neck.
    “What do you want, Briar?”
    “You,” she whispered.
    “I need to know. Exactly.”
    She pulled back a little, a small furrow building between her brows. Pain built in her eyes, muddying the vivid blue. Then she blinked, coming back to me. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I want to be with you, Hayden. I want you to make love to me, but I also want to spend time with you. I enjoy your company.”
    I pulled her flush against me, my hand splayed on her lower back, my fingers on the upper swell of her bum.
    “I want that, too.” I pressed my lips to hers, firm and sure of our mutual pleasure.
    She melted into me further, quicksilver seeking its home. I shifted her jaw to give me deeper access, parting her lips with my tongue. Sweeping inside her mouth, I moaned, loving the warmth and hint of mint from her toothpaste. Her nipples pebbled against my chest, and I cupped the side of her breast. Her tongue slid over mine, touching, tasting, learning.
    She cuddled closer, her belly cushioning my raging erection.
    She grabbed fistfuls of my hair and strained into me. I flicked my thumb over her nipple and she moaned, arching her back into my body.
    She pulled her tongue from mine and smoothed it over my bottom lip. Her teeth found that spot at the corner of my mouth and nipped. I dropped both hands to her hips and pulled her up, pressing her warm core to my hard dick.
    This kiss was a rip curl thundering toward the beach. I never wanted to stop.
    Briar’s legs wrapped around my waist. I turned and set her on the counter, needing my hands free to touch all her soft skin. She tipped her head back as I pulled my mouth from hers, trailing my lips across her jaw and down her neck, my tongue and teeth teasing the spot where her collarbone dipped. I rolled her breast across my palm and her thighs squeezed my hips tighter, trying to pull me even closer.
    I pulled down the strap of her tank top. I needed that lush little bud in my mouth. Now.
    A sharp sting in my calf forced me back, and I yelped. Three red lines of blood dripped near my ankle. The cat stared up at me, all wide-eyed shock, her tail curled around her now-sheathed claws.
    “I don’t think the cat wants to share you,” Briar said, her voice shaking with both laughter and need. “Rosie was just saying yesterday that she doesn’t like many people. But she seems to like you.”
    “I can see why. She’s a menace. A hungry menace.”
    Briar pressed her nose into the side of my neck. “I didn’t want to stop.”
    I pulled back so she could see my eyes. “I wouldn’t have if the she-beast hadn’t clawed me.”
    “The heat between us is intense,” she said, her eyes showing some of the vulnerability buried beneath the passion.
    “Very,” I said. I stepped back, putting some space between us so I didn’t grab her again. “I’ve never wanted a woman like I want you.”
    Her cheeks flushed—with pleasure at my words?—but her eyes remained steady. “I know you’re leaving.”
    “I have to. The less time I’m gone, the better. Not just for me, but for my band. For our fans. This isn’t something I can fuck around with. Too many people are depending on me.”
    I pulled her back into my arms, not caring if the cat scratched me again. Briar tucked her head in, pressing tight against my chest. Her arms wound around me, and while this embrace wasn’t as sexy as our kisses just moments before, it was intimate on a deeper level. I wasn’t about to study the why too closely.

Chapter 14
    B riar

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