See Through Me (Lose My Senses) by Sera Bright Page B

surprising myself by letting him know how close he was to the truth.
    Hope flared on his face, his eyes holding me captive. I bit my lip, and my gaze drifted to his mouth. I’d always loved his mouth, lips so full and lush. It would’ve looked ridiculous on anyone else. On him, it was perfect.
    His eyes darkened. Damn it, he ’d noticed. I was doing it again, starting another game. Did I have any self-control? No, not when it came to Ash. He leaned his head down. I took a slow, deep breath to calm my rapidly beating heart. What would be the harm in meeting him half way?
    I stilled. That’s what I had thought last summer, too. I hopped to my feet, wobbling off-balance as my foot hit a slippery spot on the granite.
    He shot out a hand to steady me. “What are you doing?”
    I ignored his hand. “You know what? I don’t care how awesome the ocean is, I really missed this beach.”
    He stared at me like I ’d lost my mind. I think I had.
    “ It’s so comforting to know Canada is just right over there. Watching us. Probably judging us,” I babbled. “I think I’ll go for a swim.”
    “ It’s not safe.” He glanced over to the white-capped waves, the wind blowing his hair away from his face. “Katie, no. Stop!”
    I shallowly dove in, and the cold water hit me like a slap, freezing the breath in my lungs. I surfaced with a gasp, treading water, trying to stay upright. My feet brushed against the bottom.
    Ash followed me into the water with an effortless dive off the rocks, and he surfaced next to me. His face was fierce, his lips already tinged with blue. “What are you doing?”
    My teeth chattered. “Swimming.”
    “ You’re running away again,” he said. “I swear, I wasn’t trying to push you, we were just talking!”
    No, he hadn ’t pushed—and that was the problem. I was the one who wanted to kiss him. But I was also the one who was going to screw this all up again, and it may as well be sooner rather than later.
    I tried to act relaxed, which was hard to do while neck-deep in sixty-degree water, and splashed him. “You’re such a grouch in the morning. You probably needed to get some more sleep.”
    His scowl told me he could see right through my pathetic little act. The wind picked up and a large wave crashed over us. It dragged me down under the churning surf, leaving me out of control against the force of the water. For a heartbeat, I thought about what it would be like to let go. For once, just let it all go. Ash grabbed my hand and brought me up to the surface.
    I gasped for air and clung to him. He cupped the back of my head and hugged me close to his shoulder. Around us, the gray water swirled. Sanity returned, and I moved to stand on my own. The sopping sleeve of my sweatshirt slipped to my elbow, exposing the dandelion tattoo right in front of his face.
    He took hold of my wrist. “Where did that come from?”
    I yanked my arm away. Hell if I was going to admit I stole one of his sketchbooks last summer, and then had the only sweet little drawing I found in the whole thing inked forever onto my body. Besides, if he looked any closer, he ’d see through the ink to the scars.
    “ That’s what I thought.” The same determination from last night steeled in Ash’s face.
    He pulled me to him and forced his tongue inside the seam of my lips. This kiss wasn ’t like the brief one in the alley. It was harder. Better. And hopefully would last longer. The pressure of his mouth punished me with a desperate, bruising force, tasting like mint and electricity. I didn’t surrender, though. I gave it right back. All the hurt and longing. I nipped his bottom lip with my teeth, and he growled deep in his throat. I remembered how to turn him on, too.
    Need only fueled the desperation. The water lifted me higher against his body, my breasts sliding along his chest. A streak of possession urged me on. Mine. H e skated his hands down my back. The heat of his fingers branded my skin through the thin