“Hey.” Ramsey slaps at my chest, and I capture her hand, holding it there. With that move, I step between her legs.
“You’re supposed to be on my team,” I tell her. She surprises me when she wraps her legs around my waist, holding me closer. The act is done before I can stop it. My hard cock is lined up against her pussy, and when she sucks in a breath, I know there’s no denying it. “I’m coming in close,” I warn her.
I brace my hands against the wall she’s sitting on, and I’m shocked when she wraps her arms around my neck. The pose is intimate with her wrapped around me, and I can only imagine the smile on my sister’s face, but I can’t think about that right now.
“I know I should apologize.” My eyes flash to where my cock is nestled against her pussy. “But I can’t. You’re gorgeous, Ramsey. You can’t hide that, and I can’t hide what being close to you does to me.”
I clamp my mouth shut, giving her time to process my confession. I should take a step back and break the connection, but her legs are still locked tight around my waist, and I told her she had the control.
She pulls me closer until we’re hugging. “Thank you, Deacon,” she whispers.
I want to ask her why she’s thanking me. However, the feel of her body pressed tightly against mine takes over, and I’m lifting my arms, wrapping them around her, returning her embrace. Her floral scent engulfs me, and I inhale deeply.
I faintly hear my sister squeal with excitement, but I don’t dare break this connection. I’m a smart man. When there’s a beautiful woman in my arms, she gets all my attention. Even a workaholic like me can figure that out.
Still holding her close, I stroke her back gently, and I feel her relax into my touch. It’s funny, up until about twenty minutes ago, I was cursing myself for giving in to Palmer after her insistent begging. Now I’m glad that I did. I never imagined this is how today would have gone, but I’m enjoying myself. I’m enjoying my time with Ramsey. But regardless of this connection I feel with her, nothing can ever happen between us. I’m too old for her, but damn if I’m not going to enjoy every minute of the rest of this day with her.
three
Ramsey
This isn’t me. I don’t let men get close. It has to be the golden eyes. Maybe it’s his strong arms as they wrap around me. Or could it be the feel of his large hand engulfing mine? It’s all of that and more. Could it be his brutal honesty and the openness I see in those honey-colored eyes? It has to be the way his hand feels as it trails slowly up and down my back. It’s his woodsy scent and the way he just met me, but it already feels as if he knows me.
Not at all what I expected.
Realizing I’m wrapped around him like a spider monkey, I ease my hold, pulling back. I’ve never had a man be so patient and kind with me. My hand rests against his cheek, and the texture of his beard is foreign under my palm. My ex was clean-shaven, as was my father. I can’t explain my desire to just feel the rough of it against my skin.
“Ramsey.” Deacon’s voice is gruff, pulling me out of my thoughts. His eyes are darker, full of something I can’t name. “Can I touch you too? Your face, I mean?”
I nod, because speaking is out of the question. There’s a lump in my throat the size of the entire state of Georgia. Slowly, he raises his hand. I don’t know if it’s to not spook me or to give me time to change my mind, but as soon as his warm palm is pressed against my cheek, I close my eyes, letting the soothing touch of his skin seep into me.
“Ramsey.” His voice is clipped but has me opening my eyes all the same. “Can I kiss you?” His eyes widen just a fraction as if he can’t believe he asked the question. I wait for a few heartbeats for him to take back his request, but he remains silent, waiting patiently for me to answer him.
Slowly, I nod.
His thumb caresses my cheek. “I’m going to need your words this time, sweetheart.”
“Yes,” I say without an ounce of hesitation. It’s sad that this man will be the first that I kiss by my own choosing. To me, this is my first kiss. That’s the only explanation for the way my heart is racing.
“You sure?” He leans in close.
“Y-Yes.”
“Palmer?” he calls out for his sister.
I stiffen. Is he toying with me? One strong hand grips my thigh, which is still locked tight around him, while the other softly caresses my cheek.
“What’s up?” I faintly hear her ask.
I’m still as I wait to see what’s going to happen. I’m not even sure that I’m breathing. When he opens his mouth to speak, and his words register, I pull breath into my lungs.
“You’re going to want to make sure you get this.” That’s his final warning to either of us before his lips descend on mine.
I freeze, my body goes rigid in his arms, which causes him to pull back. “Ramsey?”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. I swallow hard. I know that he’s not him, and the fact that I was expecting him to be as rough with me as Robert is an insult to Deacon. Guilt hits me hard as my eyes find him. “Can we… maybe do that again? I-I wasn’t ready.”
“She wasn’t ready,” he muses, a smile pulling at his lips. The rough pad of his thumb glides over my bottom lip. “Are you ready now?” he asks in that deep timbre of a voice that has desire pooling between my thighs.
I bob my head.
“I need your words, sweetheart.”
“Y-Yes.”
He leans in a little closer. The hand gripping my thigh tightens. “Are you sure?”
The way he’s asking for permission sets my anxiety at ease. I trust Palmer, and Deacon is her older brother. My best friend is standing three feet away from us. He’s not going to hurt me. That curbs my anxiety, but then I remember Palmer is watching, and it rises again.
“She’s watching us.” My words are whispered. I know my best friend, and she’s going to dissect this entire day. She’s going to see something that’s not here. We’re just pretending for the camera lens.
“That’s the point of this, right?” His voice is low so that the conversation remains just between us.
“Yeah, but that’s a lot of pressure,” I confess.
He moves the hand that was gripping my thigh to rest on my cheek as well. On instinct, I lift both of my hands to cover his, holding him to me. It’s not lost on me that his touch is soothing. I’ve never associated a man’s touch as being anything other than unwanted.
Until Deacon.
“Pretend that it’s just us. Don’t think about her. Don’t think about the camera. It’s just you and me.”
“Just you and me,” I repeat.
“You have the control here, Ramsey.” His tone is soft and delicate while being deep and gruff at the same time. He’s being so tender with me. “You want to stop. We stop. No reasoning required.”
“I-I want you to kiss me.” A smile that can only be described as a blinding light crosses his face. There is something about him that gives me an immediate sense of trust.
“Yes, ma’am.” His hands remain on my cheeks when he tilts his head just slightly and presses his lips to mine.