After what feels like an eternity, my fingers finally close around the hat once more. I’m so close to the boat that I have to push away to avoid crashing into the hull.
I break through the surface on the other side of the boat, the water cascading off my body as I reach for the ladder. Gripping the rungs tightly, I pull myself up, to find Gemma’s back to me. She’s frantically pulling off her shoes, her top already discarded on the deck. What the hell is she doing? Is she planning to jump in after me?
Her breaths come fast and panicky. “No, no no,” she says, all shaky.
“Gemma,” I call out, striding toward her, my wet feet slapping against the deck. I grab her hips and she jumps—probably because my hands are freezing.
She whirls around, her eyes wide and glassy with unshed tears. “Liam,” she chokes out. “I thought . . . I couldn’t see you.”
I frown. “I got the hat,” I say, holding up the soggy thing. “It’s okay.” I didn’t mean to scare her, but the realization that she was genuinely worried about me slams into me harder than any wave could’ve.
She slams her palm against my chest, the sting of it barely registering through the chill of my skin. “I thought you were dead, you asshole. I . . .”
She takes a shuddering breath, and the raw emotion in her voice hits me like a punch to the gut. I stare at her, at the care and concern etched into every line of her beautiful face.
“Were you going to jump in after me?” I ask, my voice rough with disbelief.
“I couldn’t just leave you out there.”
I reach out to her, but she pushes me away with a ferocity that takes me by surprise. “Stop it. I’m furious with you right now. That wasn’t funny. You really scared me.”
“Hey,” I say softly, all the teasing gone. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I lost the hat and had to dive under to get it back. I wasn’t thinking.”I wasn’t thinking about anything but you,I nearly add.
“Don’t. Ever. Do that again.” She bites her lip, as if she’s trying to physically hold back the flood of feelings.
And fuck me, but it makes me want to pull her close. Wrap my arms around her and promise her everything will be okay. That I’ll never hurt her, make her worry like that again. To promise her things I have no right promising. Things I’m not capable of delivering.
Instead, I say, “Okay, but do me a favor and tell me you’ll never jump into the ocean for me. Even if I’m dying. As it happens, I’m a strong swimmer.”
As we stare at each other, I feel it. The way something has fundamentally shifted. Something I can’t undo. This woman was ready to leap into the ocean for me, even though she’s clearly terrified of it.
I don’t deserve her worry or her affection. But now that I’ve got them, I don’t think I’m willing to let them go.
I thrust into her with a desperate urgency that takes even me by surprise. Her pussy feels amazing, squeezing and pulsing around my cock. I drive myself in and out, relishing the way she milks mefor all I’m worth. Savoring her beautiful little breathy moans as her tits bounce against my chest.
Damn.
The boat rocks beneath us, matching the rhythm of our bodies. Our ragged breaths fill the air, mixing with the creaking of the wooden bed frame.
She was willing to jump into the fucking ocean for me.
She closes her eyes, her head tipping back in ecstasy. But I’m not having it. I need to see her, need to witness every flicker of emotion on that stunning face as we fuck. “I need to see those gorgeous green eyes when you come.”
I grab her wrists, pinning them above her head as her eyes fly open. I need to feel in control, even as I’m losing myself in her. The irony isn’t lost on me.
Our eyes lock. In those emerald depths, I see everything—her pleasure, her need, as desperate as my own.
I thrust into her harder, faster, like a man possessed. I have to consciously remember to hold my weight up so I don’t crush her, but fuck, it’s hard to think about anything but the feel of her around me, under me.
I’m chasing release, sure, but it’s more than that. I’m chasing something I can’t name, something I’ve never felt before. The slap of skin on skin echoes in the cabin, a primal rhythm punctuated by our gasps and moans.
My cock is insatiable, like it’s making up for years of watching Gemma strut around my office knowing I couldn’t have her. Every thrust feels like revenge for all the times she taunted me in her fitted dresses.
“That’s it, sweetheart,” I pant, feeling her muscles clench around me.
And as she comes, crying out my name over and over again like it’s the only word she knows, I follow her over the edge.
I stiffen and come hard inside her, making sure she takes every single drop of my hot seed.
