Nothing about what she felt made sense yet even now, sitting here, thinking logically about what was happening in her life, she still couldn’t control the shimmer and sizzle of anticipation when she thought of him joining her out here and then, later, lying in bed with her, taking her.
She heard the soft pad of his feet and smiled, her body already heating up, as though she’d suddenly been plugged into a socket and the switch turned on.
‘Penny for them...’
‘I was just thinking what a lovely meal that was.’ Izzy would never tell him what was going through her head. Far safer to stick to the uncontentious. ‘Made a change going out.’
‘It did.’ He paused, swerving round to tug her to her feet and gather her in his arms. He didn’t kiss her immediately, though, just gazed down, their eyes meeting as he brushed a strand of blonde hair from her face.
She’d dressed up for the evening. Had actually had to go out and buy something.
‘I like the dress, by the way,’ he murmured, hands on the small of her back gently nudging her against him. ‘Thin straps, long zipper down the back... It’s a dress made to be removed without too much fuss.’
He was in a pair of black trousers and a white shirt and he’d cuffed the sleeves to the elbows.
He couldn’t have looked sexier.
She wound her arms round his neck and drew her to him, reaching up to kiss him, luxuriating in the mesh of their tongues and the pulse of his hardness against the flimsy silk of the dress.
‘Swim?’
‘Can’t be bothered to go and get my swimsuit,’ Izzy confessed.
‘Who’s talking about swimsuits?’ He grinned, drew back and tugged down the straps of the dress, unzipping the zipper with seamless ease.
‘Gabriel,no!’
‘Why not?’
‘Because...’
‘There’s no one here to see,’ he murmured, cupping one small breast and rubbing the pad of his thumb over her nipple. ‘These grounds are completely private, and the access gate to the back here is locked. Rosa is fast asleep. There’s just the two of us...and I want you so much. I wanted you through that entire tasting menu. Thought it was never going to end.’
Izzy laughed softly. The dress had caught at the waist. She began undoing the buttons of his shirt but then her patience ran out and she tugged it free of the waistband and pushed her hands underneath to feel his flat nipples and the sprinkling of dark hair on his chest.
He tore off the shirt, ripping the bottom two buttons in his haste, and she followed suit with the dress.
Bit by bit, they somehow managed to get rid of their clothing while making unsteady progress towards the back of the sprawling patio with its trellised roof zig-zagged with tumbling flowers.
The wooden outdoor furniture was low, sleek and comfortable, made for stretching out on and relaxing under the shade on a balmy Californian day, the glorious infinity pool within sight.
At this time in the evening, poolside lights just illuminated the pool. The water was still and silvery, reflecting the light from the almost-full moon. The sky was velvet black and dotted with stars and the air was beautifully warm. Izzy could almost hear the soft rustle of the vines stretching for acres all around them. The silence was broken only by their breathing as they settled onto one of the long outdoor sofas.
He manoeuvred her so that she was half-lying, half-sitting, her feet on the ground, legs bent at the knees, and he sat between them and gently blew on the darker blonde curls there.
Izzy sighed and squirmed into a less awkward position, her whole body eagerly waiting for him to slide his tongue between the folds of her womanhood, to find the bud of her core and tease it until she was hurtling towards an orgasm.
He knew just when to draw back, when to switch his caress to the soft skin of her inner thigh, giving her time to slowly ease away from an orgasm, to climb down from her fevered high.
His dark hair was springy between her fingers. In her mind, the contours of his beautiful face were as familiar to her as her own. She could have traced his body blindfolded and knew that that body was his.
She grunted as he wound his way up along her naked body to settle his mouth on her nipple, swirling his tongue over it until she was going mad with wanting more.
‘Protection,’ Gabriel groaned. ‘Where is it when you need it? We’re going to have to have some fun without it...’
They did. She took him between her hands, into her mouth, held the weight of him as she slowly, rhythmically stroked him until he had to pull her away to give himself time to find some self-control and then, in the end, he couldn’t hold off and he spilled over.
He explored every inch of her burning body with his mouth, his tongue and his fingers, teasing and tormenting until she gave a spasm against his fingers, writhing and arching back, missing the deep thrust of penetration but relishing the waves of pleasure his mouth and fingers could give her.
