I wanted her. Not just the taste of her mouth or the heat of her skin. I wanted the sound of her breath breaking against my neck, the tremor of her thighs tightening around my waist, the part of her that trusted me even when she shouldn’t.
But there were still too many eyes on us.
Even from the periphery, I could feel the gazes of my guards—professionally cold, but there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Protecting.
Intruding.
Nyomi didn’t notice them. Not yet. She was too lost in the water, the sunlight, the illusion of peace, and the sensuality of us.
But I felt every shadow.
I turned my head slightly toward the shoreline. One of my best—Iori—stood at the far end of the beach, black suit rolled to his elbows, dark sunglasses cutting the glare.
I met his gaze and gave the smallest nod.
He straightened, and one hand went to the mic clipped at his collar. Then, he whispered a command.
In seconds, everything changed.
The other guards began to move—not abruptly, but in a carefully choreographed withdrawal. Two shifted toward the edge of the palm grove, several more on the other side. Near the pavilion, several guards ushered the staff quietly away.
Nyomi blinked and turned, sensing the sudden stillness. "What's going on?"
"They're giving us privacy."
Her brows lifted. "Just from your nod?"
"They're repositioning—far enough for discretion, close enough to respond if needed." I traced her collarbone. "My best guards know what I want."
Her mouth parted in disbelief, then curved into a smirk. "So basically, your guards know you're horny?"
I couldn't help the low laugh that escaped me. "Naughty Tiger."
Her laughter bubbled in response, soft and dangerous. “You’re ridiculous.”
“How?”
“You didn’t have to send the guards away. They can totally watch us.”
Her words hit somewhere low in my gut, where want lived beside madness. “Watch us, Tora?”
“Yes.”
“You love to tempt danger.”
“Actually, what I would like you to do is take me over to the beach while the guards are watching. I’ll take off my bikini bottoms and get on all fours, and you can eat me from behind. Let’s give them all a show.” Nyomi grinned, the kind of smile that told me she was testing me, pressing into the edges of control just to see what would happen.
A tremor of anticipation shook through me at her boldness.
Her words painted explicit images in my mind, and as the heat of desire pulsed in my veins, I could almost taste the sweetness that awaited me. The thought of her bare ass up in the air, her pussy exposed from the back.
It all sent a delicious ache through my spine.
