For a second my mind rebelled, because I didn’t like to be held immobile, but then I remembered it was Asher. Ididtrust him. So I relaxed, resting my head on my hands, turned toward the ocean.
There was a low rustle of fabric, and then his hands—warm and soft—landed on my lower back. They glided across me, oiled from whatever he’d grabbed, and then he was rubbing and stroking and kneading my muscles.
“Oh my gods,” I groaned, eyes fluttering shut as Asher massaged me, moving with skillful hands across the planes of my back, working out the tension I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding. My bra was unhooked, the heat of his body pressing along one side of me.
As he made his way back down my spine, I curled my toes at the sensations building inside me. He was touching me everywhere, stroking every nerve to life, and as his hands spanned across the small of my back, I moaned softly. More oil, and then he was rubbing across my ass cheeks, fanning more of the fiery arousal inside of me to life. As his fingers stroked down to the tops of my thighs, I mentally started to beg him to touch me where I was throbbing, aching in a way that only Asher could cause.
Bastard no doubt knew that; he could probably see and smell that I was wet as fuck for him, and he continued to tease me. Rubbing across my thighs, brushing lightly over my center, but never giving me exactly what I wanted.
He was waiting for me to beg … I was waiting to see if he’d cave first. Both of us caught up in this moment. I arched my back involuntarily, because he had me so fucking wound up that I was moving without even knowing it, desperately seeking some sort of release.
“Baby…” Asher said warningly. “Stay still.”
I moaned again. “I can’t, fuck. Please touch me. I need you to touch me.”
Asher’s hands slicked up my thighs then, and I cried out as he pushed my thong aside and finally … finally, stroked my center. Firm, right along my clit, caressing and circling it, the oil lubricating me—not that I needed it. I was literally dripping wet for him now, moisture pooling along his fingers as he rubbed them across and then inside me. There was something about being in this position, my ass half in the air, slightly vulnerable as Asher played with my body, that was driving me crazy.
“Oh, fuck,” I cried, starting to ride his hand, my body moving back on the two fingers inside while his thumb continued to circle the hard ball of nerves that was sending shocks through my body.
Asher’s lips landed on my back, and everything inside of me shattered, the orgasm ripping through me. I dropped on my stomach, limbs trembling as I rode out the last of the pleasure, Asher never removing his fingers until I was completely spent.
Best birthday ever.
3
My skin was still heated when his hands gripped my hips and spun me over, an arm on either side of my head as he held his weight up off me. Needing more, I opened my legs and welcomed him closer.
“Massage is definitely a skill you need to hone,” I told him, my voice still breathless. “I mean, you’re pretty good, but with a lot more practice, you could be something really special.”
His lips quirked as he stared down at me, no doubt taking in my flushed cheeks and accelerated breathing. He didn’t speak, he just lowered himself so that he could kiss me gently. Or at least it started gentle before it quickly turned into something hotter. Heavier.
And I was right back to that low, tugging need in my body.
I got his pants off, and then both of us were thankfully naked. Clothes were such cockblockers. He slid inside in one firm stroke.
“Ah, fuck,” I said, my body still so sensitive that I almost orgasmed just from that one movement. Asher’s grin was both wicked and sexy as he started to move, just the way I loved it, in long deep strokes. The ocean crashed nearby, and the sound and scent of the water were everywhere. We moved together, and I marveled at the gentle kisses we exchanged while he continued to love me.
“Gods, Asher,” I groaned, already starting to unravel.
“Maddi,” he replied in a low, husky tone. Just hearing my name on his lips like that spiraled my pleasure higher, and everything inside of me tightened as I lost control, crying out his name. Asher groaned, coming too, and my head spun as the sensations became almost too much to handle.
For many long minutes we remained in that position, breathing heavily, and I loved the feel of his body against mine. I loved having every part of him like this. Our energy hummed together, and if this was the sort of chemistry that books talked about, then it was no wonder everyone searched for it.
I’d never felt like this before, not with anyone else, and I wondered at theextraconnection that had always existed between us, pretty much from the first moment we’d met. It had to be Atlantean, something to do with our origins from there. But our supernatural sides…
“We aren’t true mates,” I said, the sad, pathetic words falling from my mouth.
Asher rolled to the side, bringing me with him, his arms holding me close. Our eyes met, and his were intense. I almost couldn’t stare directly at them, but I also couldn’t look away. “I believe we are,” he said. “There’s a bond between us that goes way beyond a normal attraction. Even before I loved you, I wanted to be near you. You consumed my thoughts and my dreams and my attention.”
My heart pretty much stopped beating, and I sucked in air, trying to feed my starving lungs. “You … you said you love me?”
Asher’s lips quirked up, dimples came into play, and I was a fucking goner. “Baby, you already know I love you. I’d sacrifice myself for you. I’d sacrifice the fucking world for you. If that’s not love, then I don’t have an explanation for it.”
A tear escaped. “I’ve never had anyone tell me that before. Not really say it and mean it.”
He kissed me again, and I wondered if I’d ever feel this happy again. It was almost tempting fate to destroy my life because it was so darn perfect. “I lov—” I started, but a loud splash and chirping noise interrupted me.
Asher’s lips twitched before his gaze turned to the ocean. I looked over as well, because that splash was way too large to be one of the dolphins.
