By the time she caught up, Gage’s clothes and his weapon were neatly stacked on a rock near the edge of the basin, and he was already in the water, which was only waist deep. Bare-chested, his muscles bunching with every move, he was an amazing sight.
Backing into a shadowy alcove, Abby unlaced her hiking boots and toed them off, unzipped her jeans and shoved them down her legs, then pulled her T-shirt off over her head, leaving her in her bra and panties.
Her gaze returned to Gage as she unbraided her hair. She could hardly wait to go into the water, but instead, she remained in the shadows, entranced by the beauty of the man in front of her.
He had a thick chest dusted with fine dark brown hair, wide, heavily muscled shoulders, six-pack abs, and a pair of incredible biceps. A sliver of warmth slid into the pit of her stomach as Gage scrubbed his hair and body with a handful of sand, then ducked under to rinse.
Abby remained in the shadows as he rose like an ancient god out of the sea. His legs were long and muscled. His thighs and calves flexed and tightened as he walked out of the pool.
Gage took a couple of steps and reached down to pick up his towel. Water sluiced down his back and over his tight buttocks. Even with his back to her, he must have caught some sign of movement because his head came up and for several seconds he stood frozen.
Slowly he turned, seeking, then finding her in the shadows. She could have sworn his nostrils flared. Her eyes widened as she realized he was fully aroused, his shaft high and hard against his flat belly.
Their eyes locked, their gazes held. Completely unembarrassed, Gage wrapped the towel around his waist and stalked toward her like a lion who had scented his prey.
Abby’s stomach quivered. She stood transfixed as Gage stopped in front of her and hauled her the length of his big, wet body.
“Fuck the rules,” he said, and his mouth crushed down over hers.
Heat and overwhelming need swept through her, desire unlike anything she had ever felt before. Gage deepened the kiss, and her fingers dug into his muscled shoulders. Her insides melted like butter, and a little moan slipped from her lips.
She barely noticed as he walked her backward to a place of safety out of sight behind a tall sandstone wall. Abby didn’t protest when he unhooked her bra and dragged it off, then bent his head and fastened his mouth over her breast.
Oh, dear God!Nothing had ever felt so good as the touch of his tongue swirling around her nipple, his teeth biting the end just hard enough to send a little shot of pleasure/pain racing over her skin.
He captured her other breast, suckled and tasted until she felt dizzy. “Gage . . .” Her legs trembled with the effort to stay on her feet.
Gage kissed her again, a deep, hot, open-mouthed kiss that sent damp heat into her core. Kneeling in front of her, he stripped off her panties, then pressed his mouth to the inside of her thigh.
“Something to look forward to when we have more time,” he promised, sending warm color into her cheeks.
Rising, he kissed her again, his big hand sliding down to stroke her, finding her slick and ready, eliciting a soft moan of pleasure. He cupped her bottom and lifted her against him, wrapped her legs around his waist, and kissed her. The feel of his mouth moving hotly over hers, his tongue sweeping in, taking what he wanted, had her melting against him.
His arousal felt hot and hard where it nestled at her core. Then he was sliding inside, filling her completely.Oh, dear God. He was big, and he knew exactly how to use what he had been blessed with, drawing out, then thrusting back in. Out and then in, easy at first, giving her time to get accustomed to his size, then moving faster, taking her deeper and harder.
Her hands slid around his neck, and she closed her eyes, absorbing the incredible feel of his solid body invading her smaller, softer form. With each of his determined strokes, pleasure swirled and tightened inside her, carrying her higher and higher, closer to the edge.
The pinnacle loomed ahead.
“Come for me, baby,” he coaxed, and the command in that deep, sexy voice spun Abby into the void. Stars burst in the blackness behind her eyes, and sweetness enveloped her. A moan escaped as she rested her head on his shoulder and hung on through one sensation after another. The French called it thelittle death—like dying and going to heaven—and truly it was. Gage’s muscles tightened as he neared release. She could feel him preparing to withdraw, but the idea was simply unbearable.
“Don’t leave me. I-I’m on the pill.” Gage’s whole body vibrated with his effort at control. His strokes slowed, then deepened, grew even more intense, driving her to a second amazing climax, both of them cresting together.
For several long moments, he just held her, Abby curled against his chest. It felt like exactly the right place to be. Gage kissed her softly. With her body still wrapped around him, he turned and walked back into the clear warm water, washing away any evidence of what they had done.
Gage let her go, steadying her until her feet settled in the sand at the bottom of the pool.
“I didn’t mean for that to happen,” he said. “But I’m not sorry it did.”
Abby looked up at him, her body still limp with pleasure. “Neither am I.”
“This changes things,” he said.
She frowned. “How do you mean?”
“It means you’re mine now. Whatever this is between us isn’t finished, and I don’t share what’s mine.”
Abby stiffened. “I’m not interested in anyone but you, Gage. But since we’re clearing the air, I don’t share either.”
