Kicking my legs, we broke the surface, and she reeled back, sucking in lungfuls of air. I let her hold onto me as I swam toward the shore. She pressed kisses to my cheek, my jaw, under my ear.
We hit the sand, and I scrambled to stand up without letting her go.
“Caspian,” she spluttered.
My chest heaved as I paused. It was a struggle to focus on anything but the feel of her body.
“We need our stuff,” she said, giggling.
“Oh,” I grunted stupidly. With a shake of my head, I let her slide down my body to stand, and then I stooped to yank out a towel and wrap it around her before grabbing one for myself.
“Thank you,” she said sweetly, taking my hand.
I’d rather have carried her all the way back to the rental condo, but I had to settle for walking hand in hand as my thumb rubbed over her wrist.
Heat and magic sparked between us, urging us onward.
Chapter 11
Stripped Down
Juniper
The moment I unlocked the front door, we stumbled inside. Caspian dropped the bag and kicked the door shut. I couldn’t wait a second longer. My hands pressed to his hot skin, running over the muscles of his abdomen and then around to his lower back. They flexed under my fingers, and I fought back a groan.
Caspian looked at me like he was ready to devour me.
“We need to shower off the saltwater,” I whispered.
Caspian nodded, lifting me up again until my legs wrapped around his waist, as he strode back toward the master bathroom.
Still in our swimsuits, we tumbled through the door.Caspian set me on the counter and then reached into the shower and cranked the water on.
His soft, gray eyes met mine for a moment, and I felt something fall into place inside of me, like an understanding between my soul and his.
Steam drifted from the shower, and I slid from the counter, pulling him into the shower behind me. For once, he didn’t have a smug grin on his face. He looked reverent, like he couldn’t believe what was happening.
Hot water pounded over my shoulders, washing away the salt and brine. Caspian reached up and ran his fingers through my hair, brushing it back from my face and gently untangling the slick strands. His palms skimmed down my back, resting at the tie of my bikini.
Slowly, achingly, I reached back and untied the knot at my neck. Caspian tugged at the knot at my back, and the swimsuit top slipped from my body. Caspian hung it over the top of the glass without taking his eyes off my body.
“I didn’t know anyone could be this exquisite,” he murmured.
I shivered despite the hot water as his calloused fingertips trailed around my ribs and traced the bottom of my heavy breasts. The grazing touch stole my breath, and my chest rose and fell as I tried to suck in enough air.
Caspian reached past me and flipped the stopper on the tub. Water began to pool around our feet as it streamed from the showerhead.
His fingers tangled in my hair, and he tilted my head up. Water streamed across my face as he lowered his mouth to mine in a slow, sensuous kiss.
The water rose to our calves, and Caspian pulled me down until I straddled him and the water rose to my waist. It still rained down over my back as I leaned forward and kissed him over and over, losing myself in the feel of his tongue plunging into my mouth and his hands cradling my breasts.
Eventually the tub filled, and he turned the water off.
He was hard underneath me, but he didn’t push for more, content to kiss my neck. He worked his way lower, until I leaned back and he closed his mouth over one peaked nipple.
“Caspian,” I moaned.
He pinched my other nipple, and I shuddered. He squeezed tighter and dragged his tongue up my sternum to my throat.
