He laughs. “How much time do you have?”
I’m so caught up in the sensations caused by his grip on my hair that it takes a moment to answer. “A couple hours.”
Taking my hand, he pulls me toward the door. “We’ll be back in plenty of time. I have something planned for you.”
My heart leaps. I’m curious, but I don’t ask questions. I want to be surprised.
He leads me out of the hotel, behind the resort, and down a narrow, sandy path along the beach that meanders through palm trees and flowering bushes. The trees get closer together, the sounds of tourists on the beach fading, until we reach a cast iron gate. On either side of us is a beautiful stone privacy wall, dripping with climbing vines and purple flowers. He taps what looks like a fitness watch against the sensor beside the gate and it slowly opens.
“Okay, this is not what I was expecting,” I say, shaking my head. “What is this place?”
“You’ll see,” he says.
We pass through the gate and into a private courtyard, and I stop short. I feel like I’ve walked into a dream.
A small pool sits beneath a splashing waterfall, surrounded by tropical foliage and limestone statuaries that look like modern art. There are two lounge chairs under a thatched umbrella and a small table holding a few towels, a bottle of sunscreen, two champagne flutes, and a bottle of champagne wedged into a bucket of ice. Gold and turquoise tiles on the bottom of the pool glimmer beneath the water, sparkling in the sun. The ten-foot walls and masses of flowering vines create an exquisite private area, and as Scowl begins stripping out of his shirt and pants, any apprehension I was feeling quickly fades. We’re alone back here, completely hidden from prying eyes.
“Take off your clothes, Sunshine. I want to feel your naked body pressed against mine.”
He doesn’t need to ask twice.
I pull my dress over my head and shimmy out of my lacy pink bra and matching underwear.
Fully naked now too, he stands there admiring me, then lowers himself into the pool and holds his arms out in an invitation. Water glistens as it streams off his shoulders and down his chest, making me lick my lips. My eyes follow the line of hair trailing between his abs and disappearing beneath the water, which is so clear that I can see every last inch of him. His cock is rigid and ready. It’s a beautiful sight.
I can’t get into the pool fast enough. The water is almost as warm as a hot tub and feels like silk against my body, but it can’t compare to his smooth, bare skin caressing mine as he pulls me against him.
Our eyes catch, and my nipples turn into tight, aching buds against his pecs as heat pools in my lower belly.
“This is better than anything I could have imagined,” I tell him.
His cock twitches against my thigh. Reaching down to wrap my hand around his length, I trace my opening with his tip, up and down, over and over, until we’re both breathing hard, his gaze never leaving mine. Yet as much as I’m ready for him to hitch me up and take me against the side of this pool, he seems to be in no hurry.
When he dips his head down to kiss me, I close my eyes and block out everything except the sensation of his lips against my own. This is what I want to remember forever. The feel of being completely swept away by this man.
As we kiss, his hands circle my waist and then slide lower to skim over the curves of my hips, my ass, the backs of my thighs. Then he trails his fingers up my back, making me shiver with pleasure. He palms my breasts and my ribcage, bringing his thumbs back up to brush my nipples. It seems like he wants to explore every last inch of me, one gentle caress at a time.
“I could touch you for hours,” he whispers in between kisses.
“Don’t stop,” I moan, digging my fingers into his hair.
He doesn’t, until I have to pull my swollen lips away from his. I’m breathless and squirming and the water is suddenly much too hot. He must feel the same, because he lifts me in his arms and carries me under the waterfall, both of us gasping as the cool water pours over us.
We come back out, laughing and sputtering and brushing wet hair out of our eyes. I feel exhilarated. Free. Alive. I haven’t felt like this in longer than I can remember.
Ever since my sister died, my life has been a shadow of what it used to be. I’ve gone through the motions of school and social events and holidays, but there’s been an emptiness to it all. Adark cloud hanging over me, wishing Sophie could be there, knowing that she’s gone forever. It isn’t just my own grief that has weighed on me, either, but my parents’ as well. None of us have really worked through the loss in a healthy way. Mom won’t even talk about it; she just spends all her time worrying and trying to micromanage my life because she thinks controlling me will somehow keep her from losing me. And as for Dad, he’s buried himself in work, but that distant, pained look in his eyes is always there.
Maybe I haven’t allowed myself to put that weight down, all these years. Maybe the weight was a comfort because it was familiar. A weight I carried because it proved that I loved her.
Maybe the universe is making it up to me right now.
He lifts me from the pool and sets me on the edge, then jumps out to join me. Water sluices from my hair and down my back, sending a chill down my spine despite the hot sun. Taking my hand, he pulls me to my feet and walks me backward to sit on one of the lounge chairs. The canvas fabric is soft when I lie back, heart pounding as I await his next move.
The playfulness I was feeling a moment ago is suddenly replaced by undeniable sexual tension. He puts one knee between my legs on the chaise and nudges my thighs apart. Then he lowers himself onto the chair and dips his face down to where my pussy is on display for him. Threading my fingers into his hair, I hold on to the breath that sticks in my throat as his tongue parts my center and begins a deep, thorough exploration.
He feasts on me beneath the island breeze, drawing louder and longer moans out of me, letting me rock against his tongue until I come helplessly in his mouth. The intense, toe-curling orgasm has me gripping the sides of the lounge chair, my head thrown back, eyes open wide to take in the perfection of the bright blue sky. A satisfied smile curves his lips when he finally sits up.
“Roll onto your stomach for me.”
