Page 34 of The Trouble with Flings

He grabs my legs, anchoring me to him, and dives into deeper water. It closes over us in a cold, disorienting rush. I tighten my hold on him as we break the surface, both of us breathless.

“I win!” I shout, still clinging to him and shooting one fist into the air.

“You’re on my back. That’s not winning.” He reaches behind me with his right arm, grabbing my waist with his big hand, and wraps his other hand around my right arm, tugging me around his side in one swift move, until we’re face to face. The water swishes around our chests as I wrap my arms and legs around him again, feeling every inch of contact. The heat between us is inescapable.

Holding my ass with one hand, he tangles his fingers in the ends of my wet hair and says, “Now we’re both winning.”

He pulls my lips to his, kissing me deep and sensually, salt water mixing with the heady taste of him. I push my hands into his hair, kissing him harder, but this man will not rush. Beneath the water, his fingers slip into my bikini bottom. Yes. Lust coils low in my belly as he teases me until I’m clawing at his head and shoulders, moaning greedily. Only then does he dip his fingers inside me and intensify our kisses. I ride his fingers, glad for the cover of the water lapping at our chests. His thumb presses against my clit, and fireworks explode inside. He tugs my hair just hard enough to break the kiss. His eyes are volcanic, heightening my arousal as he watches me come, right there in the ocean. I crush my lips to his to keep the pleasure from escaping too loudly. But he yanks my hair again, gritting out, “Eyes on me. Always on me.”

“Always,” I whisper, and some part of my brain fights against it, but before I can process that fight, he says, “Good girl,” flooding me with desire and drowning out that voice.

“I want you inside me,” I pant out.

I pull my bikini bottom to the side as he frees his cock and guides me onto it. My entire body exhales as I take him in, like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment. Our mouths crash together. I cling to him as we find the feverish rhythm that sweeps us up. His fingers dig deliciously into my flesh.

He tears his mouth away, gritting out, “Look around, wild girl.”

I don’t give it a thought, glancing around us. I feel everything more than see it. The heat of the sun on my arms, the tide lapping at my shoulders, dipping and swelling with the pull of the sea, leaving my skin cold for a split second before another swell rolls in, this incredible man filling me with unbelievable pleasure as we pump and thrust.

“Just you and me in the middle of the ocean,” he rasps against my lips. “Nowhere to go but deeper.”

He takes me in a merciless kiss. His words, the incredible feel of us, and the eroticism of the water lapping at my skin send everything else spinning away, and I surrender to the torrent of ecstasy tearing through me. He’s right there with me, his every muscle taut, holding me so tight, I don’t know where he ends and I begin.

He curses, pulling out as he finds his release.

I feel the loss like a missing limb, but he keeps an arm around me, holding me against his side as we catch our breath. “Sorry,” he says, and kisses my temple. “That was a little too close.”

“It’s okay. I’m protected.”

He leans back, his eyes brimming with desire, a slow grin sliding across his handsome face. “In that case, get over here.” He pulls me into another soul-searing kiss, making it clear we’re not even close to done.

Chapter Nine

Jennifer

Somewhere between losing ourselves to our passion in the middle of the ocean two days ago and waking up in Fitz’s arms the last two mornings, I stopped stressing about the emotional lines we were crossing and just let myself have fun. Even the part of me that runs on schedules seems to have gone AWOL, leaving me with an unfamiliar side of myself that is apparently happy to let the beautiful man beside me make all of our plans.

Some part of me knows I should reclaim every ounce of independence and put some space between us, but I’ll have to pull myself together soon enough. It’s Friday afternoon, and I leave tomorrow.

Yesterday was a whirlwind. Fitz and I spent the day with Katelyn, Marco, Lily, and Dave, tearing up the countryside on ATVs, laughing over dinner, and dancing until our feet hurt at a nightclub. Fitz was intoxicatingly attentive, his hand always finding the small of my back, his smile always aimed at me.

Now we’re at an organic farm, on our way to a cooking class that Katelyn and Lily raved about last night. Fitz had whipped out his phone and booked us a class before the girls even finished telling us about it.

That’s just one of the many qualities I find maddeningly attractive about him.

I glance at him walking beside me, preppy in navy shorts and a white polo shirt. His thumb strokes the back of my hand, as if doing things as a couple is old hat for us as we follow a dirt path from the parking area to the kitchen. I’m learning this is who he is. He makes decisions and doesn’t question them. Like yesterday morning, when I woke up unsure about what day it was, and he was pacing the balcony in his boxer briefs, his phone pressed to his ear. I assumed he’d be heading off to his conference, but he came inside and informed me that he’d booked us a waterfall adventure with a local guide.

I am not a hiker, and I imagined traipsing through the hot, buggy jungle, which didn’t sound enjoyable, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Not only did I have a blast joking around with Fitz and Luis, our guide, but we also saw gorgeous flowers and plants, vibrant butterflies and birds, including toucans, monkeys, and even a sloth. I must have taken a hundred pictures. And the waterfall was stunning. We swam in the clearest, bluest water I’ve ever been in, and Luis took pictures of us under the falls. It was an unforgettable hike that left me rejuvenated and eager to see more, and if not for Fitz, I wouldn’t have seen any of it.

He notices me watching him and tosses me an easy smile. That ever-present hum between us sparks hotter, accompanied by the feeling I’ve been trying to deny since we reconnected.

The underlying trust I have in this man I’m only just getting to know.

It’s strange how being around him quiets the wary voice in my head that’s always second-guessing people. The fact that he can effortlessly put me at ease and moments later have me on the verge of sexual madness should probably worry me a lot more than it does. But it’s impossible to be on high alert around him.

His charm is as natural as his ability to seduce me.

He lifts my hand and presses a kiss to the back of it, and my traitorous heart actually swoons. It should know better, but I don’t have time to worry about that as we round a bend, and the farm opens up in front of us. Low covered patios and a few ancient buildings give way to stretches of lush gardens, leafy plants, and citrus trees basking in the afternoon sun. A dalmatian barks beside a building and darts toward us.