Page 105 of The Work Wife

He wanted her.

He wanted it all.

Without warning, he leaned closer and kissed her. As soon as their lips touched, the familiar fire ignited, and they were entwined on the sand. He rolled over her as she began tugging at his clothes.

She was wearing a thin nightgown with his dress shirt over it, so it was easy for him to push up her clothes and touch her warm skin.

“Jamie?” he said, out of breath. She had been adamant about the friends thing. If he was pushing her into something she didn’t want, he would hate himself.

“Yes.” She whispered the answer to his unasked question. “Please.”

This time when they joined he felt more than just sexual gratification and comfort. He felt a joy he’d never felt before. This was right. He didn’t care how wrong she thought it was.

He wouldn’t give it up. Not when he could have it all.

He watched her face, bathed in moonlight, as she cried out his name in ecstasy. Seeing how he’d pleasured her made his orgasm come quicker than he’d wanted.

Rolling off of her, he stared up at the stars again. They looked different now. Brighter and full of hope. It was at least two minutes before he managed to turn his head to look at his wife. If she regretted this or was about to go into the friend thing again, he would lose it.

But when he finally looked, he saw her watching him with a serene smile on her face. He couldn’t help but smile back.

They must have stared at each other with stupid grins on their faces for half an hour.

“Come with me, Mrs. Archer,” he said as he stood up, brushing sand from unpleasant places. “Let’s go skinny dipping.”

She peeled off her clothes and took off for the water with him chasing behind her.

This was the thing that was missing from all his past relationships. The playful, fun part. He was always so serious, he wouldn’t have thought it was an important element, but he realized he needed it. And Jamie made everything fun.

They splashed and played like kids until he caught her around the waist and pulled her against him. Things slowed down once again and he positioned her around him. Her gasp of surprise brushed his cheek as he kissed her neck and pushed inside her.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” she said as she moved with him to the same rhythm.

“Do you want to stop?” He hoped the answer was no.

“We’re having sex in paradise.”

“No. It’s paradise because we’re together,” he corrected.

“I think you might be right.”

* * * *

Jamie had never felt more open during sex.

In the past, physical relationships were the end goal. It was the way to determine whether the date was a success. But being with Wes wasn’t like that at all.

They were already in a successful relationship. The most important one she’d ever made with anyone not related to her. Being with Wes was more of an expression of that, or a celebration.

And it definitely didn’t feel like the end of anything.

In fact, if felt like the beginning of many other wonderful things.

When they got out of the water, Wes helped her dress and held her hand as they walked back to their cottage. They showered together, though it wasn’t a sexy shower like the one they’d shared earlier. This was slow and sweet.

She was exhausted by the time he crawled into bed next to her, but there were things to discuss. They still hadn’t come up with a plan for what happened when they returned to Boston.

Obviously her hands-off plan to go back to being friends wasn’t going to work, but they needed to come up with some way to ensure that their friendship was safe.