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He abandoned her breast, moved his hand down. When he slipped it underneath her top, she tensed. But she let him stroke the soft skin over her rib cage, and she even turned her head so that her eyelashes fluttered against his temple. He found her bra, and released the front clasp, then covered her mouth with his.
HER NIPPLES WERE ALREADY beaded and hard, but the shock of the first touch jolted her, making her tear away from his kiss and scan the beach. Murmuring a reassurance, he used his free hand to bring her mouth back to his. She didn’t resist. She felt too weak and hot and hopelessly needy. The touch of his roughened fingers against her sensitive nipple made her quiver, and a whimper escaped from her lips into his mouth.
She was a mess, an utter and complete mess, and he’d barely touched her. She had to slow him down. Slow down her own growing desire to touch him, to feel the hard contour of his muscled arms and chest against her skin. It was too light out. Anyone could walk up and surprise them. That would ruin everything.
Lindsey broke from him again, evading his hand when he tried to pull her back. “Rick.”
He palmed her breast, whispered something she didn’t understand, his warm breath skimming her ear.
Her eyes drifted closed, only for an instant, and he lightly pinched her nipple. “Rick. No.”
Before the word was fully formed, he’d stopped. His hand slid out from under her top. “Lindsey, I’m sorry,” he said, the remorse in his voice thick.
“Oh, wait.” Leaving the comfort of his arms, she twisted around to see him. He looked devastated. “That wasn’t a don’t-ever-do-that-again no,” she said, briefly touching his face. “It was more a I’m-a-big-fat-chicken no because it’s too light out.”
A relieved smile totally transformed his expression.
She laughed softly. “I like you touching me,” she whispered, and watched his expression change again.
His nostrils flared, his jaw tightened. “Good.” His heated gaze went briefly to her breasts before lifting to meet her eyes. “I plan on doing a lot of that.”
She tried to control the shiver that rattled her insides, shook the starch out of her spine. But it was too late. She only hoped her voice wouldn’t fail her. “We should eat. Before it’s too dark.”
He ran his hand up her arm. “Your bra,” he said, keeping his eyes level with hers.
“My bra?” She frowned, glanced down at her chest. Her unbound breasts. Her aroused nipples. “Oh.” She reached under her tank top and fumbled with the clasp.
“You’re killing me,” he said with a shaky laugh, and pushed off the mat, getting to his feet in a flash. “Cola or beer?” he asked, without looking at her.
“Cola.” She finished fastening the clasp, in spite of her unsteady fingers, and wondered if it would be fair to ask him to take off his shirt.
She supposed she had a normal sexual appetite typical for a woman her age, but she never obsessed over a man’s body like she’d been doing with Rick. But then she didn’t personally know any guys who looked like that.
He handed her the opened can, then popped the cap off his bottle of beer. He threw his head back to take a long pull, and she seized the unguarded moment to stare at his fly. Her mouth went dry. He was still hard, impressively hard.
She averted her gaze and guzzled the cola. Maybe she should try calling Mia and Shelby, see if they were going to be out this evening and if one of the rooms would be free.
“I’d give just about anything to know what you’re thinking.”
Lindsey looked up into his amused face, and instinctively her hand went to her warm cheek. Silently, she cursed herself, as if she could do a darn thing about the persistent blushing. It so wasn’t fair.
She blithely pressed the cold can against her heated skin. “Not in this lifetime.”
Rick grinned. “After it gets dark we can go swimming, help cool you off.”
“We don’t have swimsuits,” she said, choosing to ignore his teasing. “At least I don’t.”
“Hence, the after-dark part.”
She laughed. “You did not just say that.”
“What?”
“Hence?” She tried to stand, but had a bit of trouble with the loose sand, and accepted the hand he offered.
She gained her footing, and he could’ve released her. He didn’t. He pulled her close, and she felt the heat of his arousal right through her clothes. She tilted her head back and waited for him to lower his mouth. He lightly brushed his lips over hers, then gradually increased the pressure, leisurely kissing her.
Her eyelids fluttered closed, blotting out the pinkish-gold twilight sky, blotting out everything but the feel of his muscled shoulder beneath her fingers. Her ability to reason evaporated on the sea breeze. If he wanted to make love to her right now, right here, she wouldn’t resist.
Slowly he lifted his mouth. She opened her eyes to find him staring down at her. She almost begged him not to stop.
“Let’s eat, huh?” he said, and with a gentle hand, freed the tendrils of hair that had tangled with her lashes.
She almost laughed. How could he be thinking about food? She nodded, swiftly backed up and looked away, hoping he hadn’t seen the disappointment in her eyes.
He used the other towel, and spread out the goodies he’d bought, being careful to anchor down anything that could blow away. After emptying the paper sack, he said, “We’ll use this for all the recyclables. I’ll sort them later.” He indicated the empty plastic bag that had held the ice. “Trash can go in here.”
Lindsey smiled.
“Go ahead,” he said, with a bring-it-on cock of his brow. “I’ve already heard every smart-ass remark there is about how anal I am when it comes to recycling.”
“Actually, I was thinking that there’s enough food here for five people.”
He patted his flat belly. “I’ve been known to eat for four.”
“Hard to believe.”
“I work it off.”
“Surfing?”
“That, too,” he said, and winked.
Lindsey gave him her best eye-roll, and hoped that he didn’t see the pulse zinging at her wrist and neck. She was going to have to have sex with him soon, no matter where they ended up. Just so she could relax. Knowing it was coming, remembering how he had made her feel that one incredible night, was keeping her teetering on the edge.
“How should we do this?” she asked, staring down at the food, and not seeing any plates or utensils.
“No rules here.” He sat down cross-legged, facing the food-laden towel as if it were a set table, and patted the spot beside him.
She joined him, and then helped by opening the box of crackers and container of cut-up fruit. He used a pocket knife to cut slices of cheese, stopping to hold a bit of the soft gouda to her lips.
She opened, and used her tongue to sweep the small piece into her mouth. “Mmm. Good.”
He briefly kissed her, and then licked his lips. “My favorite.”
She shook her head, pretending she wasn’t amazed at the laid-back way he treated everything. Not her. The lightest kiss, the casual teasing, all made her stomach jittery. She focused on their dinner, eyed the ready-made food that she couldn’t identify. “Any minute it’s going to be too dark to see what we’re eating.”
Rick smiled. “Are you adventurous?”
“Define what—” She sighed, and went with the simple truth. “No.”
He removed a pair of chopsticks from a paper wrapper. “Then it’s better you don’t see what’s coming.”
She grabbed one of the plastic forks that had been bundled with the chopsticks. “Uh, I’m not putting anything strange in my mouth.”
His lips twitched. “What a pity.”
She started to say something, thought better of it. She wasn’t nearly quick enough to be witty, had never come up with—much less uttered—a double entendre in her life. There simply was no winning this conversation. She only wished blushing burned calories, but then she’d be a stick. She grabbed a couple of napkins and used them as a plate to hold the crackers while she topped them with cheese.
“You chose this one,” he said, passing her the chicken and rice. “Adventurous or not, I think you’ll like it.”
Since she had made the selection, she opened it up and sampled the cucumber salad first. It was surprisingly good mixed with a sweet vinegary dressing. “I like this a lot,” she said, spearing another cucumber half. “What’s the black flecks on the rice?” She peered closer. They were too big to be black pepper.
“It’s called furikake, a sesame seed-and-seaweed condiment. Don’t make that face.”
“Seaweed? Seriously?”
He nodded. “Try it.”
She was a wuss when it came to trying ethnic food, but she figured a tiny taste wouldn’t kill her. She forked a small portion, found the rice to be stickier than what she was accustomed to, but took a bite.
“Well?”
“Good.” She watched him deftly use the chopsticks to scoop some kind of noodle salad into his mouth.
“Now try some chicken.”
“What are you, my mother?”
Eyeing her, he chewed, swallowed, then set his chopsticks aside. Before she knew it, he cupped a hand behind her neck, drew her to him and gave her an openmouthed kiss. Not a long one, but intense enough to make her drop her fork.
“You tell me,” he said with a cocky grin, and then went back to eating his dinner as if he’d merely suggested she check out the moon rising over the mountains.
4
THEY FINISHED DINNER, then stored what little food that was left over in the cooler along with the beer and colas. While Rick took the trash and recyclables to the car, Lindsey shook out the mat and towels. It was past nine, eerily dark and gloriously peaceful. The tropical air seemed cool for someone who’d recently flown in from frigid Chicago, but Lindsey was content to wrap herself in one of the thick blue towels as she settled on the mat and gazed up at the stars.
Rick hadn’t suggested that they pack up and leave, and neither had she. They might’ve been more comfortable back at the hotel or sitting in the Jeep taking advantage of one of the many lookouts on this cliffy side of the island. She didn’t think that either of them was trying to recapture that night they met. They simply didn’t want the mood to shift, the talking and laughing to stop, the joy of sheer solitude to end.
Being with Rick again had affected her on so many levels. Like meeting up with an old friend you hadn’t seen in years, yet immediately picking up where you’d left off. She wasn’t surprised that she’d remembered him so vividly. Not with all the daydreams she’d had about him, especially the ones that came at night. What shocked her was his ease. As if he’d thought about her just as often. Somehow, knowing they were going to have sex rested between them easily. It shouldn’t have. She was too shy, too awkward, but not with Rick.
He was so quiet she hadn’t heard him approach. She caught a glimpse of his shadow in the sand a second before he dropped down beside her. Startled, her hand went to her throat.
“What’s wrong?” He touched her hair, her shoulder, then rubbed the back of her neck. He liked touching.
She wasn’t used to it. “I didn’t hear you coming.”
“You thought some other guy was on his way to kiss you until you begged for mercy?”
Lindsey smiled. “It happens.”
He chuckled. “I remember the begging part, but it wasn’t for mercy.”
She bumped him with her shoulder. “You’re awful.”
He slid an arm around her and brought her to lean against him. “It’s a cool breeze but the water is warm.”
“Be my guest.”
“I’m not going to talk you into going in, huh?”
“Nope.” She shook her head for emphasis. They’d had this discussion at dinner. Oddly, she wasn’t half as concerned about someone catching them in the buff as she was about swimming in the dark.
“We haven’t seen anyone since we got here.”
“It’s not just that.” She paused. The ocean was still a mystery to her. And in the dark? Forget it. He wouldn’t understand. “Go on,” she said. “I’ll be waiting to wrap you in a nice warm towel.” The thought of him stripping made her hot. Made her mouth dry. Oh, yeah, she liked where this was going. “Really, take a quick dip. I don’t mind.”
“Not without you.”
“Then who would be waiting with the towel?”
His teeth gleamed in the moonlight. “You’re trying to get me naked.”
“Yes, I am,” she said boldly, then ruined it by giggling.
“Hell, sweetheart, you only had to say the word.”
Lindsey pressed her lips together to keep from blurting out something stupid. In the quiet, she heard a dog bark. “Oh, shoot.”
“What?”
“I think someone’s coming.”
“Uh, a dog?”
“Someone might be walking the dog,” she said in a hushed defensive voice, while straining to see in the murky light. The beach seemed clear on both sides, and she relaxed again. “Satisfied?”
“I’m not the one getting naked.”
“Oh, c’mon.”
She smiled at the laughter in his voice, and briefly closed her eyes at the warm kiss he pressed to the side of her neck. He didn’t stop there, but dragged his lips to her earlobe, then to her temple.
“You’re tense,” he murmured, and used his tongue along the shell of her ear. His hand cupped the front of her shoulder, applying pressure.
“Oh—” Surprised by the unexpected maneuver, she started when he urged her to lie back.
But he was gentle, guiding her down, making sure she landed easily. The towel she’d wrapped around her shoulders fell open, but warm now, she didn’t need it. She stared up into his shadowed face, then past him to the dark glittering sky. “I’m amazed we can see so many stars being this close to Waikiki.”
