by Layla Hagen
I was turning her on. Fuck. I glanced up at her, but she only met my gaze for a fraction of a second before turning around.
“And now my back, please.” Her voice was husky. Her breaths were more labored.
Don’t read anything into it. You just had your hands all over her and weren’t being quick about it. Of course, her body reacted.
After I finished, I applied cream on myself, only asking Josie to help with my back, and then we darted into the water.
“This is amazing. How can it be so clear?”
It was one of the most scenic views I’d had the privilege to see, and experiencing it with Josie only made it more special. She half swam, half walked, observing the little multicolored fish swimming around.
“Holy shit, that’s a shark?” she shrieked.
“It’s a small one. Native to these waters. Completely harmless,” I assured her.
“How do you know?”
“Apparently I was more thorough in my research than you were in yours.”
“Hmpf. You’re sure they’re harmless? Even if their teeth are proportionally smaller, they can still do some damage.”
I saw an opportunity for teasing right there and then. Or maybe I was just looking for an excuse to touch her again. I placed my hands on her shoulders, pulling her closer.
“How exactly do you imagine you’ll get through scuba diving? You’re going to get close to large fish. Some might have teeth. Some might even be dangerous.”
“Yes, but there will be a pro with me, so I’ll be safe.”
“I see. So, the sharks aren’t the problem here. I am. I’m offended.”
She grinned, playfully patting my cheek. “You’ll get over it.”
“Josie, you don’t honestly think I’d risk anything happening to you, do you?”
Her shoulders relaxed. “You wouldn’t... normally. But here’s the thing. You’re more afraid of wildlife than I am. If something really attacked you, I bet you’d save your own sorry ass.”
“You calling me a coward?”
“Yes, sir, I am.”
Before she could guess my intention, I started tickling her armpits.
She gave an adorable shriek, and I wrestled her to the beach, tumbling with her onto the wet sand. The movement freed her from my other arm, and Josie seized the chance. She gave as good as she got. Her laughter was contagious. Pure happiness, pure relaxation. I wanted to give her more of this. Wanted to give her a reason to laugh like that every day.
I stopped her the only way I knew how—with a kiss. I pinned her wrists above her head, holding them captive with my hands. I’d intended just to surprise her long enough for her to stop tickling me, but as usual, I got completely wrapped up in her.
What I’d do to this woman if she belonged to me. I’d always known that Josie was sexy, but this pushed me to the very edge of my self-control.
I deepened the kiss, trailing my fingers down the side of her body until she moaned against my lips.
Then she tore her mouth away from me. Her cheeks were flushed, her mouth red. She was avoiding my gaze. I’d crossed a line. Fuck. I shouldn’t have kissed her like that. Yet, instead of feeling guilty, I wondered just how wet she was for me. I moved over to the side, freeing her, and she immediately scrambled to her feet, heading to the lounge chair. I didn’t go after her. I knew enough about Josie to know she needed to be on her own, to digest this. Hell, I needed to digest this.
I couldn’t go on like this. Kissing her for no reason, claiming more each time. I needed to pull myself together and not screw this up.
I went to the beach bar first, getting a drink for each of us. When I returned, Josie was reading, so I set the tray on the small plastic table between our lounge chairs.
“I brought you coconut water. You’ve wanted to try this, right?”
Josie lowered her book, grabbing one glass, slurping as if she’d been dying of thirst.
She was still avoiding my gaze. I needed to fix this. From now on, no more kissing and touching if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.
She spat out a mouthful. “This is awful.”
I laughed, taking the glass from her because the spitting turned into choking.
“That’s what you get for trying everything.”
She looked at my glass of caipirinha with narrowed eyes. “You knew it tasted like shit.”
“I even told you it did. You just said you’d make up your own mind, remember?”
“Ugh... sometimes I think I need saving from myself.”
“I agree. Remember that when you book that scuba diving course.”
She scrunched her nose adorably before going back to her book. The title was 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
“I’ve been meaning to get that book,” I said, lying back on my own lounge chair. “How is it?”
“Some advice is common sense; some is actually more insightful than I thought.”
She gave some examples, and we both came up with ways of integrating them in our routines.
I’d always loved our conversations, the way we built on the other’s ideas. It always came easy to me to talk about everything from business to personal issues with Josie, and I wouldn’t make the mistake of losing that.
Things between us seemed to go back to normal as the day progressed. We talked about everything from politics to history to discussing some of the local wildlife after Josie bought a book on it from the hotel shop. I also couldn’t let the opportunity for teasing pass when she looked at S in the animal index.
“Any chance you’re researching sharks?” I asked casually. She glared at me. “Admit it, you want to check if they’re harmless or not. You don’t trust me?”
“You’ve proven a bit untrustworthy as of late,” she said just as casually, flipping another page. Shit. I couldn’t argue with that.
I followed through with my resolution only for a few hours. But when Josie emerged from the bedroom dressed for dinner, I knew I didn’t have a chance of sticking to my own rules tonight.
She was wearing a light pink dress in a flowy fabric that reached all the way to the floor. From the front, it looked inconspicuous, with a halter neck, no cleavage. But her back was uncovered, and the dress dipped so low that I could almost see her crack.
“Josie.” Yes, I knew it had sounded like a growl, but goddamn, I just couldn’t do better at the moment. “You look... stunning.”
She smoothed her hands down her waist, laughing. “I’m even a bit tan already. You were right about the sunscreen. Even so, my skin itched a bit after the shower. The after-sun lotion helped. Should we go?”
“Yes.” Because if I was alone with her for long, I didn’t know what I would do.
“Welcome, we have a special table for you tonight,” the server informed us when we stepped in the outdoor restaurant. We’d decided on trying out local cuisine tonight. I’d called the concierge to reserve a table, and when the man had asked if I wanted the extra package for honeymooners, I couldn’t resist saying yes. The package included a secluded table in a special gazebo, adorned with twinkle lights.
I wanted the best for Josie. Unless I coerced her to come on another trip while we were married, she wouldn’t fly here again.
The hostess winked at me, saying, “The best table, as you requested.”
So much for this staying a secret.
Josie looked at me with wide eyes once we were alone. “You requested this?”
“Thought you’d like it.”
“Thanks,” she muttered, returning to studying the menu. “My God, I want to order everything.”
“So, do it.”
“Ha! I’ve already had too many empty calories from the cocktails on the beach.”
She’d given up on the coconut water after that first sip and ended up drinking caipirinha with me.
“Josie, stop. You’re beautiful. If you were any more beautiful, I’d have an even harder time resisting you.”
She lowered her menu, looking straight
at me.
“What? Don’t tell me you didn’t notice until today,” I said.
She pointed a finger at me. “Stop this.”
“What?”
“You know what.”
She was calling me out on my flirting. I should take a step back, reevaluate. Instead, I kept pushing.
“You’re my wife. If I want to compliment you, I will.”
“And you said I’m getting more daring. You’re no better.”
“What are you going to do about it, wife?”
She licked her lips, shaking her head. “You just wait. I’ll cook up a revenge plan.”
“Here’s the thing. I don’t think you will.”
“Know me so well, do you? What do you think I want?”
“I think you want me to push and push until you have no choice but to give in.”
Josie exhaled sharply before biting her lower lip.
I wanted her to give me a sign that she wanted this too. That she had just as much trouble navigating this as I did.
When she lowered her eyes back to the menu, I had my answer. I’d asked her last night to keep me in check, to be the responsible one out of the two of us, yet I was already changing the rules.
I didn’t have a chance to keep pushing right now, because a waitress came to take our order. We started small, with appetizers and sparkling water, but before long, it became a food festival.
We spoke about the wedding and about our families.
“Ryker couldn’t believe I was the first one to get married.”
She grinned. “If I were a betting woman, I wouldn’t have bet on you either.”
“Neither would I.”
She tilted her head, studying me. “Why not?”
I frowned, taking a sip of water to buy time. I’d never given this much conscious thought.
“I don’t know. I think it’s just easier. Making that vow, trusting someone, making them happy for their entire life... that’s a lot of expectations.”
And when expectations weren’t met, everything went downhill. My parents had loved each other. I knew that for a fact, because until I was ten, I’d never heard them fight. They were always affectionate with each other.
Yet when Dad’s business went downhill, their relationship suffered. I remember the fighting, until they couldn’t even stand being in the same room.
“Hunter, that’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself. Our happiness shouldn’t depend on someone else. Besides, I’ve known you for a long time. You’re a great friend. A great person. Give yourself more credit.”
“Usually you give me shit for giving myself too much credit,” I teased.
“I’m adaptable.”
“I can see that.”
“And if you feed me food that is this delicious, I tend to be nicer. Much, much nicer.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
We ordered only one dessert, but it was large enough for three people. While we ate, I mulled over her words. They made sense, but it had always been in my nature to make the people I cared about happy.
I was certain that if the person next to me was unhappy, I’d feel not only guilty, but responsible for it.
After we left the restaurant, we strolled through the complex web of narrow paths in the greenery separating the main building from the beach and the restaurant area.
“I love the resort,” Josie remarked, stopping to take a picture of an exotic plant. I wondered if she was slowing us down on purpose and if the prospect of sharing a bed had become daunting since we’d last spoken about it.
When we finally entered the suite, she said, “This day was great.”
“Thirteen more to go.”
“Can’t wait.”
Josie took off her shoes, walking barefoot to the bedroom. I followed her. She stood in front of the mirror, fumbling with the clasp of her necklace.
“Let me do that,” I said.
“Thanks. It was so much easier to put it on.”
I unclasped it in no time but couldn’t help myself and let my fingers linger on her soft skin.
“Today has been more fun than I expected. Yesterday too.” I didn’t know why I’d started talking, but now that I had, I wanted to continue. “I kissed you far more than was strictly necessary.”
“Hunter....”
“It’s true.”
Finally, I looked up, meeting her gaze in the mirror. I let my thumb glide from her shoulder down to her arm, felt her shudder. I flipped her around, bringing her flush against me.
“I don’t know how to do this,” I admitted. “Be married to you and not want more than friendship.”
Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. I went on.
“I tried, but you can see I’m not very good at it.”
She chuckled. “No, you’re not. But I’m not doing much better.”
I ran my hand down her exposed back until I reached the fabric, and then even lower, cupping her ass with both hands.
Josie tugged me lower to her the next second, and I kissed her so hard that her knees wobbled, showing her exactly how desperately I wanted her.
I groaned against her mouth. I was already hard. She felt it too, and rocked her hips gently back and forth, demanding more.
Chapter Seventeen
Hunter
I was hungry for her, and even as I desperately pushed the straps of her dress down, tugging at the fabric until it fell to her waist, and then to her feet, I knew that this hunger wasn’t the result of the last few weeks.
It had been there for years, I’d just buried it deep so our friendship wouldn’t suffer. I kissed her jaw, tracing a path to her earlobe, biting the shell a little, enjoying the little gasp she gave, the way she pressed herself against me. I tilted her head, moving my lips on the side of her neck. I didn’t want to leave one single inch of her skin unexplored. I wanted to touch and kiss her everywhere at the same time. I wanted to watch too, to drink her in. I’d seen her in the bikini today, but this was different. This was just for me.
“Hunter...,” she murmured when I twirled my tongue in the nook at the base of her neck. By the way her voice shook on that one word, I knew it was a sweet spot for her. She was already writhing in my arms, and I hadn’t even kissed below her shoulders. But I changed that, lowering my mouth over her chest to the silky strapless bra that was so thin I could feel the shape of her nipple under it.
I twirled my tongue over the fabric once before my hands desperately searched for the clasp at the back. I yanked it open, the bra fell to the floor, and I had free access to kiss and tease her until she’d beg me for more.
I led her to the king-size bed, kissing her all the way, until we reached one of the four posts. I ran my hands over her waist and thighs, wanting to memorize every curve and every shape, then I whirled her around, pushing her hair to one side, kissing the back of her neck and lower down her back, following her spine until I reached the hem of her panties.
Her ass cheeks were on full display, round and beckoning to me. I drew my thumbs down the center of each one before licking the same path. Then I wedged a hand between her thighs, inching them further apart. Josie rose on her toes, gripping the bedpost with both hands, as if she already couldn’t take what I was giving her. And damn, I planned to give her so much more.
“Fuck,” I exclaimed when I touched the part of the fabric covering her pussy with two fingers. It was already wet. My cock strained so painfully against my jeans that I nearly pushed them down and fucked her just like that, against the bedpost.
“You’re so beautiful, Josie. So damn sexy. What am I going to do with you?”
I slipped my hand inside her panties.
She gasped. “Whatever you want.”
I nearly burst in my pants at her words, at feeling how aroused she was.
“I’ll make you beg. And I’ll make you come.”
I moved two fingers around her tender flesh, teasing the area around her clit. I enjoyed watching her fingers curl tighter around
the bedpost, moving her weight from her heels to her toes.
I kissed every inch of her that I could reach, keeping one hand in her panties, bringing my other arm around her middle so I touched her breast, drawing circles around her nipples, mimicking the ones around her clit.
“Hunter, Hunter, Hunter,” she chanted. “I’m so close. Please. So close.”
She exploded the next second, crying out. Her knees gave in, and I tightened my hold on her waist even as she gripped the bedpost harder. I held her as she rode out the wave of pleasure, laying her head back on my chest, eyes closed. Then I turned her around slowly, drinking in the haze of lust in her eyes before pushing her gently on the bed.
“There are condoms in the amenity kit,” I said.
She shook her head. “No need. I’m on the pill.”
We hadn’t set any boundaries, hadn’t talked about whether this would be a one-time thing or not, but I knew that after tonight, things would change between us on a fundamental level.
Josie looked gorgeous, lying on her back, her breasts rising and falling with every breath. I unbuttoned my shirt quickly. Josie moved to undo my belt and the button of my jeans.
When I was completely naked, I leaned to kiss her, climbing in bed on top of her. She opened her thighs, curling her fingers on her lower belly as if she could barely stand not touching herself intimately.
I drew the tip of my erection around her clit, watching her writhe, drinking in her moans, driving her crazy until she moved one hand upward to her breasts and lowered the other one. My vision blurred when she touched my cock.
I drove inside her the next second. She felt so tight, so damn perfect around me. I moved in and out, touching, kissing, biting, memorizing every inch of her body, every sound she made. She pulsed around me, digging her fingers in my biceps.
When her thighs pressed against mine, I knew she was close. I pulled back a bit, wanting to watch her when she climaxed, but I was too far gone. This felt too good, too intimate. I clung to my control only long enough to make sure Josie came first, and then climaxed hard.
