“Hey, baby.” Luke wraps his arms around me from behind and buries his nose in my neck. “How are you?”
“I think I’m going to be a little sore tomorrow, but I’m good. I forgot how exhausting snorkeling is.” I smile and turn to face him.
He simply takes my breath away.
He’s shirtless, wearing only black shorts that hang off his hips in that sexy way, showing off the muscles that form that V that runs down and disappears in the fabric. He’s caught some sun while we’ve been here, turning his skin golden. My mouth goes dry every time I look at him.
And because I can, I raise my lens and snap his photo. He smiles shyly, and I take another.
“I love taking your picture.”
“I’ve noticed. You’ve had that thing pointed at me more than anything else in the three days we’ve been here.”
“That’s not true.” I laugh, and he takes the camera out of my hands, and suddenly I become the subject. “Hey! I’m on the wrong side of that lens.”
“Turnabout is fair play, baby. Give me that sweet smile.”
I lean back on the railing and pose for him playfully, cocking one hip to the side and planting my hand on my sarong-covered curve.
“We have to come here often,” he murmurs as he continues to snap photos of me.
“Why?”
“Because I love watching you walk around all day in a bikini. I get to see your tattoos.”
I smile and turn away from him. My left side is exposed to him, and I raise my left arm up next to my face, looking back at him through the crook of my elbow. “Take a photo of this tat, and you can look at it any time you want.”
“God, you’re good at this.” He snaps away, his eyes shining with humor and lust, and I smile at him.
“Okay, hold on.” I take off the sarong and let it fall to the floor of the deck and watch his eyes dilate. I love how he enjoys my body. My earlier insecurities have long vanished. I turn my back to him and pull my hair over my shoulder. My hands are out to my sides, resting on the railing. I know that from this view, he can see the tattoos on my back and my upper thigh. “There you go.”
I hear my camera snapping to life, and Luke’s breathing has changed.
“Finished with those?” I ask.
“Yes,” he whispers.
I turn back to face him and jump up on the rail, sitting.
“Careful!”
“I’m fine. I won’t fall in.” I scoot so I’m sitting at an angle and pull my right foot up to rest on the railing. My tattoo is exposed. “Snap away.”
He zooms in on my foot and presses the shutter about ten times.
“I hate to disappoint you,” I mutter drily, “but the last tattoo will have to just remain our little secret.”
His eyes darken as he steps back and takes more photos of me.
“So no one else has seen these tattoos?” he asks, the camera still up at his face.
“Most of them.”
“What does that mean?” He lowers the camera and glares at me.
Crap.
“The one on my pubis is the newest one, and no one but you and the artist have seen it. The one on my back can sometimes be seen when I’m wearing a certain style of top or dress, but no one’s ever asked me what it means. In fact, no one but you knows what any of them mean.”
“And your side and leg?” he asks.
I shrug. “I wasn’t a virgin when I met you.”
He frowns and looks down, and I’m desperate to lift this mood.
“Hey.” I hop off the rail and close the gap between us. “The past is over, Luke. For both of us.”
“I know.” He swallows and looks at me with those blue eyes. “It just makes me a little crazy that other men have touched you.”
“Honey”—I smile and run my fingers down his face—“your touch is the only one that’s ever mattered. You’ve introduced me to feelings I didn’t know existed. Don’t worry about before. You are all I see. Besides”—I take the camera back from him and put the lens cap back on—“you, my love, were certainly no virgin, either.”
“How do you know? Maybe I was.” He chuckles.
“There is no way that you can be as good as you are in bed and be a virgin.”
“Oh? How good am I?” He winks at me and pulls me into his arms, running his hands down my mostly naked back.
“Hmm…you’re fair.”
He laughs as he bends down and places feather-soft kisses at the side of my mouth. “Fair, huh?”
“Yeah, I endure it. For your sake.”
“You just endure it?” He continues to move those skilled, soft lips across my jaw and over to my ear.
“It’s a real hardship, but somehow I find the willpower.”
He chuckles and cups my face gently in his hands, sweeping his lips over mine, back and forth lightly, then sinks down into me and kisses me deeply but still softly. Lovingly. Like we have all day. I hold on to his hips, lacing my middle fingers through the belt loops, half of my hands on the fabric and half on his bare skin.
God, my man can kiss.
He pulls back and, still holding my face, gazes into my eyes.
“Wow,” I murmur, and his face lights up with humor.
“Did you endure that okay?”
“You are really good at that.”
“So are you. Did you bring a dress?”
I blink at the change of subject. “Yeah, why?”
“I have something planned for dinner.”
“Oh. I was going to take sunset pictures.”
“You still can. Bring the camera along.”
“Okay. When are we leaving?”
“In a half hour.”
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“It’s a surprise, birthday girl.” He smiles and runs his thumb across my lower lip.
“My birthday is over.”
“This is your birthday vacation, so you’re still the birthday girl.” He kisses me chastely, then links my hand with his and leads me inside.
Our hut, although hut is really the wrong word for it, is absolutely breathtaking. It’s really a bungalow over the water. No little hotel hut would be sufficient for my man.
Our space is large, sporting two bedrooms, a large common area and two bathrooms. The bigger of the two bathrooms has a two-person tub that sits right out in the open on a deck, with open views of the ocean. In fact, most of the rooms are open to the outside air with beautiful floaty curtains to pull for a little privacy. The floors are dark wood, but there are glass openings in most of the rooms so you can look down at the fish below.
The furnishings are plush, expensive and inviting. The master bed is large with soft white sheets, duvet and pillows. The common area has plenty of color: oranges, yellows and reds. It’s truly beautiful.
“Have you been here before?” I ask as I pull out my dress and heels.
“No, first time. You won’t need the heels.”
“Oh, okay. Flip-flops?”
“Yeah.”
“Are we going somewhere in the sand?”
He smiles and winks.
Okay, not gonna tell me. “Are you going to change?”
He pulls on a white short-sleeved button-down shirt and leaves it unbuttoned. “There, all changed.”
I laugh and reach behind me to pull the strings on my bikini, letting it fall in my hands. Looking down, I do the same to the bottoms. I walk naked to the dresser and reach in for a thong.
“No underwear.”
I turn and gape at him. His eyes are smoldering.
“But…”
“No. Underwear.”
Geez. He’s so bossy. And I like it. Weird.
“Okay.” I pull the black tank dress over my head and smooth it in place and slip my feet in my black flip-flops. I run my brush through my hair vigorously, then tie it in a simple braid down the left side so it rests over my left breast. I brush on a light coat of mascara and turn to find Luke watching me, his expression unreadable.
/> “I’m ready.”
He shakes his head as if pulling his thoughts together and smiles at me tenderly. “Let’s go.”
***
“So what has been your favorite part of our trip so far?” I ask Luke as I take a bite of my steak.
He’s surprised me with dinner, in the water on a private tiny island. The resort boated us over, where the small table was already set with our meals and drinks, the table and chairs sitting in the shallow, perfectly clear water on pure white sand.
This almost rivals the vineyard on the romance scale.
“Snorkeling today was fun.” He takes a sip of wine and shrugs. “My favorite part is being here with you.”
I shake my head and smile. “Charming.”
He laughs and continues with his meal. “How about you? Favorite part?”
“I also enjoyed the snorkeling today. The manta rays were incredible. But I really enjoyed exploring the town yesterday, too. Thank you again for the anklet.”
“It’s beautiful on you.”
“What are we doing tomorrow?” I ask. I’m moving my feet around in the water, back and forth. It feels good between my toes.
“I seem to remember you saying something about spending a whole day in bed.”
“Oh.” My eyes go wide.
“Tomorrow is the halfway mark of the trip. Seems like a good time.” He raises an eyebrow at me, and I grin.
“Skinny-dipping! We can scare the fish.”
“And our neighbors.” He smirks.
“Nah, the back of our room is secluded. I already checked.”
He looks up at me, startled, and then breaks out into laughter. I smile smugly back at him and drink my wine.
“This is beautiful.” I look out over the water and sigh. The sun is starting to set, and we’ve finished our meal. “Do you mind if I snap some pictures?”
“Go ahead, baby.” He pours himself another glass of wine and sits back to watch me. I sling my camera strap around my neck—I wouldn’t want to drop it in the water—and stand up, wading through the shallow water. It’s warm around my ankles, the sand is soft, and the light is perfect.
I take about a hundred shots, of the water, the trees and of the tiny island itself. It’s something out of a tropical island calendar. Then I turn the lens to my relaxed boyfriend and take a few shots without him seeing me. He’s looking down at his wine, his expression thoughtful. He glances up at me and gives me that sexy half smile, and he’s perfection. Open white shirt, black shorts, blond hair and golden skin, sitting casually at a romantic table set for two with a single red rose in a vase.
The sight is devastating.
Suddenly, he stands and walks toward me through the water and takes the camera from me. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me to his side, turning the lens toward us and snaps a picture of the two of us together.
For the past three days when we were out, if I had my camera with me, he would ask someone to take a photo of the two of us together.
Yes, we are capturing lots of memories, and it makes me smile.
He places the strap back around my neck and kisses my forehead.
“Thank you for dinner,” I say. “It was delicious, and romantic.”
“My pleasure.”
“When are we being picked up?” I run my hands up and down his chest, under his open shirt.
“In about twenty minutes.”
“Okay, let’s go for a walk around the island. It’s small. It should only take about ten minutes.”
“Let’s go.” He links his fingers through mine, and we set off, wading through the ankle-deep water.
When we make it back to the table, our ride to the hut is pulling up. We board the small boat and set off across the darkening water.
***
I wake to the sun across my face and no covers over my naked body. Luke’s face is between my legs.
“Holy shit!” I come up off the bed, bracing myself on my elbows, and gaze in pure shock at Luke tilting my hips up so he can bury his face in my pussy, licking and teasing my clit.
“Good morning, baby,” he whispers against my core and blows on that most sensitive spot.
“Oh my God,” is all I can say as I collapse back down on the bed. I feel his grin, and he slips two fingers inside me, making a come here motion and light erupts through me.
Holy fuck.
I bear down and come violently as he continues to suck on my clit and rock those fingers around inside me, my muscles shuddering around him. Finally, he kisses my tattoo gently and works his magic all the way up my torso until he’s lying next to me, brushing my hair off my face.
“Good morning,” I murmur. “Not a bad way to wake up.”
“I’m glad you approve.” He kisses me, and I taste myself on him, and it ignites my libido all over again. Surprising him, I grip his shoulders and push him back on the bed, lying on top of him and resting my pulsating sex on his hard cock. Playing his game, I link my fingers in his and push our hands up to the sides of his head and hold him down.
“What are you going to do with me?” He grins, his eyes shining with desire. I roll my hips on him, and he exhales sharply.
“Well”—I bend down and bite his neck softly, then lave it with my tongue—“after that fantastic wake-up call, I think I’ll fuck you.”
“Is that right?” He pushes against my hands, but I hold him down with all my might. We both know he could easily break my hold, but he plays along. “I’m not stopping you, baby.”
I lean forward until I feel the tip of his cock against my lips and then I sink down on him until he’s completely buried in me.
“Fuck,” he whispers between clenched teeth.
“You feel so good.”
I start to rock, slow and shallow, back and forth, taunting and teasing him. With each downward motion, I clench my muscles around him, then let go as I rock back up. I gently sweep my lips across his and tease the tip of his nose with mine.
Just when I think he’s ready to come, I stop and loosen my muscles.
“Oh, you are such a tease. I should spank you.”
“I have your hands,” I reply and start to rock again.
“So you do.” His eyes close, and he bites his lip as I increase the tempo, and the pleasure is just too much. I let go of his hands and sit up, riding him fast and hard.
“Grab on to the bed frame.” I love being the boss, and his eyes dilate even more. He complies.
Suddenly, I roll off him and grip him in my hand, and take him deep into my mouth, sucking hard.
“Holy fuck!” He grasps my head, but I pull out of his grasp and glare at him.
“On. The. Bed. Frame.”
He smiles and complies, and I resume the sweet torture, licking my sweetness off him, moving my hands up and down the hardness, and he erupts in my mouth.
As he calms, I kiss my way up his body, reveling in his sculpted stomach, teasing his belly button with my teeth. I run my fingertips up his sides, and he squirms and laughs. I kiss his neck, his chin and finally place a chaste kiss on his mouth.
“Turnabout is fair play,” I whisper his words from yesterday back to him, and he groans.
“Jesus, Nat, you’re going to kill me.”
“Ah, but what a way to go.”
He laughs and kisses me tenderly, then abruptly stands up and pulls me with him, throwing me over his naked shoulder.
“I have the best view of your ass right now, my love.” I give it a little slap, and he returns the favor on my ass. “Where are we going?”
“Skinny-dipping!” He jogs—jogs!—with me over his shoulder out to the deck and down the steps that lead to the water, and just tosses me right in.
I hit the warm surface with a loud splash and come up sputtering. It’s not too deep, only about six feet, and as I push the wet hair off my face, I see Luke dive in headfirst. He gracefully swims to me, and I can’t help but admire the way his back muscles move.
“Hi.” I smile shyly when he
surfaces before me and wrap my arms and legs around him.
“Hi.” He grins and plants his hands on my waist, then throws me through the air to land back in the water.
Oh, we’re going to play! Naked!
I squeal when I surface and splash him, and he splashes me back with a laugh.
He swims for me again, and I try to quickly escape, but he catches me and tosses me again.
“Are you trying to drown me?”
“Maybe I want to do some mouth-to-mouth.”
“You don’t have to kill me to do that! I’m a sure bet.” I giggle and splash him again, enjoying the way his naked body looks in the clear water, reflecting in his perfectly blue eyes.
“God, you look beautiful right now,” he says.
“I was just thinking the same thing.” I swim to him and wrap myself around him again.
“I enjoy playing with you,” he says and kisses my nose.
“Me, too. In and out of bed.” I smile sassily, and he bites his lip.
“I have to say, this morning was a first for me.”
“A good first, or a bad first?” I run my fingers through his wet hair, loving the way our naked bodies feel twined together in the warm Pacific.
“Definitely good, although I have to admit I prefer being in control.”
“Well, variety is the spice of life. I like to surprise you every once in a while.” I kiss his chin, and he chuckles.
“No complaints here, baby.”
“Hmm…good.”
He lifts my hips and surprises me by slipping inside me.
I lean my forehead against his as he stills, filling me. “I love you,” I say.
“Oh, baby, I love you, too. Let’s frighten the fish.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
It’s our last morning in our tropical paradise, and I purposely wake extra early to make sure I’m up before Luke. He’s done so much for me this week—hell, this month—and I just have to do something special for him before we go back home to reality. Not that reality is all that bad. It’s just been bliss to have him all to myself this week.
After our Naked Day, as it will forever be known in my head, Luke surprised me with a shark-feeding trip, which before this vacation I would have assumed would include me as the menu but turned out to be one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. I’ll never forget standing in waist-deep warm water with dozens of docile sharks floating around us to take the food from our hands.
With Me in Seattle Bundle One Page 21
