by Zoe Dawson
“You feel tense to me. Are you tense? Is something wrong?”
Shit, the man was so perceptive and in tune with her. On the one hand it made her happy, and on the other it was a curse.
She forced her muscles to relax.
“Maybe we should go back. It’s been a long day,” he sounded a little peeved, as though he knew something was wrong and she wouldn’t say. He had the right to feel that way. She should be talking to him, but dammit, she wanted to relax and have a good time. She wanted that for him, too. He worked so hard and she bit her lip at her resentful thought only moments ago. This wasn’t his fault. They were in this together.
Determined not to ruin his night, she slipped her hand down to his waist. Distraction was always a good Plan B. “No, let’s stay for a little bit longer.” She trailed her fingers up and absently over his hot skin to his upper chest. “So, Jared, have you ever done it in the surf?”
“I don’t particularly want to talk about other women I’ve been with on our honeymoon, sugar.”
He still sounded grumpy, but his response made her heart just lurch with awesome tenderness. She chuckled. “I just need a yes or no answer.” She trailed her fingers along his clavicle. “Still gorgeous,” she whispered, meeting his eyes.
He smiled and finally relaxed. “I’ll never forget that day. You looked so delicious and tempting in that apple dress. I wanted to push you against the wall and just take you. Those heels…dammit, Poe. You slay a man. There were guys talking about you in the locker room.”
“Really?”
“You really don’t know, do you?”
“What?”
“How fucking beautiful you are.”
She slid her hand down his chest, right back to the waistband of his swim trunks. “I’m glad you think so.” She delved inside, but only skirted along his waistband.
“How about we make our own memories in the surf,” he offered, “and forget about whatever came before? How about that?”
She closed her eyes, so in love with him. What a perfect answer, and she knew it wasn’t contrived. It was just the way Jared was. Down-to-earth, sweet, and such a wonderful man. She felt guilty again about all the resentment that had built towards him. There was one thing for certain. He loved her. He would love, care, and protect the child she carried, and there wasn’t another man on the planet that she would want to conceive a child with. He was her one and only.
He shifted his hips when she kept gently scoring his lower abdomen.
“Are you just going tease me, babe?”
“I don’t know. It’s been a long day.”
She brushed against the hot tip of his hard-on.
He growled and picked her up, carrying her to the surf. Folding down into the warm water, he covered her.
“Men are too easy.”
“Ha,” he said, his mouth trailing down over her collarbone, latching onto her breast right though the cotton of her bikini top. Her nipple tightened against his tongue.
She groaned and arched into him, her nipples more sensitized by her pregnancy.
“Ah, women are so easy.”
“Let’s make sure,” she said softly. “Nerds love to experiment.”
He took her other breast and groaned when her hand slipped around the snap of his shorts, and then they were gone. He pulled on those tiny, tempting strings, and the scrap of material covering her heated core fell away.
His hand moved up to her neck and he released the string there and pulled her top down until her breasts were bare to the moonlight and his hot, moss-green eyes. The breeze blew across her heated breasts and she cried out with the sudden sensation. Jared groaned, his eyes following the movement of her body.
“Jared,” she murmured.
He ran his palm over the dark, tight bud, and she cried out again, lost in the ecstasy.
“Damn,” he muttered.
He bent his head and sucked her nipple hard into his mouth. The heat of it made her back arch off the sand, the grains rough against her backside, fueling more sensations throughout her already-sensitized body. The pulling power of his suction flowed down her torso, zeroing in on her center, forcing her to open her legs as she pushed against his body.
His hand found her core and he pressed the pad of his finger over her. She cried out again, the double assault too much. He slipped a finger inside her, and she thrust against his hand, the tantalizing rock-hard length of him pressing against her stomach.
He watched her eyes as he slid his finger out and back inside again. She gasped and gazed back at him, reveling in the punch of desire so raw it took what was left of her breath. It was heady, powerful stuff, knowing she moved him like this.
She groaned deep in her throat when he slid another finger inside her. She pushed up on her heels, forcing his shaft along the soft skin of her stomach. He groaned now, too, and bucked against her.
Reaching up, she pulled his head down to hers. She wanted something more immediate than his fingers inside of her. She kissed him hard, and he returned it with equal fervor. He tugged her hands from their grasp in his hair and pinned them on either side of her, pressing his hard, hot chest against her water-slicked breasts.
The surf exploded against their bodies, the warm water drenching him, slicking his shining dark brown hair to a soft coffee-colored halo under the moon’s silvery glow. Water sluiced from his body in rivulets running over sleek, muscled skin.
“I love you, Poe.”
He slid down her body. Poe tipped her head back as he let go of her hands. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on feeling every sensation, every ripple of pleasure. But she couldn’t keep her eyes off him. She tried not to tremble so hard, but she couldn’t seem to stop. The warm ocean slammed across her naked torso, brushing over her hot, aching nipples like silk, sliding across her skin, drenching his hair, dripping off his jaw as he continued the downward assault with his hot mouth and lips.
He kissed her rounded belly. “Love you,” he murmured.
Her thighs quivered in anticipation of his tongue. “Love you.” Even with the spray and the foam swirling and eddying around her body, she could feel his warm breath brush against her oh-so-sensitive skin. She wanted to sink her fingers into his hair, urge him closer, and beg him to please put an end to the torturous wait. But he continued his exploration of her stomach, as if he was feasting on her, gaining sustenance to slake his passion.
The sand was grainy against her back, softening with each wave that hit the shore and buoyed her.
He slid his hands slowly up her sides and back down to the crease where her hip met her thigh, and she shuddered when he touched her pelvis and brushed his thumb over her swollen sex.
He pushed at her knees, nudging them further apart and slipped his hands under her buttocks.
She sighed as, once again, his breath fanned across her inner thighs. And thought she’d scream at his teasing kisses and nips. A whimpering groan slipped from her mouth as he slowly drew his tongue along her aching flesh.
She realized her arms were still crossed above her head and she lowered them to brace herself against the shifting sand beneath her. She slapped her palms to the sand and arched her back with a strangled cry of pure pleasure that spiraled out into the night. His hand tightened on her buttocks at the sound, and he moaned deep in his throat as his mouth clamped over her.
Long moans, one after the other, poured out of her as his tongue rasped again and again, sending hot spikes of pleasure tightening in her core. He sucked that aching bud into his mouth, the sucking sensation sending stabs of rapture shuddering through her as his tongue danced like a flame against her throbbing flesh.
The movements of his tongue twisted her higher as the waves slapped against her, stimulating every nerve ending in her body until he pushed her over.
Wave after wave continued to rock through her and over her. Then he did his Jared thing. He waited, patiently until she dropped ever so slightly from the peak and his tongue took her again. She climaxed s
o hard her body convulsed in a pure agony of pleasure.
He slid his body up along hers, linking his hands where hers lay on the sand.
“Jared please. . .” She had no words. Her brain could not form the words. Her thoughts scattered with the aftershocks that shuddered through her. She was still trying to come back to her senses.
“Shh,” he told her, then pulled her arms up around his neck and kissed her.
He was both tender and intense, making her feel both protected and coveted at the same time. He tucked his hips against hers, still kissing her deeply, twining his tongue along hers as he slid his hands down and pulled her thighs up over his hips, pinning her to the sand. “Poe…,” he murmured against her lips. “Geezus, I want to fuck you so hard.”
“Yes.” She buried her fingers in his wet curls and tugged his mouth back to hers.
Her thoughts scattered as he slid slowly, fully, and completely inside of her.
She dug her fingers into his shoulders and locked her ankles more tightly behind him as he thrust. His broad palms covered her hips, guiding her onto him. She arched, moaned, and when he began to move faster, she matched his pace.
She wrapped her arms around him and held on, both of them lost in the pleasure as his thrusts grew deeper, faster. She wanted to linger over these moments so she could savor every second, immerse herself in every feeling, every sensation, but she couldn’t even keep her eyes open to watch him. He was taking her up to the edge again, and she could only ride the sensual wave in surrender to the powerful emotions rocketing through her.
Every moment they touched and kissed forged a more binding union, a bond like no other.
Thoughts scattered completely as he slowed, and she could feel his body poise in taut control to prepare for that last exquisite push. It was enough to send her over again. Waves carried them across the sand; water poured over her sweat-slickened torso as she gasped for air and returned each thrust with equal force.
He released a harsh groan of surrender then and gripped her hips, rocking her in time to each frantic upward surge of his thick shaft within her. She gave herself over to him, reveled in his shuddering release, tightening around him to give them both every last ounce of pleasure.
He was shaking as he slid from her body and let her legs drop from around his waist. He held her tightly against him as they both fought for breath.
She’d fought so long and hard for independence, it had carried over to all aspects of her personal life, including intimacy. And, she’d been a single-minded fool to be so angry, to even think Jared had betrayed her. Because this felt right, and so damn good, and now she finally understood what it was to be part of a union. This special union.
He must have felt some nuance in her body, because he tightened his hold slightly, and then slid his hand up to cup her chin.
“Hey.”
That brought a smile to her lips. Men. Such a way with words. The silver-tongued devils. But she sobered at the bewildered look in his eyes, and she wanted to make a silly comment, but the unexpected warmth she saw there stopped her from teasing him. She felt much the same way and wondered if he saw that in her eyes. “Hey, yourself.”
“There,” he said. “One for our memory banks.” His voice was tender and raspy as he held her gaze, his green eyes deepening in a way that jacked up her heart rate again.
“Yeah,” she said softly. “I’m filing that under fucking amazing fucks.”
He laughed. “Good call. I’m interested in filling that file up until it’s fat and bursting.”
“Well, aren’t you a good little eager employee?”
He rolled and stood, still chuckling. Before she could even move, he’d gathered her into his arms, settling her against his chest, the soft places on her easing against all the hard planes of him. It felt remarkably fantastic. . .and far too perfect. And she’d worry about the surrendering part tomorrow, because right now was too precious to mess with.
“I can walk.”
“I know that. I just want to carry you.”
And that was remarkably fantastic, too.
Chapter Seven
There was something wrong with Poe. Jared was sure of it, and he was worried. She’d even woken up with a dull pain in her head. Jared was aware that she hadn’t slept well, since she had been getting increasingly restless at night, but he’d chalked it up to the pregnancy. Now he wondered if it was something else.
She assured him it was just a headache. He wasn’t convinced. After breakfast, she put on one of her new dresses, with white and black evil-looking suns and moons all over it. It looked so cool on her. She always managed to find something unique wherever she went.
They drove to the ferry for a day in Malta, walking the bazaar, having lunch at one of the quaint cafes, watching the horse racing and then catching dinner before their trip back to the villa.
As the day progressed, Jared started to relax a bit more. She seemed to be having a good time, and she was fun and very flirty with him.
“Remember I told you how much I loved Gonzo?”
“You talking about the Muppet, right? The name you gave your bathing suit. Not the island.”
“Exactly. Anyway, when Gonzo first met Kermit and Fozzie Bear on their way to Hollywood, he was working with a dancing brick, and…well…that brick couldn’t dance.”
“Are you calling me a brick?”
“Aww, no. You pulled it off in the end, and made everyone swoon while you were doing it. I especially loved being lassoed by you.”
“That’s right, sugar, now you’re hogtied to me.”
“Are you calling me a hog?”
At his blank look, she laughed. “I don’t mind. Hogs give you bacon!”
He laughed. “I’m going to head over here and see if I can find something for Nate. Maybe some cool sunglasses.”
She nodded and walked over to another vendor. He got so interested in looking at the merchandise in the cart that he lost track of Poe. When he went looking for her, he saw her with a woman. She was holding a baby, very awkwardly.
And, she looked like she was freaking out.
#
The woman had thrust the child into her arms, asking her to hold him while she looked for his bottle. She was very nice and had kind eyes. Poe felt the jittering start from the pit of her stomach until her whole body started vibrating. She looked down into the baby’s tiny face, and the enormity of the pregnancy, the marriage, her love for Jared all washed over her in a confluence of discord and chaos.
She bit her lips as tears stung at the backs of her eyes. Everything she’d been suppressing for days came crashing down on her and she lost it.
She frantically thrust the baby back at the mother. “Please take him,” she cried as the warm little bundle stirred and started to cry. The mother, looking a bit surprised, took the little boy back. Poe backed up.
“I’m sorry.” She turned then, and ran from the square, needed to get away and handle this storm before…before…oh, God. It was too late. She reached the cool interior of a doorway and collapsed on the stairs while the tears started to fall.
She kept telling herself she was more mature than this. She and Jared would work it out, but the more she thought about everything, the worse her stomach knotted.
Then suddenly, Jared was there clasping her hands.
“Poe what’s wrong? Are you sick? The baby?”
“Yes, it’s the baby,” she cried and his green eyes snapped up at her tone. She had only used it once, and that had been when she told him she never wanted to see him again.
“What is it?”
“There’s so much to deal with. So much emotion. Falling in love with you, the wedding…and this baby. Oh God, I’m so scared. I don’t know how I’m going to handle it all.”
He went still and his expression froze. She was lost in her own misery and couldn’t seem to find her way out of it.
“You don’t have to handle it by yourself. We can work this out together. That’s why w
e got married. Isn’t it? Why we pledged our freaking lives to each other.”
“Of course it will work out… for you. You get to go back to work and nothing changes. I have monumental decisions to make. My job. My career. My mother put me through Columbia, for God’s sake. She scrimped and saved and almost lost her house because of it. All that education. And not to mention I love being a vet.”
“Are you kidding me? How can you say that nothing has changed for me! Everything has changed! Every fucking thing! I have responsibilities and worries, too! Don’t discount those. We haven’t even talked about this, and now I see that was a mistake. Why were you holding back anyway?”
His shoulders dropped and she felt like such a betrayer. She didn’t know why she couldn’t just lean on him. It all felt so scary and out of control.
“Isn’t it clear by now? I’m here for you? But you’re still holding on to your independence and what does that leave me with? Don’t shut me out, Poe!”
“I just need to get it straight in my head, and you’re not helping,” she cried and rose. “I said this was hard for me. I just need to be alone. I can’t pretend anymore that I’m not upset.”
“Poe, that’s not fair. We should be working this out together. We’re married now. It’s you and me. Don’t shut me out. Not again. You don’t have to pretend…”
“I just need some time. Try to understand.” She backed up, then whirled and walked away. Jared called after her, but she didn’t stop until she couldn’t hear him anymore. She had to be alone to handle the turmoil inside her. She had to get away from him.
#
Jared sat on the bed back at the villa. He hadn’t been able to find Poe. She had disappeared into the crowd.
He was devastated. He still couldn’t believe that it had happened. That he was back here again, trying to be her rock and her support, and she threw it back in his face. It hurt something terrible.
He thought they had built something solid, something that could weather anything. The fact that she hadn’t confided in him, had let the feelings escalate to this level, hurt even more.