‘Why so silent?’ Ruy’s voice intruded on her reverie.
The water was like a table of oil. He had put the ship on autopilot and was coming towards her, bare-chested, his eyes shining. He looked like a primitive Roman god and the sexual stir she felt in her belly was instant, confusing her thoughts. Dark brows knitted together.
‘What’s wrong?’
She looked up into his eyes through the strands of hair that the breeze had swept across her face. ‘Isn’t it rather dangerous, putting her on autopilot?’ Luna didn’t really mind, but it was the first thing that popped into her head.
His devilish gaze seared her with its intensity. ‘A little recklessness has never hurt anybody. Now and then it’s good to test your fears so you can appreciate calmer times.’ He bent slowly over her and, pushing her hair away from her face, put his warm mouth to her lips, brushing them with a feather kiss. ‘Don’t worry,’ he added, drawing back, ‘the deck winches are hydraulically powered and Vela Gitana is equipped with state-of-the-art electronics. Everything is automatic. I only need to touch a button for the boat to respond immediately.’
Luna’s wide amber eyes held the amused sparkling blue ones, melting under his captivating stare. His lips quirked.
‘And now, shall we go down so you can change into something more comfortable?’
Below deck, the finish was partly teak, partly mahogany. Luna was surprised by the unexpected sense of space, but more so by the embracing comfort of the design with its seductive elegance of chrome fixtures and broad blue-and-white striped soft furnishings.
‘What a dream,’ she breathed.
Ruy stood close behind her. ‘My father bought her shortly after my parents were married. She’d been built in 1953 and only had one owner before him. She’s been refurbished twice: once when my father acquired her and again before my thirtieth birthday, when my parents gave her to me. We’ve had a lot of use out of her and, in spite of her years, she is still very fast and seaworthy.
‘Last year she entered the regatta of Les Voiles de St-Tropez, which used to be known as La Nioulargue, and she more than held her own among all the modern yachts, as well as some really beautiful traditional ones. She has a very competitive handicap, you know.’
Luna gazed around. ‘She’s a beauty. I like that she’s built of wood. It’s so much more romantic than fibreglass. I’ve always loved boats. My grandfather kept one in California. Much smaller than this but it was great fun. We used to sail to various beaches and picnic in little coves.’ Her eyes sparkled at the memory. ‘But I haven’t sailed for a while. My skills are a little rusty, I fear.’
‘You don’t need to worry. Vela Gitana can be sailed singlehanded, even in bad weather. Chico tends to skipper her when I go diving, though.’
He went over to the large top-loading fridge with a chart table above. ‘What have we here? Let’s see … champagne and a selection of crustaceans fresh from the market today. I can see Morena’s hand in this!’ He glanced at his wristwatch. ‘Not yet eleven o’clock, it’s still quite early. Would you like to have a swim before lunch or wait until this afternoon? There’s a sheltered cove not too far from here where we could anchor and snorkel if you like. Then we could either have lunch on board or picnic on the beach.’
They decided to do exactly that, and so they made for the little island accordingly. Luna was quite happy for Ruy to take the decisions. Since her arrival in Spain, she hadn’t had much time to relax. His protectiveness bordered on possessiveness, but again she didn’t mind: it made her feel good.
The bathroom was stunning, like everywhere else, with a wetroom shower equipped with a body jet. Images of Ruy’s magnificent tanned body enjoying this liberating experience under cascading flowing water crowded her mind and she lingered a little longer in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror, critically scrutinizing her own body to regain control of her senses before joining him.
He was at the wheel on deck and his eyes grew dark as she appeared – a fluffy beige towel was swinging from her hand and she was clad in a brown leopard-print bikini that seductively set off her sun-kissed skin. His gaze moved deliberately and slowly up her figure. Starting with her slender ankles, it climbed the length of her long legs, accentuated by the cut of her bikini, lingered on her flat stomach and slim waist and then rose all the way to her full, firm breasts that were already beginning to tingle under his intense scrutiny.
Luna returned his stare. The sight of his magnificent male beauty, his near-nakedness, barely covered by a moulding black brief, threatened to send her senses on a wild merry-go-round as her thoughts floated back to the shower. Electricity between them sizzled in the breeze and the dazzling sun.
The yacht had picked up speed and was making good progress. There was a bit of a swell.
‘Come and have a go,’ Ruy said, stretching his arm out towards her. She hesitated. ‘Come here,’ he repeated. ‘I’ll show you. It’s not rocket science, especially nowadays with all these modern devices. Just try to hold on to the wheel gently, as though you were driving a car, and don’t let it spin out of your hand. A gentle but firm touch, I know you can do that.’ His blue eyes glittered mischievously, engulfing her in their tidal wave. ‘I’m right here, anyhow.’
Ruy positioned her in front of the wheel and stood behind her. ‘Keep your eyes on the horizon. Even if it is a little choppy and everything else is rising and falling, that’s one thing that will always remain steady.’
Nothing was steady! Though they were not quite touching, she could feel the heat of his body scorching her naked back. The familiar combination of mint, soap and the masculine fragrance emanating from him, mingling in the air with the salt and other sea smells, tormented her and she filled her lungs with the heady smell. She tried to stay still. If she leaned back just barely, she would feel the bulge of his virility and then they would be lost. Not yet. A time and a place, she kept telling herself, her imagination running riot and the need inside her building up. This was neither the time nor the place.
A rope was flapping against a mast, and there was the incessant swish of water as the ship’s bows cleaved through the sea. They sailed in silence, their bodies almost touching but aware of each other in an aura of pent-up passion fuelled by delay and the anticipation of an afternoon in paradise.
Soon the little island they were heading for appeared like a lone green-and-gold jewel in a blue setting of sea and sky. They anchored a few yards away from the shore of the small half-moon bay, with its sheltered aqua-blue cove and private sandy beach backed by a great cliff topped with pine trees, and sparse emerald tufts of grass that grew on the side of the rocks.
While Luna packed the snorkelling gear, sun-cream, a couple of bottles of water and towels, Ruy sorted out the tender, an inflatable dinghy with rigid sides, lowering it into the water by means of a hydraulic winch.
‘You’re very well organized,’ Luna remarked as they set out.
‘I used to do a lot of diving. Now my work takes up most of my time.’
Five minutes later, he was pulling the tender on to the beach and helping Luna out. She stood on the sand, glancing at the cool clear sea that seemed to be dancing in the morning sunshine, watching dreamily each rhythmic heave of water break, white and foaming, over the jagged rocks that skirted the cove.
‘What a beautiful, lonely place,’ she murmured as she turned to look at Ruy. His eyes on her were dark and amazingly intense.
‘The sun is scorching hot. Your skin is so delicate I’m afraid you’ll burn.’
‘My tan is well on its way, don’t you think?’
Before she could protest he had pulled out the sun-cream from the beach bag and was unscrewing the cap. ‘Lie down and let me rub some of this stuff on to you,’ he said, handing her a large towel and helping her spread it on the sand.
She heard the impatience in his voice and put her hand to her forehead, laughing, though she shivered with giddy nervousness. ‘Yes, sir!’ she saluted as she lowered herself down on to the towel and stre
tched out on her stomach, her senses already acutely aware and attuned to the man beside her.
He knelt down and straddled her, his warm bare thighs only just squeezing her hips and, with the tip of his finger, flicked the fastening of her bikini top, which dropped on to the towel.
‘This time it’s not the doctor who will be treating you, querida, but the lover,’ he whispered thickly against her ear as he bent over and gently lifted her hair out of the way, revealing the swanlike curve of her rounded neck.
She let out a short, sharp moan of pleasure as she felt his cool hands slip over her nape, smoothing and rubbing in the fragrant sun-cream. An expanding sensation of heat washed over her as his palms gently slid down on to her back, massaging it with outward strokes, brushing against the sides of her breasts. She closed her eyes, wanting his lips against her flesh, taking their taut peaks into his mouth. The excitement coursing through her was deliciously unbearable.
The occasional contact of his hardness as he moved on top of her made Luna want to drive his desire further so it would match hers, and she lifted her arms backwards to find it. She heard the hiss of his breath and, when she cupped him, his groan as he called out her name was almost a savage growl. As she traced her fingers over the outline of his manhood, the strength of the pulsing she could feel proved to her more than words the power of his passion.
He gasped. ‘Not yet, querida, no, I will lose control.’ It was a deep guttural plea and she felt his fingers clench slightly on her bare shoulders as he fought to contain his need.
Before he knew it she had turned beneath him and, lifting herself on her forearms, she touched her lips to his throbbing bulk.
‘I want you to lose control,’ she murmured huskily as she reached into his briefs, pushing them aside, and started to caress him with her lips, her fingers and her hands. ‘I want you inside me, I need you inside me. Please, Ruy, love me.’
Her amber eyes glowed like burnt-orange flames and the fire of her gaze and her improvised yet bold caresses made him groan loudly. She sensed that he was close to the edge and the thought that she was making this passionate hunk of a man, who’d had so many women, moan with uncontrollable pleasure under her inexperienced touch, heated her desire even further. She knew he would not be able to last much longer.
Sure enough, Ruy’s hand grasped Luna’s wrist gently as his other hand stroked her face so near to his raging arousal, his eyes blazing with primitive hunger as he looked down at her. He bent his head towards her and gently tasted her lips, his hands running over her, shaping the curves of her body. Peeling off her bikini top, which was still cleaving to her breasts, his tongue darted forward, exploring and savouring the inside of her mouth, possessing it with long, languid strokes of his tongue.
He then rid her of her bikini briefs, for a moment just taking in her nakedness exposed to him under the sun, in all its vulnerability. The heat of his gaze seared her and her breath quickened imperceptibly as she waited, eager for him to give her some release.
Luna’s senses were already sharpened, her nerve ends quivering with the need that had been niggling at her all day. Her flesh burned with the flames of her passion. When Ruy kissed her again, her trembling lips parted instinctively to drink in the sweetness of his kiss. Her breasts were hard and aching when he cupped them and his mouth felt good against the dark aureoles as he licked and nibbled and teased. His palm slid over her stomach, massaging it with strong circular strokes that sent electric shocks to her pelvis. She could feel the hot moisture flooding her and she wanted to pull his hand down to her need, but she trusted his love and his skill, having learnt that anticipation only heightens pleasure and makes the final release so much sweeter.
He played her like an instrument; his lips, tongue and hands roaming and stroking, revelling in her beauty and in her generosity; and she responded under his skilled fingers. Luna did not hold back. She gave herself up to him, body and soul, relishing each caress, each stroke; urging him on, her body moving sensuously under him, telling him what pleased her most. Her eyes pleaded, her lips begged and he obeyed, but always holding back as soon as he felt she was going to peak.
Now his hands brushed down the inside of her thighs … yes, she had been waiting for that … ‘Yes, don’t stop,’ she half sobbed as the tip of his fingers separated the silken petals and found the swollen nub. She parted her legs wide, and wider still, panting and arching her back, letting her body speak.
So he bent over and took her in his mouth, his tongue exploring the secret hollows that sheltered her womanhood, probing and licking until she was shuddering, entreating him to put her out of her misery.
‘Do you want me now, querida?’ he whispered between caresses. Luna groaned incoherently and he lifted himself over her, his kisses moving to her mouth to stop her protest, becoming deeper and more insistent. Their limbs tangled wildly and Ruy let her roll him over on to his back. Luna boldly straddled his hips, now almost frantic to feel him inside her. His eyes were feverish with the same raw urgent need as he stared up at her face.
‘I want it to be as thrilling for you as it is for me,’ she whispered, feeling his heated masculine hardness strain against her in a desperate need to penetrate her.
He sought her secret treasure with his naked flesh and, at first, he moved her up and down along his rigid length, feeling her slick, saturated heat, slowly at first and then faster, guided by her moans. Then, without him needing to guide her, she sank down on him, making them both gasp as he penetrated her fully.
They moved rhythmically together, kissing, sucking, caressing and touching each other intimately, every limb, every inch of their flesh revelling in the pleasure they were giving each other. Now they were shivering and rocking, breath accelerating and moans growing louder as their senses spiralled out of control into an ocean of sensations where nothing existed but the whirlwind of ecstasy that enfolded them.
Ruy’s hands spread over her hips while his upward thrusts became harder and harder, meeting her frenzied lust, their wild sexuality colliding with such power they felt themselves merging in a fiery stream of desire. He gripped her waist, his features taut, calling her endearing names, groaning his passion and his need for her as he thrust against her, his tip hard and silky inside her, sending flames of delicious pleasure to her core.
Egging each other on, pushing their fever to the brink, the rhythm of their movements escalated as white-hot flames devoured them. They were close, so close to the edge, their breath rasping in their throats as the aching torment built inexorably inside them. She parted her thighs even wider so his rigid length could delve deeper into her, moving sensually but aggressively so every part of her soft moist core teased and caressed him, her thighs clinging to his loins as she rode him, pushing him ever onwards. The hoarse moans of Ruy murmuring her name, his pupils dilated in sensuous agony as his hands moved restlessly over her entire body, only sent her to new peaks of excitement.
Then suddenly she felt him shudder violently and cry out her name as he flooded her with his warm seed, and she felt the rush of fierce rippling spasms rake her body. Her head thrown back, her nails digging into his shoulders, they soared higher and higher in ecstasy and her sobs joined his, louder and louder as every wave of red-hot pleasure hit her, their ever-growing pace and strength rippling in spirals through her body, making her gasp and bringing tears to her eyes.
Now she lay on top of his trembling body, against his pounding heart, every nerve still quivering with the power of the storm that had hit her. His arms enfolded her tenderly and he smoothed a hand over her damp hair soothingly as he whispered loving words into her ear.
‘Dios mio, Luna, my beautiful, sensuous Amazon,’ he murmured, his breathing still ragged. ‘No other woman has put me through such exquisite torment and brought me to such a shattering release.’
She rolled off him gently and nuzzled down into the crook of his arm. For a while they lay trembling, bodies still entwined, replete though spent, and chests heaving, drawin
g air into their exhausted lungs.
Luna’s heart swelled with love and tenderness for Ruy as she nestled in his warm embrace, just wanting to be next to him and to bask in the wonders of her new-found love.
Ruy turned his head and gazed at her adoringly. He pulled her even more tightly to him. ‘Luna, mi pequeña bruja, Luna, my little witch,’ he whispered, his voice still husky. ‘Tell me where you’ve learnt how to drive a man to insanity in this way.’
‘In your arms and under your touch, Ruy,’ she whispered. Love flamed in her eyes as she rolled on to her stomach and met his dark-blue tender gaze. ‘You’ve made me feel sensations I never knew existed. I thought I was frigid but you’ve brought my body to life.’ She shook her head, bewildered. ‘I often wondered what it was all about and, from time to time, I felt left out in the cold.’
Ruy’s eyes turned to blue pools of molten infinity at the frankness of her words. ‘I’m not the same person either, querida. You’ve bewitched me.’ His fingers caressed her cheek, then trailed down to her jaw, tilting her face to him as he stared into her liquid amber eyes. ‘You’ll never be out in the cold again, mi amor.’
They dozed and, when they woke up, the sun was streaming fiercely on the bright blue sea. On the smooth waters, distant sailboats looked like novelty ships floating over glass. The humid heat of early afternoon simmered around them and, in the torrid stillness, the silver mirage of the town of Conil across the water, white as platinum, shimmered insubstantially in the air.
Luna was the first to raise herself up. Turning over on her side, she rested on her elbow, stared down at Ruy’s body sprawled on the towel next to her and listened to the steady rhythm of his breathing. He was magnificent, the sun highlighting the gold of his strong chest and broad shoulders, the narrowness of his hips and his long and lean muscular legs. Her gaze slid back up to where she discerned a faint scar over his right hip that she’d never noticed before. Before she thought to ask about it, Ruy stirred.
He blinked and opened his eyes. They widened as they focused on her, now of the palest blue. He gave her one of his dazzling smiles and stretched out his lithe limbs before springing to his feet with the agility of a panther. ‘Let’s have a quick dip before lunch,’ he suggested. ‘Would you like that? The sea isn’t deep enough for diving but perfectly adequate for swimming and snorkelling.’
Legacy Page 41
