by Melody Grace
“Hey!”
The delicious pressure suddenly disappears as Dex is dragged back from me. I look up, dazed, to find Garrett pulling him away.
“This is a family establishment,” he warns us sternly, but I can see the laughter in his eyes. “Do I have to book you guys a room?”
I feel my cheeks burn. Dex wrenches free from Garrett, breathing hard.
“You’re a brave man, interrupting like that,” he growls.
Garrett laughs. “Get out of here, before you make scene. Carina says we need new entertainment, but I don’t think she had a live floor show in mind.”
Oh God. Embarrassment crashes over me. I look around to see if anyone else just witnessed out epic make-out, but Dex is already grabbing my hand and yanking me fast towards the exit.
“Wait up,” I gasp, breathlessly trying to keep up with him. He throws the door open, and practically drags me outside into the dusk light. It’s evening now, the heat of the day cooling to a warm breeze, but my body is still on fire as Dex hustles me around the side of the building, out of sight of the street. He pushes me back against the wall and lowers his head to kiss a fevered path down my neck.
“Not here,” I protest weakly, trying to keep control. “Someone will see!”
Dex doesn’t reply. He licks along my collarbone, and I sink back, overwhelmed. His hands are back on my body, right where they belong, and his mouth is working miracles, teasing the sensitive skin, licking and sucking at me as his hips grind me back into the solid brick wall. The friction shivers through me, brighter than stardust, igniting the flames all over again.
More.
As if in answer, Dex shifts, pressing his thigh between my legs, and now the pressure is sweet, so sweet, an ache taking hold of me, low between my thighs. I arch up, shamelessly grinding into him, feeling his body stiffen against me. Hard. He reaches for my chest again, tugging the neckline of my dress lower and licking down along the edge. I shudder under his tongue, running my hands through his hair, pinning him to me, wanton and crazy with desire.
I shouldn’t be doing this, I try to tell myself. I shouldn’t be liquid in his arms, out here where anyone could see.
You’re not this kind of girl, a distant voice scolds me, but as Dex’s thumb grazes across my breast, finding my nipple through my dress, teasing me, toying with me until the bud is stiff and aching under his hands, I let it go. The voice is gone, drowned under a torrent of need.
I am that girl now. I am.
And God, it feels so good.
A burst of music suddenly blasts through the parking lot. A car pulls in, just around the corner, the radio playing loud.
The noise pierces my haze of desire. I pull back, gasping for air. “Dex…”
His mouth keeps exploring my skin. His hands squeeze tight.
I battle with myself, wanting to stay in this dizzying embrace, but knowing that soon, too soon, we’ll be crossing a line I can’t take back.
Not here. Not like this.
“Dex!” I say it again, stronger, and push at his chest.
He releases me in an instant. “What?” he demands, his eyes glittering and dark with lust.
My stomach twists. Dear lord, I want this man.
“People. Here. Can’t.” I barely manage to mumble the words. Coherent thought is beyond me now.
Dex looks around, slowly slipping back to reality. The sound of people in the parking lot, just around the building. The noise of music, drifting from inside the bar. The marina, ocean bright and blue just down the street.
“Fuck,” he swears in a low mutter. He reaches for me again, but this time, it’s a hand cupping my cheek, gentle and reassuring. He inhales a ragged breath, twisting his lips in a rueful smile. “I’d give every damn cent I own to be back in my bedroom right now.”
I flush, recovering. “Me too,” I whisper. “But, I don’t think my net worth stacks up to yours.”
Dex gives me a dark look. “Some good it’s doing me now.” He takes another breath, and then adjusts his jeans. “Damn woman, you’re killing me right now.”
“Right back at you,” I say, weak and breathless.
He smiles at me, then laughs. “Come on, you wicked thing.” He scoops me against him, smoothing down my hair and dropping an affectionate kiss on my forehead. “We can pick this up at home. After all, you owe me on that bet.”
“What are you talking about? You didn’t win!” I protest, following him back to the car.
“I was about to,” he replies.
“Almost doesn’t count.” I pretend to pout. “It was a draw.”
“So we both pay a forfeit?” Dex raises his eyebrow. His gaze turns hotter, and my heart skips another beat. “I like the sound of that.”
I slide into the passenger seat, my body singing, my blood twisting tighter. On fire. Doesn’t he realize I don’t need a bet to make me do his bidding?
Anything he asks of me, I’ll do.
13.
The drive back to the beach house is barely a few minutes. When we pull into the driveway, my heart is still racing, my blood burning hot and hungry in my veins.
I have no idea what’s going to happen next, and oh, how that thrills me.
Dex shuts off the engine and gets out, so I open my door. Before I can take a step, Dex is at my side, taking my hand and pulling me to my feet. I stumble against him, only a little by accident, and relish the feel of his body, hard and muscular against mine.
I flash back to the sight of him half-naked last night and feel a shudder.
I want to see his body again. And this time, I want to touch.
I head for the front door, but Dex tugs on my hand, stopping me. “Not that way,” he grins, leading me around the side of the house to the pool area in back. It’s the first time I’ve been down here, and I drink it in. Luxurious loungers are lined up, facing the turquoise pool and the stretch of golden beach beyond. Dex picks up a remote, and then a moment later, music starts to play from hidden speakers set all around the pool.
“This is amazing, like a hotel,” I tell him.
“Better.” He slides his hands around my waist, laughingly pulling me back against him. “Because I’ve got you here all to myself.” He drops his head to kiss along my shoulder, and I shiver, closing my eyes.
For a moment, I just breathe it in. The evening sun, warm on my skin; the scent of saltwater in the air. Dex’s arms holding me tight against him, his body, hard against my back.
Then he murmurs into my ear with a throaty, low rasp.
“Let’s go skinny-dipping.”
“What?” I break away, turning in surprise. Dex grins back at me, looking devious and sexy as hell.
“The bet was for anything I wanted,” he reminds me with a wicked smile. “Well, I want this.”
I blink, my mind racing. “In the pool, right now?” I stutter. “But…but…”
The thought sends a thrill straight through me, but it’s broad daylight. Open to the beach. The kind of crazy stunt I’ve never dreamed of pulling.
“I can’t,” I tell him, my heart racing. “Anyone could see.”
“Suit yourself.” Dex shrugs, and then before I can say a word, he suddenly sweeps me up in his arms, takes a running jump, and hurls us into the pool.
Splash!
The cold water hits me in a shock. I shriek as it closes over my head and then I’m under, flailing in the deep. But Dex’s arms are still tight around me, and he doesn’t let go for a moment. He kicks off the bottom, pulling me up to break the surface with a gasp.
“What the…?” I splutter, wiping water from my face. I tread water, gasping for air with my dress clinging heavy around my body. “I’m soaked through!”
Dex grins, splashing in lazy circles around me. “Your choice,” he laughs. “My way would have been easier.”
“I can’t believe…you just…” I try to stay mad at him, but the water is glorious, cool and refreshing in the summer heat. And Dex…Lord, he looks good. His wet hair is
plastered close to his skull, and as I watch, he strips off his T-shirt and tosses the wet ball over to the edge of the pool.
“What do you say?” he grins, his hands moving down to the waistband of his jeans. “Want to give that skinny-dipping a try?”
I bite my lip, watching as he splashes out of his pants too. They join his T-shirt on the tile, screwed up in a wet heap. His hands go to the waistband of his underwear.
“That’s enough!” I yelp in a strangled voice.
Dex laughs, but he doesn’t protest. He just kicks back, floating on his back in the middle of the pool with a contented sigh.
The sun glistens on his naked chest. My heart races faster, making me brave.
Making me bold.
“Fine,” I blush, slipping one strap and then the other over my shoulders. “But only because I’ll drown with all this fabric weighing me down.”
“Whatever you say, sweetheart.” Dex doesn’t open his eyes, floating there, so I shimmy the wet dress off my body, peeling away the fabric that’s clinging to my skin. I leave it on the edge of the pool, and take a few nervous strokes, self-conscious in my bra and panties.
But Dex ignores me, and slowly, I relax. The cool water feels amazing against my skin, and the music is soft and soothing, a sultry jazzy song. I swim a couple of laps of the pool, turning onto my back to kick gentle splashes, floating like I did when I was a kid. I drift, letting my mind go blank, my body weightless, losing myself between the water and the sky.
When I close my eyes, all I can see is him.
Those dark eyes, that beautiful body, all hard edges and muscle. Lean. Powerful. He’s floating beside me, but I don’t need to look over to remember every inch. It’s branded on my memory, burning behind my closed eyelids.
When I feel his touch, sliding over my bare stomach, it’s almost like I willed it there.
I catch my breath, still floating, my eyes closed. It takes everything I have not to reach for him, or make a move to break my buoyancy.
Dex treads water beside me, leaning to kiss the side of my torso as his fingertips trail hot against my cool skin. He traces around my bellybutton, sending shocks of awareness through my whole body.
I shiver.
Now his touch trails upwards, across my ribcage, soft as a whisper up the center of my chest, teasing along the lacy edge of my bra.
Dear Lord.
The sensation is too much to stay still. I rise up against his touch and lose my balance, suddenly falling in the water. But Dex shifts position, slipping under to support me so I’m lying back against his chest in a lifeguard’s hold. He kicks steadily, keeping the both of us afloat, his hands free now to roam softly across my skin, teasing my shoulders, my stomach, my chest…
I let out a whimper as his fingertips graze my nipples. I can see my body, floating in front of me, my breasts swelling, the buds dark rose beneath my pale lace bra. Dex’s hands sweep over me in a soft, dizzying rhythm, toying with me until I’m aching, desperate for more than this tormenting caress.
“Dex,” I murmur, restless in his arms. I can’t keep floating like this for much longer, not with my body wired so tight. Dex kicks back with powerful strokes, steering us into the shallows, so he’s leaning against the wide steps, with me lying on top of him, part submerged. His front to my back, our bodies hot, the water so cool.
His touch grows firmer, sliding down my stomach and along the waistband of my wet panties.
Oh...
My head falls back against his shoulder, and I tilt my face to his neck, breathing him in, reaching out with my tongue to taste his skin: saltwater and heat and him.
Dex lets out a low groan, shifting beneath me. I can feel him, hard against my back, and as his touch dances lower, over the damp fabric, the hardness grows.
He slowly, softly, strokes between my thighs.
Jesus.
I moan, arching needy against his touch. He circles again, too soft, barely brushing against my swollen nerves, but the feeling is electric, setting my nerves alight.
“Dex,” I gasp against him, my voice thick with need, my body strung out and liquid in his arms. I’m mindless here, gripping onto his biceps to keep myself in place as his fingers stroke in lazy rhythms over my panties, up across my trembling stomach, back down to dance over my aching core.
It’s heaven. It’s pure torment.
It’s a revelation.
I sink into him, surrendering completely to his slow, certain caress. I don’t know how long we’re suspended in this weightless place—everything melts away. I hear the water lapping against us, feel the sun hot against my skin, his fingertips stroking gently, stirring my body into a tight knot of sensation that shivers and gasps at his every touch.
But it’s not enough. The ache between my thighs grows, need twisting in the pit of my stomach, hungry and raw. His touch is still barely a whisper, gliding over my skin, barely brushing me through my panties until I can’t take it anymore.
With a moan, I twist around, sliding my legs on either side of his torso so I’m straddling him in the shallow water. I take his face in my hands, registering the dark look of desire in his eyes before I take his lips in a fevered kiss.
This. This is what I need.
His mouth is hot, hungry. I kiss him desperately, surging against him, and Dex groans, gripping my hips hard and grinding me down into the hardness in his lap. The pressure hits just right, a stardust of friction bursting through my body, taking my breath away.
I arch against him, reckless. Ravenous for more. He breaks away with a growl, tugging my hair with one hand to tilt my head back and kiss down my neck, licking hungrily along the damp skin. I shudder, writhing at the sensation. He yanks my bra straps down, kissing lower across the swell of my breast until his lips close around my nipple and he sucks, hard.
Yes!
I cry out, tangling my fingers in his damp hair, holding his mouth against me as his tongue rasps across my sensitive bud, sending sweet shards of pleasure ricocheting through my body. He licks and suckles, driving me half-wild with desire before switching his attention to my other breast, rocking his hips against me in a dizzying rhythm, driving me higher, tighter, closer to the edge.
Finally he drags his head away and looks at me, eyes black with desire. “Dammit, Alicia,” he growls, breath coming in labored gasps. “Do you know what you’re doing to me?”
I can only whimper, still rocking against him for another sweet burst of pressure. Whatever he’s feeling, it can’t be worse than me. I’m mindless, dizzy with pure longing when he suddenly stands, effortlessly lifting me with him, my legs still locked around his waist.
Dex climbs out of the pool and strides across the deck area, holding me tight. Water drips from our bodies, leaving a trail across the tile as he climbs the stairs up to the house. I cling to him, savoring the feel of his body as he crosses the living room, heading determinedly down the hallway to the master suite.
Dex throws open the door and deposits me in the middle of his huge king-sized bed. I fall back on the crisp white linens with a gasp, and then there’s no time to think because he’s covering my body with his, every inch of delicious hard muscle bearing me down into the soft bedding as he kisses me until the world is gone, and I’m molten and gasping in his arms.
Dear Lord, his mouth is a miracle. Desire floods my body, the touchpaper lit, the flames burning hotter than ever. His hands rove everywhere, touching, squeezing at my sensitive flesh, and I arch up against him, wrapping my legs around his waist, wishing there was nothing left between us at all.
It feels so good to be beneath him, pinned in place, my body cradled in his arms. I’m undone, stealing greedy kisses from his lips and down his neck, teasing my tongue against his jawline and sucking his earlobe in my mouth.
Dex groans, wrenching away from me. He rocks back on his heels, kneeling above me, his eyes devouring me. The sun is bright behind him, casting his body in shadows. A dark smile plays on his lips, the kind that makes my stom
ach turn over in a slow spin.
“I’ve pictured you here a hundred nights,” he tells me. “You drove me half-crazy, leaving me alone that night. I swore, if I got you back here, I’d make you never want to walk away again.”
His words crash over me. I reach for him, needing his touch, but Dex doesn’t move.
“You’re so beautiful,” he says hoarsely, his eyes black with passion. “I need to see you.” he pauses, his voice tightening in a low, commanding tone.
“I want to see you touch yourself.”
My heart stops.
I inhale a quick gasp, my mind racing. I’ve been going mad with desire all day now, but my dreams of Dex have always been secret in the night. Neon light and black shadows, a place to hide away my insecurity and doubts.
There’s no hiding here. Sunlight is streaming through the windows, bright and warm, the room crisp and white around me. And still, Dex watches me.
Waiting.
“Show me,” he demands. “Show me where you want my hands.”
Oh god.
My heart racing, I hesitantly trail my fingertips over my breasts.
Dex’s breath catches. His eyes flash, dark.
Emboldened, I slowly trace around each nipple, feeling the rush of sensation from my touch. I imagine these are his hands, his touch. My eyes are locked on his hot, hungry stare, watching him watch me, and it’s so sexy, so intimate, I hear myself whimper softly.
“More,” Dex demands roughly. He clutches the bedcovers, crumpling them in his fists. I want those hands on me, need him so desperately, but there’s a new thrill taking me over now.
The power of seduction, making him pant and groan for me.
I want to drive him wild.
Slowly, I rise up on my knees. Keeping his gaze, I roll my nipple between my fingers, squeezing harder. Pleasure shivers through me, I moan again, louder.
Dex curses under his breath. His body is shaking with tension, and I can see the proof of his desire outlined, hard under his underwear.
I want to touch him.
