What I Did On My Summer Vacation...: The Guy DietLight My FireNo Reservations (Harlequin Blaze)

by Thea Devine

  Two seconds later, to her immense relief, the red cap waved back. Help was on the way.

  She just had to keep moving, so she started swimming in slow circles. She hoped to God there were no sharks in the water with her. Or jellyfish. Edie really hated the idea of big, gloopy, stinging jellyfish.

  Her fingers were so stiff from the cold water that it took her several tries to get her top back on, gulping several mouthfuls of salt water as she did so.

  A moment later, she heard a humming noise. A hundred feet or so ahead of her, Joel and his red hat bobbed over the swells in a small Zodiac, heading right for her. She was so relieved that she cried out, choking on another mouthful of water, but she waved her hands and did what she could to make sure he didn’t lose sight of her.

  The craft pulled up beside her, and before she could say so much as much as one word, she was grabbed, hoisted fully out of the water and plopped unceremoniously in the bottom of the boat. It took a second of Joel staring at her in disbelief before she realized she was nearly topless, her swimsuit bra sliding every which way.

  “Oh!” She coughed, still spitting out water, covering herself with one arm while she pushed her hair back and pulled herself into a more normal position, trying to adjust her top.

  “Here. Wrap up—your lips are turning blue,” Joel said gruffly, tossing her a towel from where he sat as he restarted the motor and turned back to the cove.

  He sounded cranky, but she barely noticed. She was freezing, exhausted and just so happy to be out of the water that nothing mattered as long as he got her back to terra firma. Wrapping up in the towel, putting her face to the sun, she still couldn’t seem to feel any warmth, and she shivered uncontrollably.

  They pulled up beside the larger boat, and Joel attached the Zodiac quickly, reaching down and helping her to her feet. Her knees gave way at first, but then, embarrassed, she held her own as he supported her from the back, getting her up on deck.

  “C’mon, brisk walk, jumping jacks, whatever you have to do to get the blood moving.”

  “I’m so tired, my limbs feel like spaghetti,” she said breathlessly, but did as she was told, making a few small hops and shaking out her arms. She started to feel more normal, if still cold and exhausted. She walked toward the bench along the rail of the boat, but tripped, her knees like rubber, gasping as Joel caught her. His hands moved over her briskly, rubbing warmth into her skin.

  “Thank you so much,” she whispered, leaning into his warm chest and closing her eyes for a moment. His hands gripped her shoulders. Her eyes shot open to see Joel’s stark ones staring into hers.

  “Okay, you look better. We can go to the doctor if you want to.”

  “No, I’m okay. I just have to get warm.”

  “How did you end up out there? You would have been dead if I hadn’t seen you.”

  She was too tired to be indignant at his tone as his chin brushed her forehead. “I got caught in a rip—could happen to anyone.”

  “You shouldn’t have gone out there alone.”

  She didn’t look at him, knowing she’d been stupid and impulsive, and that he was right. Yet, she felt stubborn. “I’m a good swimmer. I would have made it back, just a hell of a lot slower.”

  “Hypothermia sets in fast. I didn’t think to warn you about the currents, so I’m sorry, too. At least you didn’t panic,” he said, continuing to hold her close. His skin was so hot next to hers, she felt as though he was transferring heat directly to her. She cuddled in, seeking the heat.

  “My father drilled this stuff into us since we were kids, but you know, you never really think it will happen.”

  “Smart thinking with the bathing-suit top. That yellow stands out. Though I have to say, you look pretty great without it, as well.”

  She heard the smile in his voice, and relaxed. Joel was warm and solid, and he smelled great. She sighed and rubbed her cheek against his shirt like a cat.

  “You sure you’re okay?” He slid one arm around her shoulders, and tipped her chin up so he was looking right into her eyes.

  “More than,” she said, looking into his eyes and not bothering to hide that she was completely turned on. Maybe it was the near-death experience, but she wanted Joel to keep warming her up—and then some.

  His eyes narrowed, watching her, and drifted down to her lips. “I see,” he murmured, his mouth next to hers. A second later he was kissing her, and then it was like being hit by several hundred volts of electricity. She went from cold to warm to hot in seconds, and moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck, arching closer.

  She’d been right. Joel was definitely a man who knew what he was doing.

  His lips were hard, hot and insistent, prying her lips apart as he invaded her, tasting her deeply. He kissed like a man, like a very hungry, determined man. There was no introduction or hesitation, just raw passion between them.

  As his hands moved to her breasts, she hesitated for a split second. What was she doing? She was out in the middle of the morning, with a strange man, half-naked….

  Her hesitation passed as his hands slipped over her. It was wonderful.

  “Damn…you’re just as soft as you look,” he said, lowering his head and drawing a hard, eager nipple into his mouth.

  Sensation ripped through her and she pressed into him, letting him tease and suck, passion spiking. Sexy and bold, she could let loose and do whatever she wanted. Then remembering they were out in the open, she looked around.

  “Maybe we should check out the…”

  He drew away, looked up at her, his breathing faster, his cheeks ruddy, eyes darkening.

  “I have a small cabin below, but I’ve been remodeling it. There’s no bed.”

  “Don’t need a bed, just some privacy,” she said playfully.

  The few men she’d been with, it had always been at night, in a bed, sometimes with the lights on, but that was the limit of her sexual craziness. The idea of no bed at all was exciting, and being here on Joel’s boat, she couldn’t wait to see what they would do to improvise. The way he was looking at her was enough to convince her she was doing the right thing—his eyes were devouring her, and she felt like the sexiest woman on earth.

  She leaned in and kissed him again, becoming the total sex kitten she’d always wanted to be.

  “What are we waiting for?”

  Luckily, Joel wasn’t content to wait, either, sliding his arms under her and lifting her up, nibbling her shoulder as they walked down the narrow steps.

  “You’re delicious,” he said, and she smiled.

  “You don’t know that yet, but I wouldn’t mind you finding out.”

  “Jesus,” he said gustily, and she was fascinated as she watched his pulse pound visibly in his neck. A riff of excitement thrilled through her as she watched him shuck his shorts and shirt, seeing he had nothing on underneath.

  He leaned down, kissed her without preamble, and the kiss was even hotter than before. She covered his hands as they worked her breasts. He was obsessed with her breasts, and she didn’t mind one bit. She slid her hands down his body exploring every glorious inch of it, then closed her hand around his cock, stroking, loving how large and velvety he was. He broke away from her, his breathing hard.

  “It’s been a while, I’m afraid, and I don’t know that I can last too long if you keep stroking me like that,” he said raggedly.

  “There’s no need to wait,” she said sincerely, so turned on she wanted him inside her now and wasn’t coy about losing her own bathing-suit bottoms. He pulled his wallet out of his shorts, removed a condom and sheathed himself, his eyes fixed on her the whole time. She held his gaze, the tender spot between her legs aching and wet, needing what he was promising. She’d never been this hot, this ready, for any man.

  “That table is sturdy and bolted to the floor,” he suggested, nodding to a small square table in the corner. Edie walked to the table and turned, looking at Joel.

  She ran a hand over the table’s surface, which was polished,
but still could leave a sliver in her backside—not terrifically sexy—and opted to lean. The notion of Joel standing behind her blinded her with lust. She’d never been done that way before, and so she planted her elbows on the table, peeking back at him sexily.

  “This work for you?”

  “You couldn’t be more perfect,” he said admiringly, massaging her bottom and exploring all the soft skin open to his touch. She shuddered with pleasure as his fingertips prodded at forbidden spaces, testing her, excitement making her fingers form into fists on the cool surface of the table. She planted her feet wide, adjusting to the movement of the boat, and moaning when the slight rocking motion just added to the heat of his touches.

  It was like being lifted out of herself into a dream, into the sexy, incredible life of someone she’d always wished she could be.

  “I’m so ready, Joel,” she said, unashamed of the raw need in her tone, and lifted her hips slightly, issuing a blatant invitation. He took advantage, sliding one, then two fingers inside her. She knew she was completely open to him from his vantage point, and it excited her more than she could stand. She pressed backward, seeking the motion and the satisfaction she craved.

  “Oh!” she gasped as her inner muscles coiled, tightening almost painfully around his fingers. She’d never been penetrated this way, so surely, so…completely. His thumb sneaked forward to press on the hard, hot nub of her clit, and she cried out, pushing back harder.

  “Come for me, sweetheart,” he ordered sexily, inserting his fingers a little deeper, rubbing a little more insistently, and she was happy to comply as shocks of pleasure rippled through her, everything falling away from her in several long seconds of ecstasy.

  She stilled, held her breath as he nestled close behind her, withdrawing his fingers and bending over her, his strong, slick hands closing over her breasts as the end of his erection nudged her opening.

  “Your breasts drive me wild. Hearing you come drives me wild,” he said against her skin. She couldn’t hold back a whimper of need, the rush of heat liquefying into a torrent of pleasure at the contact. Holding herself steady, she moaned as he buried himself deep with one masterful thrust and a masculine groan of satisfaction.

  “You are so damned tight,” he murmured, sliding his tongue over her back and leaving wet kisses all over her skin as his hands clamped down on her breasts. He withdrew, then drove home again, hard and long, making her entire body convulse with sensation.

  Whispering hot words and encouraging her to come for him again, he slid one hand down to massage her intimately, which also served to push her pelvis up and back so he could enter her even more deeply.

  His long, hard thrusts became faster and harder, his skin slapping against hers, the butterfly motions of his fingers creating a delicious contrast with the way he took a nipple between his fingers, pinching until it was almost painful, but not quite. The onslaught of his touch inside and out ultimately catapulted her over the brink. She swore she could feel his orgasm pulse inside her as he came right after she did, his groans of pleasure sweet against the skin of her shoulder.

  It was the only time she’d ever come so hard she couldn’t remember anything but the orgasm. It had been…surreal, like being lifted out of reality and then set back again.

  “Joel…my knees are shaking,” she said, huskily. He straightened, moving out from between her legs to draw her back against him, supporting her.

  “You are…incredible,” he said, tasting her, kissing her so sweetly she felt the desire building again, and wiggled against him. “I want to say we shouldn’t have done that, but I’m very glad we did.”

  “Me, too. It was so good, Joel,” she said dreamily. “Fun.”

  He turned her around and tipped her chin so she could see him. He looked like a Greek Adonis in the sunlight streaming through the porthole, looking down at her, his eyes lazy from satisfaction. “No regrets?”

  “There’s no way I could regret that.” She shook her head, letting it rest on his shoulder. “I have to admit, I’ve never even slept with a man on the first or second date, let alone doing what we just did within hours of meeting, but that’s what vacation is for, right?”

  She was saying it for herself as much as him. She’d remember this moment until her last day, in fact, she was quite sure it might come back as her final thought. She’d die with a smile, for sure.

  He grinned and her heart tumbled in her chest. Had a man ever smiled at her and made her entire reality crash around her like that?

  “Yeah, I guess that is what vacations are for.”

  “You know what?”

  “What?”

  “I want to do it again,” she said mischievously.

  “Wildcat,” he said approvingly, but then turned serious. “I just don’t want there to be any misunderstandings. Temporary fun is all I’m up for, Edie. I really don’t want to get involved right now. I did come here to be alone.”

  She nodded, the warm afterglow hanging on and making her mellow. “I can understand that, and our original deal holds as far as I’m concerned. We can go our separate ways and enjoy our time, but if we decide to do this again, I wouldn’t argue.”

  He looked at her as though she’d given him the most amazing gift, quickly followed by a flash of disbelief and doubt.

  “I promise, no strings, Joel. I want the same thing you do, just some summer fun.”

  She slid her hand around the back of his neck, drawing him down and kissing him with every ounce of desire inside her. She was quite sure this would be the best vacation of her life, even as her heart made her question how sure she was about what she’d said to Joel.

  She’d never had really casual sex before, sex that she knew wouldn’t lead anywhere, but she would stick to her word, no matter what. As Joel gathered her up and covered her lips with his, he proceeded to erase any nagging worries from her mind.

  3

  JOEL HUNG OVER the side of the boat, leaning awkwardly down over the rail to sand a patch of fiberglass that needed to be resealed and painted. Sweat dripped down his brow, and he paused for a moment, getting a breath.

  In four days he’d gotten a lot done, working on the boat most of the day and catching up with Edie when she was home. As promised, she was gone a lot, too—at the beach, down in town, shopping and keeping herself busy.

  After that first time on the boat, they’d kept to the plan and spent their days on their own, but at night, in the house, they couldn’t keep their clothes on for more than five minutes. It was hands-down the best sex he’d ever had. She had no reservations, no inhibitions, and he showed no signs of being tired of it, either.

  That was worrisome.

  Make no mistake, Joel liked sex, but he’d never craved it the way he did lately. He wasn’t getting involved with this girl and compounding the mistakes he’d already made in life, he told himself, starting to scrub at the boat’s surface again with renewed energy.

  Something landed on his backside, and he jerked and hit his head before he saw it was Edie. Her thighs straddled his butt, and she slid her palms up his back, massaging aching muscles. In his dangling position, she had him trapped. He wouldn’t mind except that he went rock-hard immediately, and being sandwiched between her and the hard surface of the deck was a little uncomfortable, though in the best possible way.

  “Hey,” he said, shifting beneath her, “let me up, you hussy.”

  She laughed, lifting up a little and letting him slide back fully onto the deck. He didn’t get up, but he did roll over. She lowered back down, settling the warm valley between her thighs over the bulge in his shorts, her eyes going wide as she wiggled her eyebrows comically.

  “And you’re calling me a hussy?”

  “Men can’t be hussies,” he said, stretching his arms up above his head and lacing his fingers behind, enjoying the view. She looked good enough to eat in a flirty sundress that left very little between them except her panties and his jeans. Those could be very quickly disposed of, he thought.


  Hands planted on his chest, she pressed down just right and closed her eyes. A rosy tint of excitement infused her cheeks, slightly tanned after a few days in the sun.

  “Ohhh, you feel good, and this is tempting, but I was heading into P-town for some shopping and lunch. Want to come with me? I read something about a beach club and a band playing tonight. Sounds fun.”

  He hesitated for a minute, wanting to spend some time with Edie, but that time was about them having sex, not going on a date. Even a casual date was risky. One thing could lead to another and before he knew it, expectations would be formed and he’d be in over his head, digging his way out of another relationship. No, thanks.

  “Sorry, babe.” He shrugged, lifting his hips and rubbing against the hot junction of her thighs. “Have to get these spots painted—can’t leave them exposed to the elements. You have fun, though.”

  Disappointment flickered briefly in her eyes, but she rebounded so quickly he thought he might have imagined it. A second later, she was up and off him, smoothing her dress and smiling brightly.

  “Okay, then. I’m gone. I’ll probably be late.”

  “Wish I could join you, but,” he said with a nod to the area he’d been sanding, hoping he sounded sincere.

  “No problem. I just thought I’d ask.” She smiled promisingly. “Maybe we’ll bump into each other later tonight.”

  “You can count on it.”

  She waved and blew him a kiss, and left.

  That was it. No guilt, no histrionics, tears or pouting. Not what he was used to, and he wasn’t sure why he felt strange that she so easily walked away. It was stupid, since he’d turned down her invitation, right?

  Joel had to admit, Edie was the most straightforward, least manipulative woman he’d ever met. He enjoyed her company, she stayed out of his way, and they had great sex. Sex that she was apparently still interested in, even when he declined to spend the day with her. It was all good. He’d been handed every man’s fantasy: a beautiful woman who enjoyed hot sex and didn’t place any more demands on him than to satisfy her in bed.