by Karen Anders
They broke apart and, spying the fruit on the table, Rio reached for a strawberry. She was suddenly and inexplicably hungry. She bit into the fruit and juice escaped her mouth and dribbled down her chin. But the flesh of the fruit didn’t do anything to slake her hunger. The flesh she craved to touch and explore was so close and so warm all she had to do was reach out and take it.
He picked up a slice of pineapple and bit into the sweet, firm fruit.
“This is good,” he said. “You should try it.” He offered her the fruit but Rio fused her mouth to his and stole the piece inside. He groaned deep in his throat.
“Mmm,” she hummed, licking her lips with the tip of her pink tongue.
SOMETHING INSIDE MAX gave way. The red-tinged sky made her look rosy, turning her bikini a deeper shade. “Rio,” he said softly.
Her lids seemed heavy as she opened her eyes, glittering in the fading light like fireflies.
She moved from sitting astride his lap to straddling him, and his hands moved to her back, to those tantalizing strings. Two quick pulls and the top simply wasn’t there anymore. In the position he was in, it was easy for him to help himself to the very tight tips of her nipples.
He took his sweet time paying almost reverent attention to first one, then the other, turgid tip. She wriggled her hips and gasped as his mouth moved over each nipple.
Using his tongue, he licked at her, the pineapple still in his hand. He rubbed it over the hard points until Rio cried out, panting softly in the night air.
He latched onto her again, biting and licking the juice from her nipples. The taste was tart and sweet on his tongue.
Her soft moans, and the gasps every time he so much as breathed, told him she was in as heightened a state of awareness as he was. It was exactly want he wanted.
He wanted her to respond to him on the most basic level, trying to trick himself into thinking everything with this woman was just sexual.
He’d imagined it wild and tender, carnal and sweet, a roller coaster of sensation, emotion and primal responses, where barriers of any kind could no longer exist.
“This isn’t going to be simple,” he murmured.
“That’s the problem. You’ll have expectations. I don’t know that I can fulfill any of them. I don’t know what you want beyond this moment and I can’t make you any promises.”
“I don’t recall asking for any. One step at a time, okay? Not everything has to be planned out.”
“I just—” She stopped. “Okay.” She smiled sweetly.
He tugged her close, bumped hips with her, making her eyes widen a little. “You can tell I don’t mind in the least.” He slid a hand beneath the heavy hair at her nape and brought her head down. “Maybe tonight you’ll have sweet dreams. If I can do that, it’s enough.” He kissed her then, and put all the promise he felt behind it—things he couldn’t yet put words to. And when she kissed him back, so easily, so honestly, his own barriers began to crumble, ones he hadn’t even been aware were there. By the time he’d broken the kiss, he felt compelled to say, “Okay, so I wasn’t entirely truthful.”
She frowned. “In what way?”
“I don’t think it’ll be enough. I want to know all there is to know about you. Your favorite food, what position you like best in bed, what you’re still not telling me about Fuentes.”
“Max—”
“I can try to promise to be patient, but I’m afraid that’ll end up being something I won’t be able to pull off, either. But I’ll sure give it a try.” He kissed her again, until she was making those soft moans that made him crazy. Then he slid his hands down over her hips, thrusting upward to make contact with his rock-hard length.
She was kissing him back, greedily, squeezing her knees, pulling him toward her.
“Hold on,” he told her, wrapping one arm around her back, the other closing around her nape, keeping her mouth fused to his as he rose. “Ever done it in the surf?”
4
AS DUSK DEEPENED INTO NIGHT, voices had them both on the alert. Company was the last thing Rio wanted. When she met Max’s eyes, she could see it was also something he was very much against.
He moved them around to the end of the cove in a secluded place where water collided with smooth black rock.
He let her legs slip free as sun-warmed water lapped around their ankles, slapped against their calves, thighs and torsos.
Before she could even register the warm rock against her back, her thoughts scattered instantly as his lips closed around one aching tip.
She gasped and arched into him, the exquisite sensations spearing through her, rendering her speechless as well as mindless.
“You taste pretty damn good.”
She was focusing on trying to keep herself from sliding down the rock wall into a puddle at his feet. Pleasure shot through her, from the tips of her breasts, like an arrow straight down between her thighs.
He hooked his fingers around the string of her bikini bottoms and tugged. Slowly. Excruciatingly slowly.
She wanted to tip her head back and close her eyes, and just focus on feeling every sensation. But she couldn’t take her eyes off him. She tried not to tremble so hard, but she couldn’t seem to stop. The warm water sheeted across her naked torso, tapping her aching nipples, sliding across her skin, drenching his hair, dripping off his jaw, as he continued baring her skin to his intently focused gaze.
Her thighs quivered in anticipation of his touch. Even with the water spraying and splashing, 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, urge him to please put an end to the torturous wait. But he continued pushing her bikini bottoms down her thighs, over her calves, slipping his palms up one leg to help dislodge first one foot, then the other.
And now she was naked to him. He slid his hands slowly along the front of her shins, then around the backs of her knees and slowly up her thighs, nudging them apart, just slightly.
She sighed as, once again, his breath fanned across her inner thighs. She thought she’d scream if he didn’t stop there, and finally he slowly drew his tongue along her most sensitive flesh. Part whimper, part moan slipped from her mouth.
He grabbed her hands when she tried to urge him on and settled her tighter against the gently sloping rock that made a perfect, firm surface to the hard planes of his body. He drew her hands over her head and went back to his ministrations.
But she was much too restless to leave her hands crossed above her head.
“Be good,” he whispered in her ear as his hard chest pressed thick and strong against her aching breasts. He moved down her body, sucking on her nipple as he eased from the aching tip to her quivering abdomen and finally to her groin. With his big palms, he pressed her legs open, his head dipping down, down until…contact with her aching flesh.
She placed her palms flat against the rock to brace herself against the roiling surf and Max’s clever and delicious tongue.
She arched her back when he found her pulsing clit and circled it with his tongue, burning her with wet flicks and slow, soft swirls.
His groan was audible above the sound of the surf as he leaned in closer, his unshaven cheek scraped her thigh and his breath burst over her sex.
Stab after stab of pleasure trembled through her, building with each movement of his tongue over her sensitive, burning clit.
“Max,” she gasped as water cascaded over them. His tongue never stopped its delicious assault as moans poured out of her in uncontrollable succession. One last splash of water against her aching nipples and the hard, sucking movement of Max’s mouth sent Rio over the edge to a white-hot burst of passion that made her hips buck and her back arch away from the smooth rock.
He slid up her body, bracing her between himself and the rock as he trailed his lips over her torso, pushing her hands up again and linking his fingers through hers as he pressed them on either side of her head.
Water plumed up and over them in a
gentle fall of droplets that helped to cool her exposed skin, but where Max pressed burned as hot as the once-active volcano that had formed this island.
“Man, Max, you…” She couldn’t seem to form coherent words, her thoughts scattered like the spray that sheeted over them in rhythm with the ebb and flow of the surf.
“Shh,” he told her, then pulled her arms down around his neck, tipped her chin up and kissed her.
It was confident, certain and seductive. He didn’t just kiss her lips, he feasted on them, and every touch and taste was an invitation for her to do the same. That was something she was starting to get used to about him. It was clear he wanted a partner in pleasure and that relieved some of her tension. Sex she could do. That was all she could do. She was a strong, confident woman, both in and out of bed. She could quench Max’s desire with her body, but if he ever wanted more…Well, she was done with that.
She’d been through too much, lost too much to ever go down that road again.
His gentle mouth turned urgent, making her feel both needed and wanted at the same time. He tucked his hips against hers, still kissing her deeply, twining his tongue along hers as he pulled her thighs up over his hips, pinning her to the rock. “Rio…” he murmured against her lips. “I don’t want to stop, but—”
“Then don’t.” She buried her fingers in his wet curls and tugged his mouth back to hers. She should use this opportunity to move away, to set boundaries, but she wanted him.
“Protection,” he said, his body tensing as she hooked her heels behind his thighs.
“I’m safe,” she said. “It’s okay.”
He lifted his head, looked her in the eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Very.”
His eyes were so dark, so intense. And it was all in want of her. A heady rush raced through her all over again.
“Rio—”
“I’m protected. And I’m safe. And I want you…deep inside me. Right now.” She was aroused, sexually needy. That was all, she told herself. It didn’t have anything to do with this particular man.
She pushed away the promise she made never to lie to herself.
That feeling, that need, was as thrilling as it was intimidating. But now she wasn’t going to worry about it. Right now, all she wanted to feel was him taking her. He needed no more coaxing as he slid slowly, fully and completely inside her.
“Hold on tight,” he commanded, the words more growl than anything.
She didn’t hesitate to comply with his demand. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and locked her ankles more tightly behind him as he eased her higher on the rock so she could angle her hips upward…and thrust. His broad palms covered her hips, guiding her down onto him. She arched and moaned when he began to move faster.
She clung to him, both of them grunting as his thrusts grew deeper, faster. She wanted to take things more slowly and hang on to the moment as long as she could, but he was thrusting into her and she could only give herself over to it, to the powerful emotions rushing through her.
This is just sex, she tried telling herself firmly. Against her will she felt a bond forming, but she pushed it out of her mind.
And then whatever thoughts she had scattered completely as he slowed, and she could feel his body coil, tense, pull back, all in preparation for what she knew was coming. It was enough to send her over, water pounding against her sweat-slicked torso, as she gasped for air and gave back equally with every thrust he made.
He cried out when he came, his fingers digging into her hips in a way she knew would leave marks…marks so much different than the ones on her ribs. She gave herself over to him, reveled in his shuddering release, tightening around him to give him every last drop 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.
It was several minutes before she came back to herself. Max made no move to leave, or to let her go. And she made no move, either. Their heartbeats eased to a somewhat steadier rhythm. It was the only thing steady about her just then.
It felt better than she could have imagined in his arms. Held so tightly, both cuddled and coddled. It wasn’t like her to accept this level of closeness from anyone, most especially in an instance like this when she was here in his arms under false pretenses. She fought so long and hard for her independence, it had carried over to all aspects of her personal and professional life, including intimacy. So why she so willingly accepted his protection, his surprising gentleness, she had no idea. She chalked it up to the moment…and to her painful past.
It was a whirlwind of activity to get from the secluded cove back to their cabana chair and belongings, and then through the hotel to their room.
After they had showered together, with more touching and exploration than she’d ever experienced with a man before, it was time to dry off.
“That was…” He let the words trail off, but held her gaze, his own intensifying in ways that had her heart rate kicking up again.
“Yeah,” she said softly. “It was.”
He gathered her closer, settling her between his legs, so she was pressed against the full length of him, chest to chest, hip to hip. The soft places of her meeting all the hard planes of him. It felt remarkably fantastic…and far too perfect. She never wanted to leave…but she knew it was inevitable. Two weeks was only two weeks and Fuentes was still out there, still the man who had murdered her stepbrother, Shane. She intended to bring him in dead or alive.
Max rested his chin on her head, and she took the easy way out, nuzzling his chest, keeping their gazes disconnected a little while longer. She didn’t want to risk him seeing anything in her eyes, especially when she hadn’t sorted it herself just yet.
“How about some dinner?”
Thankful for the casual question, she nudged him in his ribs. “Men. It’s either food or sex.”
“Throw in some sports and you’ve got us pegged.”
“I think what we did on those rocks constitutes a sport, my friend. I think that I’m going to feel like I’ve been in a football game and I was the ball.” She shifted in his arms, felt the soreness all over her body and laughed lightly. “Or maybe now.”
“I’ll make you a deal,” he said, pulling back the curtain and snagging towels.
He dangled one in front of her with a smile and she grabbed at it, stepping onto the bath mat. Max slipped a towel around his waist and secured the end. “What would that be?” She reached for a smaller towel and began squeezing the water out of her hair. She felt satisfied, drowsy and contented, and hoped that the mood between them would stay that way. She’d like this fantasy she was experiencing to go on just a little bit longer.
He whipped the towel out of her hands and nudged her around so her back was to him. He rubbed at her hair to get out the excess water.
She felt too comfortable in this intimate role. To alleviate the tension she suddenly felt building in her stomach, she pulled the towel out of his hands and wrapped it around her head.
Max was just too easy to be with. He bent down and kissed the curve of her neck.
Dangerous thinking, but that’s what Max Carpenter did to her.
She sighed and leaned back into him, knowing she could so easily trust this man. She shored up her defenses.
“How about room service?” Max said, lifting her hair and kissing her nape, sending a delicious tingling sensation skittering over her skin. “And I’ll see what I can do to relax those mystery muscles later.”
If only it were that simple: playing house in the vacation capital of the South Pacific.
A cozy, intimate dinner in their room? Not something Rio could handle right now, especially given how vulnerable he was making her feel. Dammit, he wasn’t going to do this to her. She would stay in control. She would complete her mission to keep him occupied. She had a job to do and she would start thinking about that.
“I’d rather dine in the dining room.”
“I don’t know, Rio. The fact that you think you saw someone you recognized has stayed in the back of my mind. It might be safer here in the room. After all, I’m here to keep you safe.”
They had only been in Maui for about five hours and staying here and losing more of the battle with herself wasn’t a smart move. But his words brought back the memory of being in the lobby when she thought she’d recognized the man going into the elevator. A flash of a cheekbone, large fists slamming into her sides, bones cracking and she pulled in on herself. Suddenly, she wondered about her competency. Had that man been one of the goons who had pummeled her and kept her captive?
“What is it you’re not telling me?” he asked.
Her heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t admit to herself she wasn’t competent to make a call about the man she thought she’d seen. The DEA and making Fuentes pay were all she had. He’d taken Shane.
Then Max slipped his finger beneath her chin and turned her gaze to his when she looked away in a vain effort to regroup. “Is something wrong?” he asked, never more sincere, real concern outlined in every inch of his handsome face. “Tell me and we can deal with it together.”
For a split second she wanted to unburden herself and tell him everything, lean on him and trust him. But after everything she’d lost, she couldn’t take that chance with Max. She didn’t do together anymore. Believing in other people was for suckers. She was strictly a solo act now. “No,” she said flatly and pointedly extricated herself from the tight space he’d cornered her into. “I’m more than capable of taking care of myself, but thank you ever so kindly for your concerns. In fact I want to go to dinner and I want to wear the cute white sundress the DEA so generously provided. I’m not helpless or one of your normal assignments, Max. So let’s go.”
She didn’t wait for him, but stepped out of his arms and through the bathroom door with a deliberate calm that cost her more than he’d ever realize.
