Page 72 of Diving In

With the windows down, the wind was warm, the breeze was blowing, and for the first time since Fletcher had died, I didn’t feel guilty about being happy.

Cal turned off the gravel road and accelerated, the speed underneath us and the breeze in my hair inviting me to close my eyes. I wanted to soak up every last second of this moment. If I could bottle this up and save it for a rainy day, I would’ve done it over and over again.

And now I understood why some people said there was magic running through this island. I’d never believed it before, but I couldn’t deny that I felt it right now.

The Jeep came to a stop as Cal pulled his hand back from my thigh. My heart danced as I looked up and caught sight of him. Cal had somehow known that when I said home, I meant myhome. Not the one that I had arrived at the first day here on the island—the one with the fancy coffeemaker, stiff sheets, and a ridiculously large wraparound porch. No, not that home. Instead, staring back at me was the one place that had ever truly felt like home: the little beach cottage that sat tucked away from the rest of the world.

The perfectly painted light pink door was just waiting for me, even after all these years. I glanced over at Cal, his eyes already hovering in my direction. He continued to show me how much he understood me, and that only made my desire for him grow.

Instead of using my words, I smiled, grabbed his hand, and squeezed it. With our hands entangled and the tension pulsing between us, gone was the sweet and tender feeling that had floated between us just a minute ago. In its place was pure yearning and lust, pleading to be released.

The tension had been building since the incident on the boat, and while I had been able to suppress the dancing gypsies in the bottom of my stomach during the drive, they’d relit their fire and the need was back in full force. Just his presence had me wanting to lunge over this center console and straddle myself against him—all of him.

I tried to act normal as I got out of the Jeep, but with every step I took, I was sure I was going to lose my composure any second. I knew we could both feel it, the fire that we had tried to simmer earlier.

Cal clasped my hand in his again as we made our way to the front door, and just as I went to turn the handle, he pulled me into his chest. We were so close I could feel the rhythm of his heartbeat echoing. He brought his hand up to rest underneath my chin for a few seconds before he guided my face upward until my eyes met his and the world ceased to exist.

His breath smelled of fresh spearmint and was hot against my face. Looking into his eyes, the same ones that had taken my breath away that first day at the aquarium, I felt complete.

I finally let a massive smile overtake my face, because no matter what happened next, I’d done what I came here to do. I’d found everything I didn’t know I was missing. I found the truth about Fletcher and Beau, I found peace with Jack, I found Cal, and most importantly, I found myself.

He leaned down to kiss me just as we heard the rumble of fireworks shooting off around us. Still embraced, we turned, peering out from under the front porch as, one after another, sparklers danced through the evening sky. I couldn’t help but smile.

Cal brought my face back to his. “Happy birthday, Georgia James,” he said, a grin matching my own telling me he knew everything I was thinking.

His lips collided with mine and I was thankful I had already unlatched the door, because as soon as the pressure of our bodies fell against it, it swung right open. We both tripped over our own feet, but Cal managed to rebalance my body with his as we pressed up against each other.

Once inside, Cal eagerly pushed me up against the wall next to the front door, stripping off my shirt and bikini top in one fell swoop. Our tongues were desperately hungry for more, exploring at whatever cost. I leaned my head back in pleasure until my neck was greeted by Cal’s mouth, shivers shooting through me like a firework, mimicking the ones right outside the window. Leaving a trail of kisses as he made his way down my body, he inched closer and closer to the one spot that so eagerly awaited his attention, stopping at my rock-hard nipples on his way. With one hand kneading my left breast, his mouth went to work on my right, teasing the dark skin that surrounded my nipple with his tongue. He was only there few a few seconds before continuing his travels downward.

His lips set my skin on fire with every tiny kiss. His fingers followed suit, carefully removing my jeans and swimsuit bottoms without hesitation, exploring every part of me as if he’d discovered uncharted territory and didn’t want to miss a single detail.

He pulled away, leaving me wanting more, so much so I was forced to open my eyes and search for him. I peered down at my naked body, and he wasn’t far, his fingers lingering just centimeters above my skin as he gave me a knowing look that paired with the smirk on his face. I arched my back, trying to find that friction again. I wanted him touching me. I needed him touching me.

And he knew it. In fact, I was pretty sure he was taking pleasure in fucking with me.

A sigh of relief left my mouth when I finally felt the electricity from his fingertips as they caressed my skin again. As I watched him trace my body, I pulled at his white rope hat, removing it to reveal that beautiful sandy brown hair of his. I laced my fingers through his hair and tugged, guiding him closer, his breath making the hairs on my body stand straight up.

The last pull had been a little harder than I anticipated, but he deserved it for making me wait this long. The smallest moan, almost inaudible, left his lips, and I felt my insides spiral. To know that I could make this man lose control was almost enough to make me lose my fucking mind.

The pleasure barreling through my veins opened my eyes to a side of myself that I never even knew existed, a side I wanted to embrace.

I threw my head back, bowing my back and doing anything I could to urge him where I needed him. His entire frame lowered until he made his way to his knees and grinned up at me, his deep blue eyes swimming with pure lust.

We had forgotten to shut the door behind us, and the outside air was brisk, intensifying everything. My entire body shivered, both from the chill and his mouth. He stopped, something he did too often, looking over at the door. He leaned over and quickly shoved the door shut.

“I’ll be the only one making you shiver tonight,” he said, his voice low.

I watched as his tongue traced his lips, clearly enjoying himself as he panted, nearing my entrance. His mouth consumed me in one swift moment, and the way this man controlled his tongue should’ve been illegal. My god.

“Cal,” I whimpered.

“How bad do you want it?” He released me only long enough to mumble those words, and as soon as they left his mouth, I knew it was game over.

This poised, kind, and gentle man had turned out to be so much more than he seemed, and I wanted in on it all. He was rugged, sexy as fuck, and he had needs that were visibly begging to be met.

I gripped his hair a little tighter with one hand and pulled his body closer with the other, managing to mumble, “So fucking bad.”

That egged Cal on, his tongue flirting with the sensitive skin on my inner thigh. The sensation of him being so close made my insides tremble, like a complete out-of-body experience.

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