Page 126 of Seduction Under the Southern Stars

I glance at her as we walk, relieved to see her breathing deeply, the color returning to her cheeks. “All right, sweetheart?” I ask.

She nods. “Better, thank you. I’m sorry about that.”

“You have absolutely nothing to apologize for.” We arrive at our door, but I hesitate. “I’m so sorry.”

Her eyebrows lift. “What for?”

“For taking you into the elevator, for a start—I completely forgot that you don’t like that. And for… restraining you.” I frown. “I keep forgetting, and I’m so sorry.”

To my surprise, she smiles and reaches up a hand to cup my face. “I’m glad. I want you to forget, and I want to forget. You holding me like that…” Her cheeks flush. “It wasn’t a problem. I asked for fifty percent today, didn’t I? That’s exactly what I meant. It was hot. I liked it. I’m beginning to realize that you doing things like that isn’t a problem for me. You and I… we’re so far removed from before that it doesn’t even enter my head. You’ve cleansed me, Linc, washed all the darkness away. Whatever happens between us, I hope you realize what a wonderful thing it is that you’ve done.”

I’m so touched that I can only stare at her, speechless. Her smile spreads, and she takes the key card out of my hand, touches it to the panel, and opens the door. “Come on, gorgeous,” she says, and she leads the way inside.

It’s dark outside, and the only light comes from the lamp we left on beside the bed. The room is pleasantly warm, the blues, greens, and purples of the decor glowing like a sea cave.

She drops the key card onto the table. Toes off her sandals, and I remove my shoes.

She goes over to the lamp and turns it off, plunging the room into darkness. My eyes adjust quickly, as the moon is half full and the sky is full of stars, coating the ship with its silvery light. Then she collects my hand again and leads me across to the sliding doors. She undoes them and pulls them apart, takes me outside, and closes the doors behind us.

It’s cooler out here, the sea breeze blowing across the Pacific and bringing with it the fresh smell of salt and adventure. There are barriers either side of us and a roof above us, so it’s private, although I can hear the music from the party a few decks below us, and voices and clinking glasses around us as people enjoy the evening view from their balconies.

Elora puts a finger to her lips, indicating that we can’t make too much noise. Then she puts her hands on my chest, pushes me up against the side wall, and rises up onto her tiptoes so she can kiss me.

First, she undoes my shirt buttons and pushes aside the two parts of the shirt to bare my skin to the breeze. Then she lifts her arms around my neck, and I slide mine around her waist, pulling her close so our bodies are flush while we kiss. Tonight she’s wearing a long summer dress, and she’s already admitted to me that she’s going commando, thoughts of which tortured me throughout the entire panel. I slide my hands down her back, enjoying the sensation of my fingers passing over her smooth body through the cotton dress. She shivers, and my lips curve up against her as I begin to gather the material in my hands, lifting the bottom of her skirt up her legs.

She sighs but doesn’t stop me. Slowly, I bare her thighs to the sea breeze, and then I slip my hands beneath the material and cup her bare bottom. Oh man, her skin is silky soft, and as I caress her, she moves her hips, pressing her soft mound against my rapidly growing erection.

There’s something incredibly erotic about this, making love outside, in the darkness, the only light from the moon and stars. She obviously wants to have sex out here or she wouldn’t have brought me here, and my pulse speeds up as I consider where would be the best place to take her. She asked me to take my control up to fifty percent—how can I do that and make it exciting for her, taking her out of her comfort zone again, without pushing her too far?

I shouldn’t have restrained her in the elevator, but when I apologized, she said I asked for fifty percent today, didn’t I? That’s exactly what I meant. It was hot. I liked it.

I feel a tad emotional again as I remember her beautiful words: You’ve cleansed me, Linc, washed all the darkness away. Whatever happens between us, I hope you realize what a wonderful thing it is that you’ve done.

That’s what I wanted for her. I wanted her to understand how amazing sex can be. And I wanted to set her free from her past. Liber sum. Maybe we should both get tattoos.

I wouldn’t consider myself an alpha male—I’ve never been in a fight in my life. I abhor violence, and I’ll usually back away from confrontation, using humor to extract myself from a difficult situation. I’m not into BDSM, and certainly wouldn’t call myself a Dom.

But, in Elora’s terms, I’m not a spotted hyena, either. I like taking charge in the bedroom. And so I decide I’m going to stop worrying about what I should do and concentrate on what I want to do.

Holding her hips, I turn her so she’s up against the sliding doors, and she gasps, her eyes lighting up. Then I kiss her again, this time covering her body with mine, so a soft moan escapes her lips.

“Quietly,” I murmur, kissing around to her ear, and she bites her lip, trying to keep in her exclamation as I slip my hands up her dress again. I rest my hands on her bottom and squeeze the plump muscles, then begin to slide my hands further up, until they cup her bare breasts.

She shivers, and I lift my head, teasing her nipples as I say, “Are you cold?”

She shakes her head, but shivers again, and I chuckle and kiss her while I tug her nipples lightly. “Do you like that, Elora-Rose?”

“Mmm.” She slides her tongue against mine, arching her back and pushing her breasts into my hands. “You’re driving me crazy,” she whispers, letting her head drop back onto the glass.

“That’s the plan.” I kiss her mouth, her jaw, down her neck, and lift the dress so I can take one of her nipples in my mouth and suck. She sighs, struggling to keep her moans in, as I swap from one to the other, teasing each nipple until they turn a darker shade of pink and stand out like tiny beads.

I straighten so I can kiss her lips again but continue to tug her now-wet nipples with my fingers, until she’s moaning softly and writhing with need. Only then do I slide a hand down to her thighs and slip my fingers into the heart of her.

Ah, fuck, she’s swollen and wet, and my fingers move easily through her folds. I slide them down to gather some moisture, then bring them back up so I can caress her clit. She widens her stance a little, giving me better access, and, pleased, I continue to arouse her, until her breathing begins to turn uneven, and she’s shivering with need.

I could bend her over the table, but I haven’t taken her from behind yet, and I know it feels deeper and more passive for girls. I decide to save that for seventy-five percent. This time, I take out my wallet and extract a condom, undo my trousers and release my erection, and roll the condom on.

Elora’s eyes are wide with excitement—this is obviously the first time she’s had sex outdoors. There’s no way anyone can see us, but we could be heard, and the wicked thought of being discovered obviously appeals to her as well as me.

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