Page 90 of Obsession Under the Southern Stars

“How were your parents?” he asks, turning onto the drive that leads to the hotel.

“Good. Relieved, obviously. Yours?”

“Yeah, same.”

“Does Elora know what happened?”

“No. She’s on the cruise with Linc, so I said not to tell her until he’s gone. She’s got enough on her plate.”

“Yeah.”

He pulls up in front of the hotel, we get out and he retrieves the bag, and we head for the villa. It doesn’t look as if much damage occurred here—the wind broke a few plant pots, and the rain flattened some of the taller plants, but other than that everything looks okay.

We get to our villa and go inside. Joel tosses the bag on the floor and stretches. I watch the T-shirt tighten on his shoulders and biceps, and observe the strip of tanned skin revealed as the bottom rises up.

He lowers his arms, his eyes meeting mine. “What?”

I shake my head, my body stirring with desire.

He studies me for a moment, frowning a little as if he’s trying to puzzle out what I’m thinking. I just stare back helplessly, unable to think about anything else except him kissing me, and taking off my clothes, and pressing me into the mattress as he moves on top of me.

Eventually, his brow clears, and his lips curve up a little. He holds out a hand. I slide mine into his, and he leads me toward the bedroom.

To my surprise, though, he takes me into the bathroom, opens the shower cubicle, and turns the hot water on. While he waits for it to heat up, he grasps the hem of my hoodie, peels it up my body, and drops it on the tiles. Then he takes off my T-shirt, shorts, and bikini bottoms, so I’m standing naked before him.

I help him off with his tee and shorts, and then he opens the cubicle door, and we go inside.

Hot water cascades over us, so different from the icy coldness of the ocean, and soon the cubicle is filled with steam. Joel turns me so I’m under the spray, and he wets my hair, then squeezes some shampoo onto his hand, spreads it onto my hair, and lathers it up. I sigh and tip my head back, enjoying the movement of his fingers through the strands, massaging the shampoo in. When he’s done, he rinses the suds out, then adds some conditioner and leaves it to sink in.

It’s my turn to wash his hair, and he bends his head and lets me rub in the shampoo, doing the same to him as he did to me, moving my fingers firmly over his scalp to really massage it in. He rinses it, wipes his face, then tips some shower gel into his hand. His eyes meet mine for a moment, amused, and then he places his hands on my shoulders and begins to rub the shower gel over my body.

I sigh as he washes me, enjoy the glide of his hands over my skin. He spreads the gel over my shoulders and down my arms, takes my hands in his and washes the palm and each finger carefully, then returns to my shoulders and draws the bubbles down over my breasts.

When he cups them with his hands, he moves up close to me, pinning me against the tiles, lowering his lips until they’reover mine. Once again we exchange breaths while he teases my nipples with his fingers, and it’s only when a moan escapes my lips that he finally kisses me, his mouth claiming mine as he slides his tongue inside. Oh wow… this guy really knows how to kiss, and my pulse picks up speed, my heart banging against my ribs as my body responds to his caresses.

While he continues to kiss me, he strokes down over my waist and hips, and then he tips another small circle of shower gel onto his hand. Keeping his gaze locked on mine, his blue eyes as hot as a Bunsen burner turned to max, he slides his hand down over my tummy, around to my butt and down to my thighs, washing the skin there, and then finally slips his fingers between my legs.

I close my eyes, concentrating on the sensation of him arousing me, and let out a muffled groan as he crushes his lips to mine. He circles his finger over my clit, slowly teasing it, and I splay my hands on the tiles, meeting each thrust of his tongue with one of my own.

His lips leave mine, and he kisses down my neck to my breast, licks over each nipple and sucks them into his mouth, and teases the tips for a while before eventually kissing down and dropping to his knees.

I hold my breath as he reaches my hysterectomy scar. He doesn’t stop, and he doesn’t say anything, but he does press light kisses over it from one side to the other before continuing down.

I steady myself as he lifts one of my legs over his shoulder then presses his lips up the inside of my thigh. I suck my bottom lip as he kisses the sensitive skin between my legs, and then I feel his tongue slide into me, and I tip my head back on the tiles with a groan.

He adds his fingers to the mix, and my breathing deepens as he strokes inside me. Mmm… he’s so good at this… He brings his other hand around to clasp my butt, squeezing the musclethere, and I feel myself spinning out of control like the steam that’s spiraling up to the roof of the cubicle. He flicks his tongue over my clit, teasing with the tip, trying different pressures and speeds, until the moment when I finally groan and murmur, “Mmm… right there…”

He continues on that spot, slow and relentless, and I sigh as pleasure begins to build deep inside me. “Don’t stop…” I whisper, and his hand tightens on my butt as he covers my clit with his mouth and sucks gently as he continues to swirl his tongue over it. The combination of pressures tips me over the edge, and my fingers clench in his hair as all my muscles contract, and then I cry out as the pulses begin, deep and intense.

When I’m done, he kisses up to my tummy, then gets to his feet and kisses all the way up to my mouth. I let him kiss my lips, trembling a little with the aftershocks of my orgasm, my eyes prickling a little, I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s finally relief that we made it ashore and we’re now safe, or maybe it’s just that I’m happy to be here with him, when for a while I thought I might lose whatever we had going between us.

He cups my face and deepens the kiss, and I sigh, tipping some shower gel onto my hands, then trailing them down his body. As I wash his muscles, they remind me of honed kauri wood—light brown, smooth, and hard, gleaming as the water runs over them. I brush over his pecs and down his abs, then sink lower, my fingers closing around his erection. He mumbles something against my mouth as I stroke him, the gel making my hand glide over his skin.

“Mmm,” I murmur, circling the head with my thumb and teasing the tip, then returning to stroke him firmly. He leans a hand on the tiles on either side of me, and I let my gaze caress his face, observing his fierce frown, and watching the way his lips part as I arouse him.

Wanting to drive him as crazy as he did me, I slide down the tiles to my knees, and he groans as I take him in my hand. Water pours over him, trickling down his body, and I stroke him for a bit, then close my mouth over the tip. Making sure to keep my teeth well out of the way, I start to arouse him with my lips and tongue, kissing down the shaft while I continue to stroke him. I lick and suck him, then take him deep into my mouth, feeling a sweep of pleasure as he slides a hand into my hair and holds my head, his hips thrusting automatically.

I slip a hand beneath him, teasing the sensitive skin there, gently massaging his balls while I continue to suck, and he groans and swells in my mouth. “Zoe…” he murmurs, “I’m close…”

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