Page 50 of Two Tickets to Paradise

If he didn't already find her gorgeous and an incredibly beautiful person inside and out, that would have clinched it.

"Oh, wow." Her tone was hushed. "I didn't realize you'd been burned so badly."

He smiled, a self-effacing half-grin. "I was hoping it didn't show. I'm not used to burning."

She looked up at him through the fall of her hair. "Me neither. I think I underestimated how different the sun exposure would be here."

Her hands trailed down over his forearm, and he had to fight off the arousal that had already been simmering under the surface since he'd seen her in her bathing suit.

It had only gotten better/worse when he'd seen her wrapped up in a towel.

Now, she was touching him, her hands almost caressing his arm and the blood that had been steadily working its way down below his belt was pooling faster the longer she was touching him.

Vince turned the bottle over and squeezed some of the lotion into the hand of the arm she was holding before he set the bottle down.

Her gaze lifted to meet his, but he didn't look directly into her eyes.

He didn't want her to see the plain truth in his gaze.

He didn't want her to see how much he wanted more than a kiss.

Wanted more than just a touch.

He took her arm in his hand and smoothed the lotion over her skin, covering her arm from shoulder to elbow all around, carefully skirting her underarm. He didn't think it would be a good feeling to have that cool lotion there. He smiled to himself. He wanted to know if she was ticklish, but this wasn't the time.

Vince moved on to her lower arm, using one hand and then the other, trailing over her skin.

He knew that he was doing a little more than just applying the lotion, but if she pulled back or tensed, he'd stop.

"This lotion is incredible." Her voice was softer than it had been. Breathy.

And it was doing things to his body that he didn't want her to see. He didn't want to break the spell.

"But..."

He swallowed at the knot that had formed in his throat.

"Vince..."

He lifted his gaze to her face and saw her blinking at him, her eyes darker than they had been just moments before.

"You're burned more than I am."

"I'd rather we get this on your skin first. If there's any left, I can use it, but-"

She shifted, turned slightly and caught at his arm with her free hand.

He stopped for a moment, looking into her eyes.

"Why can't we help each other?"

If he hadn't been half hard at that moment, it wouldn't have mattered.

Her tone, the look on her face, the effect that just a simple touch of her skin willingly against his.

He was hard, achingly so.

"I think," his voice sounded deeper to his ears, his blood pumping through his veins, "if we did that, things might get a little... out of hand."

---