Page 74 of Beached Wedding

Words of longing and love crowded my tongue again. I wanted to turn my lips against the muscles of his chest. I wanted to rub my face against him, lift my chin and invite his kiss. Against my best intentions, my heartrate changed.

Tension invaded his muscles.

I started to pull away.

His arms, so gentle one second ago, hardened with resistance, holding me in place.

“Don’t go,” he said with an edge of desperation in his voice.

“Fox...” Now the paper fell to the floor so I could splay both hands on the warmth of back. He was so tense, I instinctively moved my hands, trying to soothe.

His chest expanded with a deep, shaken breath.

We held a long stare. Said nothing because anything we said right now could not be unsaid later.

Without really making a conscious decision about it, I leaned into him a tiny, tiny bit. An invitation.

He started to lower his head. Hesitated. Then he exhaled against my mouth right before he smothered my lips with his own.

Everything we weren’t saying came spilling out in our actions. Deep yearning sealed us in a long, wet, hungry kiss. Frustration made it bruising and trust made the strength in his arms safe instead of scary. I clung to him. I told him with the dig of my fingertips into his flesh that I wanted everything he was. I wanted everything he was willing to give me.

Yesterday’s lust returned in a flood. An unending wave that swelled and submerged, turning our kiss messy and blatant. His tongue swept into my mouth with a faint flavor of mint. I sucked on his bottom lip until he groaned and dragged me harder into the shape of his wood, then I scraped him with my teeth as I released him. He slanted his head and ravaged my mouth without mercy. There was no other word for it. He kissed the hell out of me until my knees weakened and I hung off his neck.

He caught me. Of course he did. His strong arm held me firm, never letting me fall. When I lifted my head, we were both panting. I gripped his shoulders, trying to find my balance. Iwatched his nostrils flare and his tongue slip across his bottom lip.

If he pushed me away again, I would cry. I really would.

He looked down. Allowed a small space between us that brought a sting to my eyes. A tried to gather myself to bear this rejection. Again.

He dragged at the belt on my robe, loosening it, then pushing it open.

A tiny shudder went through me. Relief. Joy.

I’d slept in a thong because I’d been too lazy to do anything but strip and fall into bed last night.

His breath left him in a jagged laugh. His hot hand went to my stomach, burning my skin as he drew a flat circle.

“I’m not stopping, Ash.” His voice was something I’d never heard, gritty enough to make my scalp prickle. “Not unless you tell me to.”

He dipped his head and tongued my nipple. One arm locked across my back and the other hand slid to my ass.

I felt every single callus on his palm as he massaged my cheeks. Every whirl in the pattern of his fingerprints as he caressed the backs of my thighs while opening his mouth over my nipple in wet suction.

So many sensations accosted me, I squirmed, but his arms tightened, holding me in place. The onslaught sent pulses of pleasure directly into my pussy, making me ache while juices gathered and dampened my thong. I moved my hands helplessly over his shoulders and the back of his neck, alarmed at how intense this was, but all I could really think was,Don’t stop. More. I need more.

I was sohot. I shook the robe off my shoulders and tried to drag my arms out of the sleeves.

Fox straightened, throwing me a look between triumph and defeat as he helped me free myself, then he backed me toward the bed.

We kissed again. He kissed me as he followed me down. Kissed me and kissed me as we settled on the mattress and I opened my legs so his weight was between my thighs. I curled my legs around him and roamed my hands over his satiny back.

Time slowed. There was nothing but long, lazy kisses that strayed over cheeks and jaw and neck. His breath whorled against my ear. I inhaled the scent of ocean in the crook of his neck and sucked on his earlobe, smiling when he went taut.

He didn’t stop his lovely slow caresses. His hand on my thigh lazily climbed to my waist and ribcage and up to cup my breast, driving me mad with anticipation before he finally got there. Then I gasped as he played his thumb in light circles around my nipple.

My hands shaped his shoulders and the hollow of his spine, then found the waistband of his shorts and slipped inside to enjoy the way his glutes flexed under my feathery touch.Mine, I thought.All mine.

Now there was only this—the thing we really wanted to communicate. The words that had to remain unspoken, but were there on his lips as his mouth returned to mine. He kissed me tenderly. Lovingly.

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