Page 58 of The Castle in the Bay

‘Hasty? Are you serious?’

‘Very.’ He smoothed her hair off her face. ‘Do you ever take out the ponytail?’

‘Sure.’ She dragged out the elastic and shook the wild mass free. It was windswept from the day at the beach and probably looked like she’d stuck her finger in a socket, but the way he was eyeing her made her breath hitch.

‘You really are beautiful.’

She quirked a little smile. ‘I feel like a complete mess.’ She tugged the ends of her hair and held them wide.

‘It’s just you. Wild and free.’ He smiled. ‘I have to thank you.’

‘What for?’

‘For letting me do this with you.’

‘Monty.’

‘I mean it. I really do.’

She stared at him, not sure what to make of any of this.

‘Now…’ He stroked her hair from her forehead. ‘May I touch you? I’d like to kiss every inch of you.’

She mouthed something inaudible before finding words. ‘Ok, um, sure. You go ahead. That sounds… awesome.’ She sucked the inside of her lip. She hadn’t expected him to say anything quite so bold.

He tilted her chin, lifting it so she was looking at him. ‘You sure?’

‘Of course, but remember…’

‘Remember what?’

‘Make it authentic. Don’t hold back.’

‘Ok.’ His lips settled over hers again, gentle but firm, the way he always started off. Those languorous, thoughtful kisses that made her stomach clench and the ache between her thighs burn. ‘I want you so badly.’

Her heart hammered. This was still an act, right? Sophie and all that. Yeah. Course it was… It bloody had to be. But she’d play along. It was too good not to. ‘I want you too.’

A smile swept across his face. ‘Music to my ears.’ Still smiling, he unzipped her Dryrobe. She shuffled out of it, so it pooled at her feet, and she stood before him in her two-piece cossie. His eyes raked over her. ‘So strong. So fit. A real athlete.’

‘Not really. I just like being active.’

‘You look great.’ He tugged her towards him, pinning her hips against his, clear evidence of his desire pressing hard against her. ‘Utterly gorgeous, in fact.’ He kissed down her neck, his hands snaking over her back. She threw back her head, almost dizzy, as his soft kisses caught her exposed throat. Normally, she wouldn’t let anyone kiss her there. Too intimate. And it made her too vulnerable. Still holding her, he gently backed her towards the bed, then nudged her down. She lay back, and hemoved in beside her, peeling off her cossie top and discarding it. His hands reached to cup her breasts. ‘Beautiful.’ He dipped in to kiss her again, this time toying with her nipples. Then he shifted to suck and nibble them until she let out a moan and clutched at the duvet.

‘Monty, please,’ she panted. ‘I can’t wait. I need you.’ She made a play for his shirt, but he pulled away, moving down and tugging off the bottom half of her cossie.

‘Why rush?’ he murmured, his breath hot against her stomach as his kisses headed south. ‘Is there somewhere else you need to be?’

‘Definitely not.’ Gentleman Monty had officially left the building, and a hot-blooded man had taken his place. One who needed no practice. What he was doing with his hands and his mouth was perfectly acceptable… in fact, far exceeded expectations. ‘Oh god.’ An A-plus performance if ever there was one. Her insides tightened, and she groaned. ‘Oh Monty.’

‘That’s my name. I can spell it out for you.’

‘Oh… Bloody hell.’

His tongue did the job until she was a writhing, gasping mess. A dam of pleasure burst open, and she panted, her eyes rolling. ‘You fucking hot bastard.’ She lay back, trying to catch her breath. ‘I think you lied. You don’t need practice at all.’

He shifted up beside her and stroked her hair. ‘I’ve never been this brave before. I told you, you’re inspiring. And you told me to be authentic. This is how I want to be. Thank you… Again.’

‘Thank me? Why the hell do you want to thank me? After what you just did?’

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