Page 59 of The Castle in the Bay

‘For letting me be me.’

‘That’s the only you I want.’

He laughed softly. ‘That’s sweet.’

‘Unfortunately, I have bad news for you.’

‘You do?’ He frowned.

‘Yes, sadly, you have a major fault. You’re wearing too many clothes.’

‘Is that all?’ He levered himself up and onto his feet. ‘Let’s get them off then.’ He stripped off his shorts and t-shirt rather matter-of-factly before opening a bag on the window seat and pulling out a foil packet. ‘I even braved buying these in the village shop.’

She laughed. ‘Does it bother you that much?’

‘Yeah. I normally either get them online or use the self-scan in Tesco and hope I don’t get flagged for a basket check.’

‘Seriously? You’re so funny. But before you put that on. Come here.’

‘Why?’

‘Let me have a turn to play. Lie down.’

‘Um… Ok.’ He moved back onto the bed. Now it was her turn to drink him in.

She ran her hands over his taut pecs and the hard ridges of his stomach. ‘Monty, Monty. You’ve been hiding the goods.’

‘Really?’ He clenched his jaw as her fingers brushed over his dusting of chest hair. When she leaned in and kissed her way across his pecs, he said through gritted teeth, ‘Please don’t. I can’t hold on much longer.’ He had his eyes closed and Iona smiled.

‘But there’s so much more to explore.’ Reaching inside his boxer briefs, she ran her hand over him. ‘Impressive.’

With what was almost a growl, he reached for her hand. ‘Stop.’ He shoved off his boxer briefs, ripped open the condom packet, and rolled it on. Then he flipped her over and kissed her. ‘I need you like this.’ He moved in between her thighs. ‘Ready?’

‘Very.’

Slowly, he sank into her.

Her breath hitched and her toes curled.

‘Fuck,’ he said hoarsely, his hazel eyes still dark but with an almost dreamy look. ‘You feel so good.’

She swallowed. Emotion from deep within soared through her like a raging swell in the sea; she could either let it engulf her, or she could ride it out. And like the surfer she was, that was exactly what she had to do. This was just an arrangement. He’d be gone by this time next week. He began to move, bringing them higher and closer together. His eyes locked unblinkingly with hers, so intensely she couldn’t look away. Her heart swelled.

‘Iona.’ His husky voice was thick with emotion. And it was her name, he’d said. Not Sophie. Iona…

Me. It’s me.

He wasn’t pretending she was someone else. The storm gathered inside her and she hung on to his gaze as the world shifted around her. Pleasurable waves sent her flying high and her whole body shuddered with the force of her climax. With a grunt, Monty stiffened. ‘Oh, Iona. Iona. Iona.’ He collapsed on top of her. She held him close, and the heat of his skin warmed her to the core. Her palms stuck to the faint layer of sweat on his back and his shoulder blades.

Please don’t move. Don’t go. Stay with me.

But he wasn’t going to do that. In a week’s time, it might be Sophie lying like this, holding onto him, feeling a swell of love in her heart. Iona shut her eyes, her arms tightening around him.Love?Oh, good god no. It couldn’t be love, could it?

Chapter Nineteen

Monty

Monty couldn’t move. Or maybe it was more a case of didn’t want to. Iona’s nails weren’t long, but she was holding him so tightly the edges of them dug into the skin on his back and shoulders. It wasn’t painful, well, maybe a little, but a kind of exquisite pain that told him just how much she’d enjoyed this.

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