Page 33 of Sweet Escape at Bayside
He didn’t give her time to answer, taking her in another intoxicatingly rough and possessive kiss. His hands were everywhere at once, fisting in her hair, groping her butt. Heat seared through her veins, filling her chest, and pooling in her core. She shoved her hands beneath his shirt, needing to feel closer to him, and he eased his efforts again, creating a dizzying rhythm. It was exquisite torture, and she didn’t want it to end. When he reached one arm out and swept his drawing supplies off the table without ever breaking their connection, she knew it wouldn’t have to.
After, he panted out, “Baby, I love you,” as they came back down to earth.
She lifted her mouth from his shoulder, leaving tiny punctures around his tattoo.
He brushed his scruff along her cheek and said, “Do you remember biting me like that the first time we made love?”
“I didn’t until just now,” she admitted.
She thought she’d remembered every second of the night they’d finally made love, but now more bits and pieces were trickling in. She’d been so overwhelmed by the intensity of her emotions, the practically out-of-body experience of making love with him—of loving him so much—everything had blurred together. But she’d neverbittena man before. How could she not remember that?
“The first time we made love, you went soft in my arms. You were so open and loving, I remember thinking that I would never let anyone hurt you again.” He kissed her neck, holding her so close his heart thudded against her chest. “And then you said,Don’t ever stop.”
“I did?” She didnotremember saying that, though she remembered hoping he never would.
“Yes. Then it was like you cut yourself free, and you went a little wild. We both did. And you bit me so hard you drew blood.”
“Dang,” she said, smiling against his shoulder.
“It was the most intense experience I’d ever had. Seeing you let go like that made me let go, too. That’s when I proposed.”
He lifted her off the table and lowered them both to the mass of canvas tarps. She lay in his arms, sated and happy, as he kissed her so deeply her body started getting all tingly again.
When their lips finally parted, he chuckled and said, “I’m an idiot.”
He gave her a chaste kiss and then pushed to his feet, pinning her in place with a scorching stare, causing her heart to stumble. He stared so long, the air between them sizzled and popped. Just when she was about to go to him, he turned and strutted scrumptiously naked toward the bathroom, as if he hadn’t just turned her world upside down.
You’re a whole lotta sexy. I’m the idiot.
AS THE MOON rose over the water, they lay together on a blanket in the studio surrounded by flickering candles, incense, and sketches they’d drawn of each other. Cosmos was fast asleep on the tarps. A cool breeze whispered through the open window, chilling Violet’s legs. She snuggled against Andre’s bare chest and put her leg over his. Her panties and his shirt were not enough to warm her, but his body heat helped. The hair on his legs tickled, but she’d never been more comfortable or happier. They’d spent the whole day in the studio, making love, talking and sketching, leaving long enough only to grab blankets from the linen closet and retrieve snacks from the kitchen. A box of crackers, a tray of fruit and cheese, and half a loaf of Italian bread sat off to the side, along with some water and a half-empty bottle of wine.
Andre kissed her temple. “Are you too cold? Want to go back to the cottage? Or downstairs to get some tea?”
“No way. I want to stay right here forever. I miss this so much. Not just being with you, butjust being. Remember how we would sit outside our tents at night listening to the sounds of the village?”
“I do, and sitting around the fire with the villagers when I was teaching you to sketch people. Do you still do that adorable nose-wrinkle thing when you’re drawing faces?”
“I never did a nose-wrinkle thing.” She leaned on his chest and said, “Wipe that smirk off your face.”
“Okay, nose wrinkler.” He leaned up and kissed the tip of her nose. “You know, there were nights when I’d try to convince myself that meeting you was all a dream. That I imagined everything. But then I’d remember the feel of your body next to mine or the taste of your skin on my lips, and I knew I couldn’t have imagined something so beautiful.”
She rested her cheek on his shoulder and ran her fingers over the hair on his chest. There were times she’d wondered if he’d been real, too. But then the pain set in, and she knew he’d been as real as the water in the bay. “I haven’t done this,just being, without the stress of guests at the inn or trying not to think about how much I miss you, since I came here. I never realized howemptyI could feel. But I feel sofullright now, I have no idea how I survived without this. Withoutyou. Not that I need a man to make me feel whole.”
As she said the words, she knew they weren’t true. It was a knee-jerk reaction to define autonomy, but with Andre she’d never needed to. She lifted her face so she could see his and said, “I always thought I was whole, but the truth is, when I left you, I left a piece of myself behind. A big piece. One that I didn’t even know I possessed or could give away.”
A small smile lifted his lips as he said, “I’ve carried it with me ever since. When I woke up and you were gone, my first thought was that one of the village kids came to get you to tell them a story, go for a walk, or make one of those little clay or cloth animals you used to make them. I always thought I was whole, too. But after I realized you were really gone, emptiness consumed me. I thought I’d be busy enough when I returned to Boston that I would eventually get over us, but that was even worse. Then I thought maybe Operation SHINE would fill that gap. But being in the field just reminded me of what I’d lost, and I realized being whole doesn’t have to do with strength or capabilities. It comes from here.” He placed his hand over his heart. “I carried you in my heart for all this time, and I thought I would never be whole again. It’s not surprising that we both tried to replace each other and couldn’t, because what we shared wasn’t just sex and great conversation. It wasthis.”
He waved his hand at nothing in particular. “We wanted the same things in life, to help others, to enjoy whatever the days and nights held. When other people were trying to getlikeson social media or find the best iPhone, we were walking three kilometers in the pouring rain, bringing supplies to another village, or lying in the silence of our tent just being together.”
He kissed her softly and said, “Do you miss traveling?”
“Yes. I miss experiencing other cultures and learning from them.” When they met, Violet hadn’t been a volunteer with Andre’s group. She’d traveled to the village with a family from another remote community. She’d been raised not to follow the herd, but to take the path less traveled, to help those who weren’t on the map. Sometimes she’d volunteered with certain groups, but mostly she tried to help on her own so her time with each community wasn’t limited in scope or duration. “Many of the villages I’ve been to didn’t have access to enough food, much less modern medicine, relying on healers and natural remedies that had been handed down through generations. Not that I would want to keep anyone from having sound medical help, but I missnothaving everything at my fingertips. I liked having to be resourceful, to think about what I could forage for a meal or use to patch a leak in a hut.”
“Do you think you’ll ever return to that lifestyle?”
“Leave Desiree?” Her pulse quickened at the thought.
He brushed his hand down her back and said, “Not for good, just for a time?”
