Page 11 of The Art of Loving Lacy
“Lie back,” he said, gently guiding her down to her back. He lay beside her, and they stared up at the stars. In the darkness, he reached for her hand.
Lacy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then blew it out slowly. What was wrong with her? Why on earth was she so nervous? She was with the man she’d been dreaming about for months. She wanted him so badly she couldn’t think straight, and there she was, trembling like a scared child. She tried to clear the wanton thoughts from her mind long enough to form coherent ones and weave her way through her nervousness.
“Remember the afternoon we first met?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
He leaned on one elbow and traced her ribs with his finger. “My whole life I’d been looking down, down into the water when I’m looking for sharks, down at the computer when I’m researching funding sources, and even down when I’m just going through my daily life. Think about it. How often do you really look up?”
Lacy couldn’t remember the last time she’d looked up at the stars.
“The night we met, I looked into the sky and thought about you, and when we started talking on the phone and texting, I found myself looking for the stars. Even on the rainy nights, I was searching for the stars. And somewhere along the way, I realized that I wasn’t really looking at stars, Lace. I was looking for you. And now I wonder if you had been there all the time, just waiting for me.The Lacy Star,” he said with a smile.
Lacy snuggled against him. Her head rested in the crook of his arm, her hand on his stomach. The dune grass swished beside them. Dane put his arms around Lacy and held her close. He tilted her chin up and looked into her eyes.
“Lacy, I’d wait for you forever.”
She saw the truth of his words in his serious gaze.
“We don’t have to do anything tonight. We can get dressed and walk some more, or go back to the hotel. Whatever you want. The night is yours. I just want to be with you.”
Could you be any more perfect?Lacy wanted nothing more than to push through her nerves and be closer to Dane. His tender words tugged at her heart, and his gorgeous body tugged at all the intimate parts of her that she’d been trying to ignore. She gathered her courage and remembered Danica’s words.Whatever you want to happen will happen.
She leaned over and kissed him, and when they came apart and he opened his mouth to speak, she settled her mouth over his again, kissing him deeper and leaving no room for misinterpretation. She ran her hand down his muscular body and she felt him smile against her lips. He reached down and touched her hand, stopping her from going lower.
“Lacy.”
There was such a serious note to his voice, and she was so nervous, she started laughing.Laughing!His brows drew together, and it made her laugh harder. In the space of a second, he flipped her on her back and stared down at her with a curious, amused grin.
“You’re not very good for my ego,” he teased.
“I can’t help it.” She was pinned beneath him, naked. Her gaze slithered down his body, giving her a clear view of his arousal.Treat hadn’t exaggerated.That thought caused her to laugh even harder. She turned her face away from him, trying to quell her laughter. What was wrong with her?
“I’ll give you something to laugh about,” he said, tickling her so hard she curled her legs up and tried to turn onto her side, but he was too heavy, and his arousal knocked against her ribs, sending her into more fits of laughter.
“Get thatweaponaway from me,” she said between laughs.
“It’s been called a lot of things, but a weapon was never one of them,” he said, trying to contain his laughter, which only made her crack up more.
Tears of laughter streamed down her cheeks.
DANE HAD ALWAYS wondered what womenreallythought when they finally saw the size of him. He was usually met with wide eyes and gracious hunger. Lacy’s laughter, he realized, was probably the most honest reaction he’d ever encountered. When he was a younger man, he’d tried to hide his enormity. He had enough brothers to know he was more than well endowed—he had a python in his pants. When he was in college, he’d finally embraced his gift. It had given him courage and a cocky air, which had roped in many women. But after meeting Lacy, he’d come to loathe his revolving bedroom door. And watching the relationships between his brothers and their girlfriends made him crave more than a good lay.
He started to move to Lacy’s side, and she grabbed his arm.
“Don’t go,” she said, shifting so she was lying beneath him again. “I’m sorry I laughed.” She touched his face and kissed him. “I want you, Dane. I’m just nervous.”
He brushed his lips over hers and said, “Then we’ll go slow.”
And they did.
He wanted her so badly he could barely breathe, but he worried about how quickly they’d come together. He didn’t want her to get the impression that sex was all he was after. They kissed and touched for a long time beneath the starry sky, and before their bodies became one, he gazed into her beautiful blue eyes and said, “Are you sure, Lace?”
A sweet smile appeared on her lips as she said, “More than sure.”
As their bodies became one, Lacy gasped, pinning his heart to hers with the desire in her eyes.
Afterward, their bodies were slick with sweat despite the cool air. Rough grains of sand dug into his knees and stung his toes, but he didn’t care. He was finally with the only woman he wanted. He and Lacy lay spent, panting with pleasure. Then he kissed her again, long, slow, and tender.
