Page 63 of The Art of Loving Lacy
His eyes turned dark and lustful. He reached for her, and she stepped back, then grabbed his fly at the waist and ripped it to the side, sending the button flying across the room.
He pulled her close, ravenously kissing her. She nearly melted into a submissive kitten, but she held strong to her resolve to give him as much pleasure as he’d given her. She drew back from that delicious kiss, and with one palm on his chest, she pinned him against the door.
“You know what I like,” she said. “Now teach me.” She unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands along his chest.
“Lace,” he whispered. “You don’t have to. Letmeloveyou.”
She lowered her lips a breath away from his, the smell of wine mingling between them. “I’m an eager student,” she whispered, enjoying the rush of control sweeping through her. “Tell me what you like.”
She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him into another deep kiss. In the next second, she was in his arms and he was carrying her to the sofa. Breaking their connection was the last thing she wanted, but her desire to master his pleasure was stronger than the need to be taken by him.
“Dane! It’s my turn.”
His eyes turned volcanic. “Darn right, baby, and I intend to make sure you enjoy every second of it.”
“No. I want to learn to touchyouthe way you like it.”
“I like every way you touch me,” he said, lowering her to the couch.
How could she argue with that? And when he said, “But if you want me to tell you what I like, I’m all in, baby. Class isin session…”
Chapter Twenty
ROB HAD THE boat ready to go when Dane and Lacy arrived at the marina the next morning. Dane handed Rob a warm to-go cup of coffee, noticing his eyes were clear and his skin color looked healthy. He was relieved to see that Rob’s strength and confidence had returned, but he’d be sure to keep an eye on him just in case. He helped Lacy aboard, then pulled her into a hug. Today they were going to troll for sharks so Lacy could see one in the water.
Dane whispered in her ear, “You sure you want to do this? It might be ten times harder than the aquarium, and you had a hard time there.”
“I know. I do. I really, really do,” Lacy said.
He knew this was going to be difficult for her, but Danica had stressed the importance of Lacy facing her fears, and apparently, she’d told Lacy the same thing. He felt the fast pace of her heart against his chest, and Dane wondered if he was doing the right thing.
“You two must have had quite a night. I almost never beat Dane to the boat,” Rob teased.
“Yeah, about beating me to the boat. You look pretty chipper,” Dane said. “I take it things are better with Sheila?”
“Much. You were right. We needed to talk, and now that we have, we’ve got it all under control. That was three days of misery that I never want to go back to. Hey, why don’t we all have dinner tonight? Sheila and the kids would love to see you, Dane, and she’s heard about Lacy for so long she feels like she knows her already.”
“Lace?” Dane and Lacy had spent the night in each other’s arms, and now, looking at Lacy’s gratified grin, he knew the worst was behind them.
“Sure. Sounds great,” she said. Lacy zipped her sweatshirt over her bikini and stretched out in one of the deck chairs. They were taking Treat’s boat out today instead of the work vessel. Dane had wanted Lacy to be comfortable, and if she had a difficult time, she could escape to the cabin below.
“I guess it’s a date,” Dane said to Rob. “You had me worried, Rob. I want you to know that if you need me, I’m here. I’ll go to meetings. I’ll let you stay on the boat. I’ll stay at your motel. Whatever you need. I’m here for you.”
“I know, Dane, and I appreciate it. I went to a meeting yesterday morning and another last night. I figuredimmersion therapymight be a good thing.” Rob winked. “I did fine last night. I had them move me to another room. I didn’t want any reminders of how far I’d fallen.”
Dane glanced at Lacy. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, Rob, it’s that we can always change. We make mistakes and we learn from them; then we move on. There is no hard-and-fast point of no return.”
THE AFTERNOON SUN beat down on them as they sailed through Chatham Harbor. Dane was relieved to see Rob back to his old self again. His energy was high and the camaraderie they’d shared for so many years fell right back into place. Dane silently vowed to keep a better eye on Rob. What kind of a friend was he if he didn’t notice when his best friend’s life was upended?
Dane laughed at a joke Rob made and cast a glance back at Lacy, stretched out on the deck cushions with only those tiny triangular patches of cloth covering the parts of her body that were so fresh on his mind. Beneath her head was the sweatshirt she’d had on earlier. Her curls fell away from her face like heavy twine. The evening before, he’d wrapped his fingers deep in those curls. He’d never met a woman whose desire to please was as strong as her desire to be pleasured. Then again, Lacy was like no other woman he’d ever met, and he knew she’d be the last woman he invited into his bed.
Now, looking at her lying in the sun, the curve of her belly moving up and down with each peaceful breath, all he wanted to do was love her.Needfelt too shallow for the emotions that were burying themselves deeper in his mind with every thought. His feelings for Lacy encompassed love, adoration, inspiration, respect, gratification, and yes,needwas a part of those feelings, but they were not the driving force of his emotions toward her.
“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” Rob asked.
“Tomorrow?” Dane pulled his attention back to his friend.
“We’re supposed to go free diving, remember? You delayed the tagging, but I got a message from Carl today, and he said our equipment would be ready for the dive,” Rob said.
