Page 20 of Peak of Love
Dane rose his naked body out of the hot tub, and for the first time she allowed herself to stare at his masculine glory. Wide shoulders like smooth, mountainous ridges led to rounded biceps and ropy forearms. He donned a trim torso with the subtle indents of abdominal muscles. They tensed with each movement, drawing attention to sharp hip bones that pointed to an impressive erection.
“Holy shit, Dane,” she said. “How do you stay so… healthy?”
“Thanks,” he answered cockily. “I could ask you the same thing. How did you keep your body so fucking hot when I know for a fact you barely have time to go to the gym or be outside.”
“You’d be surprised how much soccer moms have to carry. And I’m not hot. I’ve got a c-section scar I feel every time I sneeze. And stretch marks and—”
“Celina,” he interrupted, fully turning to her. “Your scar makes you a superwoman. You know that, right? A beautiful and brave superwoman. And your skin is suppler and smoother than I ever thought I’d touch, stretch marks and all. Baby, you turn me on so much, just hearing you say anything bad about your body makes me want to…”
“What?” she asked breathlessly.
“Makes me want to stick my dick so deep it blasts all those bullshit thoughts away. You feel this?” he persisted, grabbing her hand and forcing it around his base. “This is what your beautiful body does to me.”
At that, he stepped out of the hot tub and went into the bedroom.
In the few minutes it took him to grab their terry robe covers, Celina made a decision. Their time together was precious and rare. She would treat it as precious and rare.
This winter mansion was a magical place where Dane offered a chance to explore her sexuality with someone she trusted and cared for. She would welcome the opportunity with neither restraint nor regret. And because she had no delusions, she’d have no expectations.
***
They gathered a simple dinner of smoked salmon, cheese, and wine. Laying pillows and blankets in front of the fireplace, Dane and Celina fed each other and lounged around as if without a care in the world.
“Before I drove up, Kat reminded me that hanging around all day eating and drinking is perfectly normal for single people.”
“Sure, yeah, it’s simpler than caring for kids and running a household,” he said, rubbing her back.
She slumped into his massage. “You could just drive somewhere with the clothes on your back and a wallet. In fact, you could go to Mexico right this second and have no consequences for other people.”
“I don’t even need to remember the baby wipes,” he droned thoughtfully.
She snickered. “The boys would love Mexico, wouldn’t they?” she said dreamily, admittedly unable to imagine going very far without them.
“They would. We should take them during spring break.”
She stiffened, the implications of his statement dawning on her. Abruptly, she recalled that this is exactly the kind of thing Dane would have said before they got intimate. He always thought about fun things for the boys.
“They’d like that,” she conceded, turning around and finding his lips. Their kiss deepened. Gently, Dane placed her on her back. She wanted him to crush her into the blanket and kiss her till she forgot herself. Instead, he stayed on the side, his weight on his folded arm. While kissing her, his hand grazed her jaw, a finger traced down her neck, and a thumb playfully rubbed her earlobe. So light and gentle, the strokes left her unsatisfied.
“Dane, I want you,” she pleaded. “I want your weight and your heat and your hands on me. All over me.”
His hand found her breast as his clever thumb rubbed perfect circles over an awakened nipple.
“If I get on top of you, I don’t think I can stop there. I’d want… ”
“More?” she ventured.
Instead of answering, Dane pulled away to look up at the ceiling. “We haven’t talked about what this means for you and me. What… what do you want, Celina? We need to figure this out.”
“Stop talking about me like I’m a problem to figure out,” she spouted stubbornly.
Tenderly, Dane placed a finger under her chin to turn her head his way. They looked at each other, heads tilted and shoulder to shoulder.
“Celina, that’s not what I mean. You’re not a problem. You’re… ”
“Ready. To be with, um, with you. To-tonight. I mean tonight,” she stuttered while lifting herself to lean her cheek against his broad, sculpted chest. She was mumbling and begging. There was no stopping the flood of need.
“What ifI’mnot ready?” he asked, misery in his tone. When she lifted her face, she was struck by the conflict that marred his features. “I’m sorry Celina, but this is a big deal for me. You and the boys, you’re… ”
