Page 8 of Peak of Love
“Celina,” she heard it again before jutting her eyes open to find her swimsuit dangling off a man’s finger.
That man was no other than Dane Verghese.
Dane’s large silhouette filled her vision as he approached. She was paralyzed, hyperconscious of the water moving over her nakedness and her fingers frozen by her thigh.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he spoke huskily.
“You shouldn’t have,” she managed to say, trying to be subtle about moving her hands away from her center. “You shouldn’t have startled me. What are you—”
“A storm alert came in. I wasn’t sure if the roads would be closed tomorrow morning and I didn’t want to miss… ”
His pause was unbearable, so she filled it reflexively. “Brunch. Right, well, it’s not like I can’t feed myself.”
He cleared his throat and that’s when Celina realized that he knew. Of course, he knew she was touching herself. She was probably whining and writhing when he walked into the scene. Meanwhile, Luther was still singing about heartbreak and whatnot, making a mockery of Celina’s fleeting attempt at self-pleasure.
“I’m sure you could.” He sounded hoarse. To her surprise, he reached over and moved a wet strand of hair that was poking her eye. “I wanted to make sure you were settled. It looks like you are.”
Celina’s flustered state turned to something far more manageable: irritation at her friend’s casual innuendo. Was he teasing her? She swiped at his hand and almost stood up indignantly before she remembered she was buck naked. So much for indignance. Or dignity, for that matter.
“You need to leave.” Thank goodness the jets obscured her nakedness and the evidence of arousal. Her nipples were puckered to aching points.
“Are you sure?” Something dark in his voice startled her. She looked at Dane’s face more carefully. He was close, standing by the side of the hot tub and looking down at her through heavily lidded eyes. She had never seen her friend look like this. Primal. Intense. A lion about to leap at its prey.
“I, um—”
“Let me,” Dane uttered before he leaned closer, an inch from her ear. “A beautiful woman struggling for release? A better man would look away, but that’s not me. I couldn’t resist. If that makes me a bastard, so be it. Celina, I need you tolet me.” The last two words were spoken through a growl.
“What are you talking about?” she mumbled despite the shudder of excitement that rushed through her.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“Dane, I—” she panted.
“Let me do this for you, Celina.”
She let his voice seep into her consciousness as if they were both under water. Everything sounded garbled, everything moved in slow motion.
“I can’t. I just, it’s too late now. And—”
“You were close?”
She could not believe this conversation was happening. This had to be a champagne-induced hallucination. But the lights were low, the heat was engulfing, and the man’s confidence would not be denied. Something about his simple directness urged her towards the truth.
“I was. Though I can’t always, you know… ”
“Finish? By yourself?”
She averted her gaze and offered one curt nod.
“Let me do this for you.”
“That’s justweird, Dane. Let’s forget we’re even having this conversation,” she stated half-heartedly.
Once she allowed herself to really look at him, she was assaulted by the way the winter light caught the line of his sharp jaw and the fullness of Dane’s mouth. His thick brown hair, trimmed beard, furrowed brows, and impossibly long lashes had trapped some of the snow swirling around his illuminated face. Dane had deep-set brown eyes the shade of blended whiskey. Tonight, they were dark and dilated, rendering him nearly unrecognizable. She was seeing someone she’d known all her life in a completely unexpected way. And it was mesmerizing.
“We’re adults. There’s nothing weird about adults giving each other pleasure.”
“This… this isn’t right.” She was trying to sound appropriately upset and instead sounded breathy. Needy.
