Page 9 of Stepping Into Tomorrow

“But you don’t?” She hit the nail on the head, seeing more than he’d intended.

He sucked in a gulp of fresh sea-laced air and focused back on the water. “I had my shot and blew it.” Understatement of the century.

“Oh.” Something a lot like sympathy edged her voice.

He didn’t want her pity.

The rod whined as something tugged on the line, bowing the pole.

“We got a bite.” He picked up the rod, swiftly shoving it into Bella’s unsuspecting hands.

She gasped, clinging to the pole as he moved behind her, his front to her back, and yanked the rod.

“Oh my God!” she exclaimed, reeling it in.

The fish tugged the line, but Nash held on. His hands kept the pole from slipping through Bella’s small palms.

Her ass rubbed against his groin as she wiggled in excitement, making his cock stiffen. He tried to not be a dick and give her some space, but it was impossible to hold on to the rod around her voluptuous curves without getting up close and personal. That was one of the things that had drawn him to her when he’d first turned to her, second to those amber eyes. Nash was a big man; he needed a woman with something to grip. A woman he wouldn’t be afraid to break as he fucked her three ways to Sunday.

There was another hard tug and then the line snapped, sending them both careening backwards. Nash would have been able to stabilize himself if not for the fact that Bella lost her balance and fell on top of him.

He dropped the pole in favor of wrapping his arms tighter around her to soften her fall.

“Oomf.” He grunted as they hit the deck.

She spun around in his arms, her hair kissing his chest. “Dios, are you okay?”

The Spanish falling off her lips was like an aphrodisiac. Shadows of the night played on her soft skin, highlighting her beautiful round face. She bit those red full lips he wanted to taste. Her thighs spread over his, the heat of her pussy hovering over his cock.

“Fuck,” he breathed.

“Where are you hurt?” she asked, lines of concern marring her brows.

“Not that kinda ache.”

She blinked and then, as if realizing that the hardness under her was not in fact a flashlight in his pocket, her eyes widened, her mouth forming an O.

“Oh. I . . . you . . . you like me?”

A hoarse bark of the closest sound he’d made to laughter in years escaped his throat. “I wouldn’t have invited you on my boat if I didn’t.”

She smiled. “So this was all a plan to lure me away so you could, what? Have your wicked way with me?”

“If you want that,” Nash said. It was scary, taking a risk like this, but she wasn’t a local, so there would be no harm done. He could take this one small step, and then maybe someday he’d fully be able to move on—as long as she wanted this as well. “If not, you still got your night of fun, fishing under the moonlight.”

Her expression softened, her voice a hoarse whisper. “And if I do want more?”

“Then you’ll get your one night of fun with me. I’ll make you come at least twice, and then we’ll go our separate ways.” There, he’d laid out his rules. One night. No future.

“One night,” she confirmed.

“One nigh—“

Bella’s lips slanted over his. Colors and sensations burst in his mind’s eye. He groaned, running one hand up her spine to cup the back of her neck, the other settling on her lower back as he rolled them so that she was below him. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and tugged with his teeth. A tiny mewl escaped her, shooting straight to his cock. Want blinded him. Desire rocketed through his body, sending all his blood rushing south. She tasted so good—like sweet rose hips and champagne.

Nash stood, taking her with him, not breaking the kiss. His tongue slid into her welcoming mouth, tasting, seeking, conquering. Each stroke only made him crave more. He reached for the zipper on her life vest, removing it and tossing it onto the deck. Her small hand fisted his dress shirt as she leaned in, rubbing herself against him, stoking the fire raging within him. God, he wanted to feel her everywhere. Strip her down until every inch was laid bare.

“I have a bed in the cabin below deck.”

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