Page 28 of The Tides Between Us

His eyes danced under the light of the sun. “I want to taste the ocean on your lips, princess.”

My eyelids fluttered shut as his breath skated across my face. I inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of him. He smelled like the sea and the sun and I was entirely lost in him. His lips moved across mine with a tenderness as his fingers curled around the back of my neck. There was nothing rushed or urgent with how he kissed me. He kissed me like time ceased to exist. Like it was an illusion. Like it was ours and no one else’s. His mouth melted into mine and he tasted like the ocean and mint.

As his tongue slid against mine, the fire ignited between us. His other hand was gripping my waist, pulling me as close as he could get me. His erection pressed against my center, with only the fabric of our bathing suits separating us. Shifting my hips the slightest bit, I rubbed against him, craving the friction. A moan vibrated from Declan’s chest, racking my entire body.

The flames were ablaze and there was a shift between us. Dropping his hand away from my face, both of his hands gripped my waist, lifting me onto his lap. A ragged breath escaped me and now I was hovering above him. My hands found his shoulders and I trailed my fingers across them before moving them along the nape of his neck.

His hair was wet, a tousled mess of waves, and I tangled my hands within them as he stared up at me with his golden brown eyes. A soft breath slipped from his perfect lips just before I dropped mine back to his. His fingertips were digging into my skin and I gripped his hair tighter as his tongue slid into my mouth.

We were caught up in one another, completely consumed. It didn’t matter that there were other people on the beach. In that moment, the only thing that mattered was the two of us.

Declan stole the air from my lungs and left me breathless before he abruptly pulled away. “I’m done being a gentleman, Giana.”

My tongue slid against my own lips, tasting him and the sea on them. They were swollen from how he kissed me.“What changed?”

“You,” he said as he lifted his hands to cup the sides of my face. “You changed everything.”

“I need you, Declan.”

His throat bobbed, his eyes burned deeply. “I told you what happens if we enter this territory.”

“Take me back to your place,”I moved my lips to form the words slow enough for him to read them. I lifted myself from his lap and grabbed his hand to pull him with me. Declan rose to his feet, his eyes searching mine as he stared down at me, looking for assurance. I lifted up onto my toes, my lips moving against his.“Now.”

I dropped back down to find that his eyes were a mixture of emotions I couldn’t quite dissect. His hand found mine, and he bent down to pick up his board with his other hand before tucking it under his arm.

“Come with me, princess.”

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

DECLAN

The walk to my brother’s house felt like it was the longest walk of my life, even though it was only a little under two minutes. Giana’s hand was in mine and I was holding my surfboard with my good arm. I wanted to feel her flesh beneath my hands, her skin beneath my mouth. I wanted to touch her, to taste her, to please her the way she deserved to be pleased. The fire between us was burning brighter than the sun and it was taking everything in me to restrain myself from pushing her up against the garage door.

Instead, I set my surfboard down and punched in the code to open the door. Giana and I waited for it to open completely. I left my board inside the garage before pulling Giana into the house with me.

Thankfully my brother was at work for the day, doing God knows what. Even though he was the Orchid City Vipers’ team doctor, he worked with the team when they weren’t playing. In the summer, he was still busy working with the different hockey players. I wasn’t sure of the specifics of his job, but I just knew he was gone most of the day—and that was perfectly fine with me.

Giana’s eyes traveled around the open floor plan. All the walls were painted white and there were a few pieces of art my brother bought from different charity events at the local country club. I spun her toward me, pulling her until her body was flush against mine. She tilted her head back to look at me.

“Your brother?”

I shook my head at her, bending my knees slightly as I dropped her hand and slid mine down to grab her thighs just beneath her ass. “He won’t be home until this evening.”

She inhaled sharply as I lifted her into the air. Instinctively, her legs wrapped around my waist. She linked her hands behind the back of my neck as a smile pulled on her lips.“Perfect.”

God, she was perfect.

My bedroom was on the first floor and I carried her straight into my room. Holding her in my arms, I kicked the door shut behind me. Giana slid her fingers through my hair and I paused to look at her. Lust and need washed over her ocean blue irises. Her mouth inched closer to mine. My grip tightened on her thighs, just as her lips grazed mine.

It was game fucking over.

She kissed me slowly with such an unyielding tenderness. It was torturous and tantalizing and I wanted more of her. I wantedallof her. My eyelids fell shut as she breathed me in. She took control, her soft lips moving gently against mine. There wasn’t any hesitation, but she also wasn’t in a hurry. Giana Cirone was taking her sweet time torturing me.

My feet didn’t stop blindly moving until my knees were hitting the side of the mattress. I lowered her down onto the bed without breaking away from her. Her legs fell away from my body and we moved together as I crawled onto the mattress with her, the two of us moving toward the center of the bed. Lifting my face from hers, I stared down at her. Her midnight-colored hair was splayed out across the white comforter, still damp from the ocean water.

My breath caught in my throat as she stared up at me with her soft eyes.

Goddamn, she was absolutely fucking beautiful.

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