“Sh–shampoo,” she managed to get out when she wasn’t focused on anything but sensation and the male body pressing ever closer.
“Do you feel that?” he asked.
“What?”
“The heat.” He nipped at her earlobe. “The anticipation.” He tugged harder, and desire shot through her body. “We’re combustible.” As if to prove his point, he kissed her neck, an open-mouthed, wet kiss that had her nipples hardening beneath the cotton of her shirt.
He grazed his teeth across her shoulder and pulled the strap of her top with his teeth before releasing. “Have to get rid of this. I want to see those pretty breasts. My last glimpse was way too short.”
She blushed at the reminder of her tank top slipping in their shared room on the island, but she was way too aroused to remain embarrassed for long. If his goal was to seduce her into calmness, he was succeeding, both with his words and his touch.
“You with me?” he asked.
She managed a nod, and without waiting, he lifted the hem of her top, pulling it up and over her head, leaving her in a flesh-toned bra decorated with white lace. He groaned, his eyes dilating as he stared at her chest.
Flustered by his intent gaze, she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, and he shook his head. “Nobody bites that lip but me,” he said in a commanding tone, more like the Tyler she’d come to know over the years than the one who’d been tiptoeing around the minefield she’d set up between them.
And she had to admit, if only to herself, it was hot as hell.
“Stand up,” he said.
She blinked and rose to her feet, feeling led by him, almost as if she were in a trance. It worked for her, listening to his commands, not having time to think, and she sensed he knew it too.
“First I’m going to take that bra off and look at you.”
He was looking now, she thought, her body tightening as he, too, stood and walked behind her. He brushed her hair off her shoulders, letting his calloused fingertips trail along her skin, goose bumps rising in the wake of his touch. He continued until he came to the back clasp of her bra and released the catch. Then, ever so gently and unlike his gruff orders, he slid the straps down her shoulders and arms until the garment fell to the floor.
She stood before him, her breasts exposed in a way she’d never experienced, but before her embarrassed or worried thoughts could surface, he strode around in front of her and cupped both mounds in his big hands. All rational thought fled; nothing but feeling and enjoyment remained. He palmed her breasts, pressing into her nipples with this thumbs, and the sensation went straight to her pussy, coating her panties with arousal.
“They fit perfectly in my hand,” he said in a sexy growl. “Look.”
She glanced down to see his tanned skin against her pale flesh. His hands so big yet so soft as he kneaded her breasts and played with her nipples, clasping them between his thumb and forefinger, rolling them gently at first, then shocking her with a hard pinch to each tight bud.
She sucked in a stuttered breath, even more startled when the hint of pain morphed into heated pulses between her thighs. “More,” she murmured, surprised when she heard her own voice.
He grinned and leaned down, sucking one nipple into his mouth, swirling it with his tongue, nipping with his teeth before releasing with a not-so-subtle pop. The sudden rush of cool air on her skin had her writhing where she stood, her empty body yearning for fulfillment.
“You like that,” he said, his glittering blue eyes meeting hers.
“Feels like I do,” she agreed, swaying on her feet.
“Stay with me,” he said, bracing her with a hand on her shoulder. “Skirt off next.”
“It’s elastic,” she said, wondering why she bothered explaining. His hands were already at the waist, hooking his thumbs into her panties and skirt, then yanking both down.
“Step out.”
She was so aroused she was past embarrassment or concern. She just followed his orders and eased one foot, then the other out of the garment that joined the rest of her clothes on the floor.
He knelt at her feet, pulling her flip-flops off and discarding them as well. Then he grasped her ankle in one hand and glanced up—not to meet her gaze but to stare at her exposed sex, wet with her juices, pulsating with need.
She’d never—and she did mean never—ever let a man look at her this way. Dim lights, that was what worked for her. No criticism that way. No disappointment.
She was so lost in her own head she was startled when he leaned forward and bit lightly on her clit, shocking her back into sensory overload. She yelped at the sting, then shifted on her feet, moaning at the fire licking through her veins.
“Guess I have to keep things moving if I’m going to keep you here with me.” He shot her a knowing, chastising look.
She managed a nod. “Guess so,” she admitted, causing him to shake his head and laugh.