“When I walked out of the hotel bathroom and you were gone, I thought I was too late." Desire and a possessive hunger swirled in his eyes as he crowded i
nto her space, forcing her to back up until she was flat against the door.
Her breath caught. Electricity sparked in the air around them, muddling her ability to form coherent thought. "Too late for what?"
“To tell you what an idiot I was.” He lowered his lips to hers, possessive and hard.
Stunned, she couldn't move as his tongue teased her lips, sending heat flaring through her body. Need and want surged from her core. He deepened the kiss and his hands swept down her sides, coming to rest against the outside of her thighs. The cotton of her sundress felt so soft as it slid against her bare legs when he inched it higher and higher, until it bunched around her waist. The contrasting texture of his rough hands and the delicate lace of her panties against her hip teased her desire. She buried her fingers in his still short but growing out of his buzz cut hair, wanting to touch him everywhere at once. It was happening too fast and not fast enough.
Desperate for more, she pulled back from his hungry mouth. "Carter."
He squeezed her hips. "Whatever you want, tell me. I’ll make it happen."
Grabbing a handful of his button-up shirt in each fist, she looked him straight in the eye. This wasn’t because they were in a cruise bubble, it wasn’t the idea of being with her fantasy guy. This was Carter, the man she’d fallen for the moment he played along with her prank to steal Grace’s pants.
“You know what I want,” she said as she yanked his shirt open, sending buttons flying across the room.
"You want me to make you come?"
"More." The ache deep within her intensified. Her sensitive skin craved his touch, yearned for him. “I want you. Now. Tomorrow.”
He leaned forward and nipped at the base of her neck. “Aubrey, I’m yours.”
Her knees buckled and she would have sunk to the floor if his hands weren't holding her hips so firmly. His hands curved around to her ass, cupping each globe in his palms. He lifted her up to her tiptoes, his strong hands on her ass. Using a foot, he nudged her legs farther apart. The cool air brushed against her panties, taunting her heated clit.
Her skin tingled everywhere Carter touched, but it wasn't enough—she wasn’t sure it ever would be. Her lips busy with his, she spread her fingers wide and ran them across his broad shoulders. She followed the curve of his biceps, tensing under her touch, nudging his shirt down his arms until it fell from them.
Pulling her mouth away was a necessary small torture so she could taste more of him. She trailed kisses down to his throat, pausing at the pulse hammering there, relishing that both of their hearts raced in anticipation. A quick nip elicited a harsh groan from him.
Pushing her back gently, he framed her face with his hands, forcing her to make eye contact. "I’m sorry, for everything. Can you forgive me?"
“Only if you’ll forgive me too.”
“So we’re even.” Leaning forward, he kissed her again, teasing open her mouth with his tongue and then backing off. “A fresh start.”
That was exactly it for both of them. A new beginning with new dreams and hopes. It wasn’t what she’d been expecting to find when she’d walked onto that cruise ship, but wasn’t that how life worked out sometimes. The unexpected twists and turns that lead a person to where they were supposed to be all along.
She kissed her way along his freshly shaven jaw. “How do you celebrate a new beginning?”
“I hear it’s very similar to making up after a fight.”
“Oh,” she said, desire making her shiver in his arms. “I’m all for that.”
For a moment he didn't move, then his hands seemed to be everywhere at once. Their clothes were gone in a whirlwind of touching and kissing. His head dropped to her breasts and licked a line of fire across their top curves. Using his hands to mold them, he pushed them upward and sucked one nipple into his hot mouth.
The moment his teeth grazed the hard nubs, Aubrey’s legs gave out on her and she collapsed against the door. Tension built inside her as his hand snaked down her flat belly. His hungry mouth released her breast and traveled back up to her mouth.
One hand slid lower, snuck under the elastic of her lace panties and a single finger sank between her wet lips. Her back arched in reaction to his touch, so pleasurable it nearly broke her. Eyes clenched shut, ribbons of color danced across her mind's eye, their hues becoming more vibrant as he stroked her clit and dipped first one, then two, then three fingers inside her sensitive pussy.
Trying to anchor herself to reality, she reached for him. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, but instead of bringing her back to the real world, the feel of his skin increased her need. It pushed her forward and brightened the colors behind her eyelids until they were nearly neon in intensity. The vibration built deep inside her, ratcheting up with each stroke of his fingers in and out. His fingers twisted within her slick folds, pushing her closer to release until the colors exploded and her orgasm overtook her.
Panting, Aubrey rested her head against his shoulder. She should be sated, but instead a fresh energy buzzed through her and she hungered for more of Carter inside her than just his fingers.
Grabbing a condom from his wallet before he stripped off his jeans, he rolled it on while Aubrey watched, her hooded gaze following his every more. And when he was done, he slid his rock-hard cock inside her wetness, driving deep into her pussy. She embraced his dick, massaging it with every stroke, and within moments he was on the edge of coming. Long, lean legs wrapped around his waist and her round ass filled his hands as he urged her body to slow down so they could make it last. The tips of her nipples rubbed against his chest. Her luscious lips on his throat made him want to forget his attempts to draw out the pleasure.
Her heels dug into the small of his back as she arched back, grinding her pussy against his cock. He slid his hands up from her waist, inching them across her skin and up to her tits. High and round, they filled his palms as if his hands were made for holding them.
Rolling her nipples between his fingers elicited a low moan from her parted lips. Encouraged, he tugged them gently and dipped his head down to circle one nipple with his tongue before sucking it into his mouth. He'd never heard sweeter music than her groan.