She burst out laughing. God, it felt good. Even better when she saw a smile curve his lips, even though he stayed floating and hi
s eyes remained closed.
As quietly as she could, she made her way over to him, studying the still beauty of his face. And he was beautiful. The barest hint of pale stubble roughed his jaws, and his eyelashes just kissed the crests of his tanned cheeks. Whatever he did to keep himself in shape clearly worked, as strong shoulders curved into muscled arms and a broad chest. She hesitated a long moment, wondering if she dare ease her way closer, wondering whether she was being spontaneous and fun or foolish. But then … the last impulsive decision she’d made—coming to Jewell Cove—had worked out quite well. Maybe she was on a roll.
She slipped through the water, her progress silenced by the rhythmic slap of the waves on sand.
When he was close enough to touch, she held her breath, then reached out and ran a single finger down the center of his chest.
He broke the back float immediately, surprised by the contact, coming face-to-face with her in the water. The waves had pushed them closer to shore, and when Lizzie dropped her feet her tiptoes touched bottom. So did Josh’s, and they stood there briefly, swaying back and forth with the force of the swells.
She closed the few feet between them, gaining better stability, and together they moved slightly toward the shore until they were only waist deep in the water. Josh’s eyes drifted down, and the muscles in Lizzie’s pelvis tightened automatically as she realized that he could see the shadows of her nipples through her wet bikini top. And that the breeze blowing across the water was making that view somewhat … pronounced.
And she saw his throat bob as he swallowed.
Lizzie reached for his hand, lifted it, and placed it on her breast, letting his surprise last only a moment before she moved closer and lifted her chin, placing her lips on his.
His lips were cold from the water, but his mouth was hot on the inside as his tongue swept against hers. His hand molded her breast only for a moment before his arms came around her and pulled her flush against his body.
Hot and cold, soft and hard, all at the same time. Hungry for him, starved for the connection, Lizzie looped her arms around his broad shoulders and let the water buoy her up until she linked her legs around his waist. Her pelvis rocked against the hardness of his groin, and he moaned into her mouth.
Urgency claimed them both. Lizzie was profoundly glad for his strength, not grace, as he cupped her ass in his hands, holding her against him as he walked his way out of the water. The kiss broke off, his mouth sliding away from hers, presumably so he could see where he was going. Lizzie took the opportunity to lick the salty wetness of his neck, giving a little nip when he let out a delicious curse.
He staggered his way through the loose sand to their blanket and dropped to his knees, then let her down slowly on the warm cotton.
“Liz,” he said softly.
“Risks,” she breathed, capturing his gaze with her own. “Chances.”
“I never … I mean, I wasn’t prepared for … Dammit. I’m trying to say I didn’t think to bring protection.”
There was risk and then there was stupidity. And yet the need he’d fed pounded through her ruthlessly. “Ways and means,” she suggested. “Nothing says we have to go all the way.” So much for not messing around with the boss … and yet his reasoning only minutes ago was conveniently sound.
She sat up, reached behind her neck, and untied her top. She shimmied it down her arms, let it drop limply on the blanket beside her, reached for his shoulders.
“God, you’re beautiful.” Josh kissed her once more, then trailed his mouth down her neck, across her collarbone, and finally onto the soft flesh of her breast. She arched, pushing her nipple toward his mouth, gratified when he laved it with his tongue. Everything tightened within her and she gasped, her eyes closed, the light from the midday sun orangey red behind her lids.
“You taste good,” he said, cupping her breast in his hand, paying equal attention to each one until she felt like a spring ready to release. “So good, Lizzie. Sweet and salty.”
“Don’t stop,” she ground out, tossing her head against the fabric-covered sand. When he shoved his hand beneath the damp band of her bottoms, she cried out and wished she could find a way to push closer to both his hand and his mouth. She reached down with her hand and rubbed her fingers along the length of his erection, curling her fingers around him through the trunks. Groaning, Josh pushed against her, the same rhythm he employed with his fingers as he pleasured her. Want pounded through her body, and need, and desire stole her breath. Had she ever felt this urgency before? It was beautiful and terrifying in its power.
He sat up, knelt before her, and grabbed her bottoms in both hands, slid them down her legs, and dropped them on top of her top.
She must be losing her mind. She was stark naked on a blanket in the middle of a beach and she couldn’t care less.
His gaze burned into hers, and then he slid down the blanket, never looking away, silently telegraphing his intentions with his eyes.
Vulnerable. That was how she felt at this moment, as Josh indulged in the most intimate of acts. Vulnerable, and yet powerful, and incredibly feminine and sexual. All the tension and stresses of the past weeks melted away as she gave herself over to the sensations.
The orgasm hit fast and hard and she pushed against his mouth, her cries flying on the wind with the call of the birds.
The pulses were still ebbing when Josh kissed her navel, then the hollow between her breasts, ultrasensitive now, and then his swollen lips kissed hers.
“I … uh…” The circuits of her brain were clearly fried, as she couldn’t put a coherent thought together.
He laughed, a low, sexy sound. And then he stood up, stripped off his trunks until he was naked as the day he was born, and ran into the sea.
It was a view she wouldn’t soon forget.