Kisses at Sunset

‘You mean you haven’t decided.’

‘Oh, I’ve decided.’ Pressing on the accelerator, he watched her lips part in a soft gasp and decided that she looked good in his car. Her hair shimmered over her shoulders in the semi-darkness and her eyes shone green with delight.

‘I love this car.’

He changed gear and the car gave a throaty roar and shot up the hill towards the coast road. ‘I want to show you my favourite place.’

He drove for five minutes and then pulled off the road into a field.

‘You can’t park here!’

‘Watch me.’ He released both seat belts, reached for a torch from the glove compartment and then sprang out of the car. ‘Come with me.’

She let him take her hand. ‘Where are we going?’

‘You’ll see in a minute.’ He led her onto the soft grass and then paused. ‘You could take your shoes off here, if you like. The ground is soft.’

She did as he’d suggested, her hair flowing forward over her face as she bent down to slip off her shoes. ‘If I tread in a cow pat, your car will suffer.’

‘No cows.’ Without the shoes the top of her head reached his shoulder and he felt suddenly protective. She was almost impossibly slender. ‘Come on.’

Despite the darkness he walked confidently, occasionally flashing the torch to check where they were going. After a few minutes he turned sharp right and started walking down towards the sea.

She tugged at his hand, nervous in the semi-darkness. ‘We’re going to fall off the edge of the cliff!’

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ He dragged her against him. ‘We’re almost there.’

They dropped down a bit further and he heard her gasp. ‘Oh, Josh, it’s amazing.’

The night was clear enough for her to see the rocks and the abandoned lighthouse that stood proudly on the headland.

‘We call it Smugglers.’ Cove.’ He tightened his grip on her hand and led her down the grass. ‘Most of the tourists don’t even know it’s here because you can’t see it from the road and there’s no car park.’

‘So whose field did you park in?’

Josh smiled at her. ‘He’s a farmer. He had a nasty accident on his tractor a few years ago and I patched him up. He doesn’t mind if I use his field.’

‘Have you patched everyone up?’

‘It sometimes feels like it. There.’ He stopped and pulled her against his side. ‘Legend has it that if you stand here when there’s a full moon you can hear the sound of shipwrecked sailors crying out for help.’

‘Cheerful.’ But she fell silent and listened to the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks and the soft sigh of the water as it swirled over the sand and retreated. ‘Are there any wrecks along this coast?’ Her voice was a hushed whisper and she pressed closer against him.

‘Several.’ He could feel the warmth of her body pressing against his and he felt her shiver. ‘Are you scared?’

He felt her hesitation and then she turned to him. ‘Not scared.’ And then she lifted her face to his and her eyes glittered green in the moonlight. ‘Not scared.’

Their eyes held for a long moment and then his self-control snapped and he brought his mouth down on hers with savage urgency.

With a moan of relief and a greed that matched his own, she dropped her shoes, hooked her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

And it was a kiss like no other. As wild as the sea that licked the coast behind them and as bright as the moon that shone above them, it went on and on as they explored, tasted and teased each other to distraction.

He slid his hands down her back, down the soft fabric of her dress, until his fingers found the soft, silken flesh of her legs. Hot, molten lust flashed through him and he tumbled her gently onto the grass and came down on top of her, careful not to hurt her.

He felt her gasp of need against his mouth, felt her squirm under him, and he slid his hand round her back until he found the zip of her dress and jerked it down. As he ripped the dress from her trembling, heated body, his hands shook and his eyes were dark with need. He couldn’t ever remember feeling desperation like this before. It galloped through him, violent and greedy, driving every stroke of his hands and every flick of his tongue.

‘Josh…’ The sound of his name on her lips penetrated the red haze that surrounded his brain and he lifted his head, his breathing unsteady.