Mano’s hands ran over her bare arms, his kisses sending a shiver through her body that made her skin break into goose bumps. Paige leaned back against him as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.
“I’m not ready to let you go yet,” he said, echoing her own thoughts.
She only wished he truly meant it, in more than just the physical sense. All she could do was make the most of the time they had left together. “You don’t have to,” Paige said and turned in his arms to face him. “You can hold me all night if you want to.”
She pulled her tank top up and over her head, revealing her bare breasts beneath it. She tossed her top aside so they could stand skin to skin. He was so hot to the touch. Paige was always cold despite the temperate climate of Southern California. Being wrapped in Mano’s heat was like coming home to a warm blanket.
He kissed her then. It was the softest, most tender kiss they’d ever shared. There was no hesitation or resistance, no desire-fueled desperation, just a sweetness that made her eyes start to tear up. She was glad he couldn’t see it. She didn’t want to ruin this moment because her emotions were getting the best of her.
Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones. Yes, that must be it.
Paige took his hand and led him into the bedroom. She tugged away the towel from around his hips and then sat him down on the edge of the mattress. Her denim shorts followed the towel. Then, as they’d discussed, she was finally wearing nothing but the necklace.
The idea that he fantasized about her like this made her feel bolder. She stood between his thighs and took his hands in hers. She moved them all around her bare skin, then brushed his fingertips along the pearls at her throat. “As you requested,” she said.
Mano’s jaw clenched and he took a deep breath. Easing back farther on the bed, he took her hand and pulled her with him. Her body covered his as they lay on the bed together. Every inch of her molded against his hard muscles. He cupped her face and brought her lips to his again.
“What do you want me to do?” she whispered against his lips.
“Whatever you want to do.”
Paige bit her lip, considering her freedom. She drew her legs up to sit astride him. It wasn’t really a position she’d ever been comfortable in, but this was her chance to really, truly let go without feeling self-conscious.
Mano reached for one of their last condoms and slipped it on. She didn’t need to wait for him. Paige had been ready the moment he touched her. His hands cupped her hips as she eased up and lowered herself onto him. The position pressed him deeper than ever before, filling her to where she was almost hesitant to continue. She slowed and let her body relax into it, finally seating herself fully against his hips.
Mano groaned and pressed his fingertips deep into her flesh. “Oh, Paige,” he managed between clenched teeth. “You feel so good.”
She did feel good. Her confidence increased with his reaction urging her on. She planted her palms on the hard wall of his chest and slowly rocked forward. Thrusting him deep inside her, she curled her lips into a sly smile. She liked this. A lot.
Paige watched every flicker of emotion on Mano’s face as she moved, studying what got the best reaction out of him. When he was on the brink, she backed away, coaxing him closer and closer to the edge. She, too, grew nearer her climax with every move she made. Their bodies seemed perfectly fit for one another, with no move possible that didn’t feel amazing.
She’d never been this in control, this confident in the bedroom. It was a rush of excitement that urged her on. She wanted to know exactly how to move to make Mano crazy, how to touch him to make his jaw tighten and body tense.
But most importantly, she didn’t want this moment to end. There was a finality about their coupling this time. It wasn’t likely to be their last sexual encounter before she returned to the mainland, but the sands of the hourglass were slipping away. Tomorrow would be about her grandfather and saying goodbye. Then her life would pick up where she’d left it off. A life without Mano.
The tears returned to her eyes. Paige couldn’t help it. Even as she moved s
lowly and tortured him, she felt the emotions start to overwhelm her. How had he become such an integral part of her life in such a short time? How was she ever going to make it without the man she loved?
Paige hesitated for only a moment when she realized where her thoughts had turned. There was no point in denying it. She was in love with Mano. She’d broken the rules of their fling and fallen head over heels for a man she could never, ever keep. There was no joy in the realization; her heart didn’t overflow with elation and adoration the way she’d imagined it would when she finally fell for someone.
It was just as she’d told Mano that night after their first kiss. She couldn’t get involved because her life was complicated. Now she’d gone and made it ten times more complicated than ever before.
Mano reached for her, pulling her back into the moment. “Kiss me, pulelehua,” he said.
She leaned down and gave herself over to his kiss. Paige surrendered everything she had because she didn’t know what else to do. She didn’t know what the next year would bring, but she had this moment with Mano, and she would treasure every second of it.
As their lips joined together, his fingers pressed into her hips and moved her harder against him. The friction created a delicious tension inside Paige that she knew she couldn’t resist for long. Within seconds, they both found their release and their voices mingled and echoed in the open air of his bedroom suite.
She collapsed onto the bed beside him, and he curled her body against his. “What am I going to do without you?” he whispered into her ear.
“Life goes on,” she replied, knowing that for him it would. For Paige, living her life without him would be much harder.
* * *
“Why does the time go by so quickly in Hawaii?”
Mano turned to Paige with a frown. “What are you talking about?”