Her eyebrows rose up. “You’re wearing a tux, it fits.”
Her fingers had reached his lips. They were warm, soft, and she was desperate to feel them.
They’d stopped walking. In the distance, she could hear the sound of music carrying in the breeze, along with the rhythmic sound of the ocean crashing against the shore. But the loudest sound was the pulse in her ears, the rapid thrum echoing in her mind, reminding her how long it had been since she’d been touched. How much she wanted him, needed him. Was desperate to feel his skin against hers.
When he reached out to cup the back of her head, tipping her face back until her eyes met his, she couldn’t think of anything else but her need.
To feel him.
To touch him.
To kiss him.
He dropped his head so his lips were only a breath away from hers. Close up he was overwhelming. Warm eyes, high cheeks, a jawbone that could cut through rock, and lips that might have been too swollen on anybody else, and yet fit his face perfectly.
“Can I kiss you, Grace?” he asked, his voice thick.
“Please,” she breathed.
He threaded his fingers through her hair, sliding his other hand down her back to the dip right above her behind. A half step forward brought his body to hers, his hard chest pressing against hers.
“You’re so damn beautiful,” he murmured, his fingers caressing the sensitive skin of her neck. “I love the way you feel.”
“I love the way you touch me.”
There was a moment of hesitation. Not from fear or anxiety. But a need to savor the second before their lips touched, before the fire was lit and neither of them were in control any more. She looked up at him, seeing the darkness in his eyes, illuminated by the reflection of the moon over the water. She wanted to bury herself in them, to swim inside his senses the way he was overtaking hers. And just as the second seemed to stretch into a lifetime, he captured her lips with his.
Her toes curled as their mouths pressed together, warm and needy and oh-so-delicious. He pulled her closer, so she could feel the hard planes of his body against the softness of her own, and his need aching between them.
Reaching up, Harper looped her arms around his neck, feeling the roughness of his short hair and the softness of his nape below. He deepened the kiss, the tip of his tongue running along the seam of her lips, until she opened up to him, desperate to feel him against her. Her whole body was on fire, lit up by the closeness of him. One more touch and she thought she might explode.
When he broke the kiss she found herself fighting for breath, light-headed from the combination of lack of oxygen and desire. “We should go inside,” she said, her voice rough with need. “My bungalow is over there.”
* * *
“Come here,” he told her, as soon as he’d closed the door behind them. The low lights set into the side of the walls automatically flickered on, their soft glow illuminating her face as she did exactly what he requested. She stopped in front of him, her eyes wide, her lips parted, waiting to see what he’d do next.
Leaning forward, he pulled the pins from her hair, watching as it tumbled around her shoulders in a cloud of blonde-and-pink tendrils. He reached out to touch it, feeling the silky strands slide against his fingertips. “I really like this hair.”
He moved his hands down, until his palms slid against her shoulders, feeling their warmth as he rounded them to the top of her arms. “Can I take this off?” he asked, sliding his hand down the back of her dress. She nodded, so he pulled the zipper down, sliding his hands through the gap to feel her shoulder blades, her spine, and the deliciously aggravating dip leading to everything he wanted.
She shrugged the dress off, completely unaffected by the fact she was naked apart from the silky scraps of lingerie. He swallowed hard, taking in her perfectly smooth skin, the rise of her breasts, and the dip of her stomach. Another time, another place and he’d be hesitant, aware this was the first time he’d seen a woman strip for him in years.
But tonight he wanted it all, to touch every inch of her, to hear her soft gasps as he gave her pleasure. Leaning forward again, he kissed her hard and hot, leaving them both breathless when he pulled away.
“Take your tux off,” she told him. He grinned at the way she tried to imitate his commands. But he still did what he was told, shucking off his jacket, loosening his tie, unfastening the pearlescent buttons leading down to his waist.
“You like?” he asked as her pupils dilated when he was bare from the stomach up.
“I do,” she told him. “I really do.”
She stepped forward, pressing her chest against his, and he felt the need aching through him. He slid his hands beneath her ass, lifting her until her legs wrapped around his hips, and carried her over to the bed.
A smile played on her lips as he laid her down, climbing over her, and pressing his lips against her neck. He could feel her pulse throb against his mouth. He licked the point with the tip of his tongue and she sighed.
“Take off your pants,” she said, pulling at his belt. “I need you.”