Andreas flashed her a smile. He’d wanted to be with her like this after he’d first met her, but instinct had told him to go slow. When she’d left him so suddenly for Venice, he’d felt too gutted to believe it. But she’d come back! There was no way he was going to let her go again.
“I’d like to reach a certain cove where we can lay anchor and catch some cod for our dinner. They’ll be biting this time of evening.”
Andreas turned the key and eased them out beyond the buoy. The engine ran so quietly, he felt and heard her suck in her breath with pleasure when he opened up the throttle. They flew across the water.
“That dial says the temperature is a fabulous eighty-six degrees! With the gulf so calm, this would be the best possible place to water-ski.” Her enthusiasm for everything enamored him. She loved life and he loved being with her.
Strange how he’d thought his love was strong for Lia before their marriage. But he hadn’t met Zoe then. The speed of his feelings for her had taken him by complete surprise. Her strength of character, her compassion and kindness made her a woman above others. In every atom of his body he knew he wanted to go through life with her.
“I’ll take you tomorrow with dolphins swimming all around you.”
A full smile broke out on her beautiful face. “Now I know I’m dreaming. Please don’t ever let me wake up.”
Not a chance. His exhilaration at being with her was over the top. “I’m in it with you, remember?”
He drove the boat up the coast while she soaked in the scenery. When they came to his favorite spot in a quiet cove, he shut off the motor. Next to an outcropping of rocks was a sandy patch of beach. Andreas was pleased no one else was here and they could be alone.
Zoe let out a squeal of delight and walked over to the side of the boat. After he lowered the anchor, he moved behind her and kissed the back of her neck. That brought her around into his arms where he wanted her. “I can’t wait for this any longer.”
“Andreas—”
He smothered her cry, needing to taste her the way he needed air to breathe. She melted against him, going where he led, giving him kiss for kiss. They both lost track of time and place, trying to satisfy their needs.
When he realized they needed to breathe, he relinquished her luscious mouth. “I could engulf you, Zoe. This life jacket is the only thing saving me from losing complete control.”
With her hands on his chest, she gazed at him with a come-hither smile she couldn’t have been aware of. “But you’re not wearing one.” She slid her hands around his neck and began kissing every part of his face. The touch of her roving lips against his skin spiked his desire. If he’d wanted proof that her hunger matched his, he didn’t need to wait any longer.
A fire had been lit a long time ago. It had been burning steadily beneath the surface, finding an opening here and there to allow bursts of flame to escape and grow. “Will it frighten you if I tell you how much I want you?”
His question caused her to stop kissing him. She looked into his eyes. Her hands slid back to his chest. “I confess that the instant we met, I was strongly attracted to you, too. That has never changed. But it frightens me that the time will come when your ardor for me cools.”
Her honesty caused his body to tauten. He clutched her tighter. “Do you know something I don’t?”
“I’ve gone into this with my eyes wide open, Andreas. Unless yo
u weren’t telling me the truth, I’m the first woman you’ve been with since the moment you told your wife you were divorcing her.”
“Are you saying you doubt me?”
“No. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here now. But it’s common knowledge that divorced people need time to find out who they are. I’ve been single a long time. At this point I know who I am. Unlike you, I’ve had opportunities to meet other men. So far none have been important to me.
“However, you’re still reeling from your separation that only happened recently. You haven’t had enough time to get your feet on the ground.”
That was where she was wrong. “Try nearly twenty-two months. Perhaps I haven’t made it clear that the sexual side of our marriage was never satisfactory. After Lia told me she was pregnant, there was no intimacy between us, not ever again. And now we know why. I’ve had a lot more time to think about the future during my soulless, defunct marriage than you can imagine.”
Zoe averted her eyes. “I didn’t realize that, but it doesn’t change the fact that other women will come into your life while you’re making a home for you and Ari.”
“I’ve been surrounded by beautiful females for years, wherever I’m working.”
“I don’t doubt it, but you know what I meant.”
“Whatever you were insinuating, you’d be wrong. Don’t confuse me with your ex-husband.”
She closed her eyes tightly for a moment. “I promise I’m not, Andreas.”
He believed her. “Tell me something. Where do you think you’re going to be while I’m getting my feet firmly on the ground?”
A tiny nerve throbbed at the base of her creamy throat. “I have a job to return to in California.”