Chapter Twelve
“THERE YOU ARE!” Serena’s voice broke through their reverie. She was jogging toward them, her open hoodie swinging over a green bikini. Drake stood by the Jet Skis a few feet away, staring at Serena’s ass.
Rick had been so focused on Desiree, he hadn’t realized they’d reached the resort.
“I was worried that you’d changed your mind. We’re so excited for you! I can’t believe this will be your first time on a Jet Ski.” Serena hugged a very shocked Desiree, who was looking at Rick like she’d swallowed a frog.
“What exactly are we doing tonight?” Desiree asked.
Serena covered her mouth. “Oh, crap. He hasn’t told you?”
“Not yet,” Rick said, giving her a thanks-a-lot look.
“Sorry,” Serena said. “I’ll just…” She pointed to the Jet Skis. “Give you two a moment alone.”
Desiree’s eyes slammed into him with a mix of excitement and shock.
“Ohmygosh. Jet Skis?” She grabbed his hand. “I’ve never been on one. I can’t drive one of those.”
“You don’t have to,” he assured her. “You’ll ride with me. All you’ll have to do is hang on. You said it was tempting the night we met, and I thought it would be fun. Drake and Serena are taking one out, too, but there’ll be no racing, no horsing around. It’s just a quick Jet Ski ride to get us to your surprise. But we have to go now, because it’s illegal to ride after sunset.”
“Way to give a girl time to decide.” She squeezed his hand. “What if I fall off?”
“You won’t. They have a very wide base, and I won’t make any sharp turns or erratic movements.” He gathered her close and felt her heart beating frantically against his. “I promise I won’t do anything dangerous. You’ll wear a life vest, and if you’re uncomfortable, we’ll stop.”
“And you think I’ll like it?” Her brows knitted.
“I do, babe, or I wouldn’t have planned it. I know you’re cautious, and I promise I’ll always be careful with you. But you like to have fun, Des, and I don’t want you to miss out on a thing.”
She glanced at the Jet Skis again, nibbled on her lower lip, and drew in a deep breath. “I guess this can’t be any more difficult than juggling a classroom of feisty preschoolers.” With a wide smile, she said, “It looks like today is my day for scary, unexpected adventures. Let’s do it.”
He picked her up and spun her around. “You’re going to love this. I promise.”
“Well, I love this part of it! I’m going to have to agree to do things more often.”
His mind went straight to the gutter, and his expression must have given him away, because she flushed so hard he had to kiss her again.
Ten minutes later, with the backpack stowed in the storage compartment, life vests securely in place, and having given Desiree a quick lesson in Jet Ski safety, they were ready to ride. Drake and Serena shared a Jet Ski, and Drake gave Rick a thumbs-up.
“No wild stunts!” Desiree said.
“Only in the bedroom, sweetheart.”
Rick started out slow, with Drake and Serena trailing them. He had to hand it to Drake. He hadn’t given Rick a hard time about storming out last night, or pushed him any further about not going sailing with them later tonight. Drake was also doing him a huge favor by driving Rick’s Jet Ski back to the resort later. He definitely owed his brother big-time.
“Faster!” Desiree yelled.
That’s my girl. He kicked up the speed. The wind stung his cheeks, and Desiree clung to him as they flew through the water.
When they arrived at the private stretch of beach owned by Dean’s brother, Jett, where the rest of Desiree’s surprise waited, she whooped! She’d loved the ride, and hopefully she’d like the rest of the surprise just as much. Tonight they had the property all to themselves.
Drake and Serena pulled up beside them and cut the engine.
“Hey, man, I appreciate your help tonight,” Rick said as he and Drake stepped off the Jet Skis.
“That’s what family’s for.” He pulled Rick into a quick embrace and said, for his ears only, “I’m here for you. Whatever you need, whenever you need it.”
“That was amazing!” Desiree said as Rick helped her to her feet. “So fun! I can’t believe I ever called you reckless!”
“She knows you already.” Drake laughed, and Serena smacked his arm.
“Hey!” Drake hoisted Serena over his shoulder and carried her into deeper water.
“Don’t you dare!” Serena hollered. “I’ll kick your ass, Drake Savage!”
Rick helped Desiree remove her life vest, rid himself of his, and tossed the backpack on the beach. “When did my girl call me reckless?”
Her cheeks flushed, and she blinked up at him with big, innocent eyes.
He’d had her wrapped around him for the last forty-five minutes, listening to her melodic laugh and wishing he had a GoPro so he could have seen her elation unfold. And now she was looking at him with that sexy, vulnerable look? The one that drove him out of his mind?
That devastatingly delicious lip sprang free, and she said, “The first time I saw you racing around on the Jet Ski.”
As Drake and Serena sped away, Rick hauled Desiree against him. Alone at last. He gazed into her honest eyes, his heart tumbling. “Babe, the only thing reckless about me is how fast I’m falling for you.”
DESIREE AND RICK held hands as they strolled along the beach, and as the sun began setting, they made their way up a sandy path toward the top of the dunes. Lush bushes with vibrant purple and white flowers appeared between patches of dune grass, as if seeds had rained down from above and taken hold haphazardly. When they reached the crest of the dunes, it was like walking into a dream. In a sandy clearing by the edge of the dunes was a thick orange blanket, several big, colorful throw pillows, and an enormous picnic basket. Rick lit two torches that sat a few inches off the sand, bringing the whole romantic setup into clearer view. Rose petals were spread along the blanket, trailing from where they stood. And at their feet, Rick had drawn two hearts intersecting in the sand, with their initials in them. Her heart felt like it might beat right out of her chest.
“Rick…”
He was watching her with so much emotion in his eyes, she felt her knees weaken. He took her hand and guided her around the message in the sand and away from their little love nest, to where he’d tied pretty blankets up between two low trees, creating a barrier. “Dean’s brother owns this property and the beach below, so we have it all to ourselves.”
He crouched by them, lighting another lantern, and dropped the backpack behind the blankets.
“Even though we’re alone and there’s no chance of anyone seeing us, I assumed you might want a dressing room,” he said as he came to her side and pointed beyond the hanging blankets. “And just over the ridge, by my truck, is a bathroom. I’m sorry I can’t take you sailing to drift beneath the moonlight.” At least not yet. “And taking you out on a powerboat wouldn’t even come close to giving you the romantic night you dream of.”
She stepped closer, her chest full. “Sailing is off my list. I know how hard that would be for you, and I don’t want you to feel pressure because of my silly childhood dream.”
“Your dreams aren’t silly at any age.”
“Rick, all dreams don’t have to be realized. Especially not at the cost of making you uncomfortable.” This incredible man was making her heart work overtime. “This is so much more than I could ever hope for. On top of everything else, you made me a dressing room. And I love it even more because it came from here.” She touched the left side of his chest.
Framing her face with his hands, he brushed his lips over hers, and her entire being flooded with awareness. He didn’t kiss her, didn’t say a word, just stood so close her body tingled with anticipation. He touched her cheek so tenderly, she didn’t want to move, or breathe, for fear of missing a second of it. As the minutes passed, her senses spun. She smelled his raw, manly scent, felt his chest brushing against hers, his hips rocking in a slow sensual motion bringing rise to a desperate pulse between her legs. One hand moved to her back, his fingers pressing into her. His lips swept over her cheek, then along her lips again, and up beside her ear. He didn’t speak, but she heard his thoughts, felt his desire. They stayed like that until darkness fell around them. And just when the sexual tension had her strung so tight she was sure she’d snap, he lowered his mouth to hers, unleashing an explosion of sensations.
Lust surged through her veins like an awakened river. She grabbed at his back, his arms, his head, needing to be closer. He clutched her ass, bringing his erection against her belly, and oh Lord, did he feel good. His tongue plundered her mouth just as it had between her legs in the widow’s walk. Her body electrified with the memory, and a needy noise escaped into his mouth. His hand cruised up the back of her tank top, crushing her to him. She loved how big he was, how strong, how well endowed! He was shirtless, and she wanted to feel his skin on her, over her, around her. She yanked up on the hem of her tank top, tearing her mouth away long enough to strip it off as he unclasped her bra and tossed it to the sand. They stumbled and kissed to the blanket, destroying his sandy message.
“I brought dinner,” he said as he yanked down her shorts and panties, visually devouring her. “But I’m starved for dessert.”
“Greedy.” She tugged his board shorts down, and his erection sprang free.
They both stilled as she ogled him, salivating for a taste of the man who was breaking through all her barriers, setting her free from the confines of her own mind. She didn’t have to look at his face to know he was aware of her every breath, probably waiting for her to pull back on the reins, but tonight, for him, she was cutting herself loose.
“Are you clean?” She heard the thrum of desire in her voice.
“We wouldn’t have come this far if I wasn’t. I promised to be careful with you, and I meant it in every sense of the word.”
Her heart soared at his thoughtfulness. She wrapped her fingers around his erection and dropped to her knees, wasting no time to taste her man. She dragged her tongue over the broad head, feeling him swell in her hand. He groaned and threaded his hands into her hair as she licked him from base to tip, getting him nice and wet. She stroked and sucked and kissed and licked, becoming more and more aroused with every erotic sound pouring from his lungs.
“So good.” His hips pumped to a needful beat. “That’s it. Christ, you feel good, baby.” He groaned and inhaled sharply, holding her head where he could love her mouth the deepest.
Lost in the frenzy of his excitement, the salty taste of his skin, the hard heat in her hands, she sank lower, licking around the base. He grabbed hold of his shaft. Holy mother of hotness! Seeing him do that made her head spin. She licked around his hand and over his fingers, feeling dirty and sexy and wanting to get even dirtier.
“Stroke,” fell from her lips like a command.
His chin fell to his chest with a hiss, his eyes boring into her. “I’m trying to keep from coming,” he nearly growled.
She snapped her mouth shut, embarrassed that she hadn’t realized that. In the next breath, he was on his knees, lowering her to her back, spreading her legs wide and dragging his tongue over her sex.
“So damn delicious, baby.”
His dirty talk made her even more aroused. With his mouth over her sex and his eyes trained on hers, his tongue thrust in and out in a dizzying rhythm. She rocked her hips as he devoured her, still thinking about having him in her mouth. She’d loved the hungry noises he’d made, the way his hips pumped, and how his hands had felt in her hair. She’d wanted to see him lose control. She clutched at the blanket as he took her right up to the verge of madness. She wanted to do that to him. Now.
“I want you…” She grabbed his shoulders, struggling to remain coherent. “To come.” Pant, pant, pant. “In my mouth.” God, who was she? She loved this racy side of herself. It was empowering, and she knew only Rick could make her feel this way, because never in her life had she come anywhere close to trusting a man this much.
He stilled, and she held her breath, suddenly worried she was being too dirty.
“I want to make love to you.” He kissed her thigh, sending shivers speeding through her. “And come together.”
“Can’t we do both?”
His eyes went black as night, and he crawled up her body, his erection pressing against her sex, his torso swallowing hers.
“We can do anything your sexy little heart desires. We have all night.”
He sealed his mouth over hers, kissing her deeply. She felt it everywhere. They rolled onto their sides, and she kissed her way down his chest, excited to make him wild.
“Not so fast, sweetheart.” He gently grabbed her arms. “I want you to come in my mouth, too.”
Her pulse sprinted as he repositioned them, lying on his back and helping her straddle his face. She had a momentary flash of embarrassment, but the minute she took him to the back of her throat, it obliterated all thoughts other than wanting to make him as crazy with desire as he made her. His hips bucked, and he clutched her hips, tugging her lower until his mouth had its wicked way with her.
This was good! Fantastic! Incredible! Why hadn’t she thought of this? She stroked quicker, sucked harder, but his tongue—Lord, his tongue—messed with her concentration, and her arm she was using for leverage weakened. She had a hard time keeping pace, and he must have noticed, because he wordlessly repositioned them onto their sides, making it easier for both of them.
This was magical.
She found her rhythm, and drawing on every naughty article she’d ever read, she put it all into play, stroking the sensitive skin behind his sac, licking the juncture of his thighs as she stroked his cock. His hips pistoned, his tongue thrust into her, and her entire body trembled.
“Jesus, baby,” he growled, spurring her on.
His fingers found that special spot that sent her body soaring right up to the verge of oblivion. She whimpered around his cock, working him faster, lost in the feel of his tongue, his teeth, the thick, hard heat in her hands, and the pure male sounds coming from Rick. Her thighs flexed, his cock swelled, and in the next breath her body quaked and shuddered, clenching tight and hot, as they both found their release.
AFTER THEY CAME down from the clouds, they lay beneath a blanket, their naked bodies entangled like twisted vines. They kissed and talked and held each other in comfortable silence for long stretches of time, listening to the distant sound of the bay and the dune grass rustling in the breeze.
Rick pressed a kiss to Desiree’s forehead. “Are you cold? Hungry?”
“I’m not moving from my new favorite spot,” she said sweetly. “You’re like a personal heater, and I don’t care if I starve.”
He laughed, but he felt the same way. “Good. Me either. Tell me something about you that I don’t know. What’s it like to be surrounded by little people all day?”
She smiled, the way she had each time she’d talked about teaching. “It can be the most wonderful, fulfilling job in the world, or the most trying. Usually, it’s a little of both. Preschoolers are curious and eager to learn, which makes each of their discoveries really exciting. Probably one of my favorite things is when they think they can’t do something and then prove themselves wrong. Nothing beats the pride in their eyes.”
As her love of her work poured out, he realized how much enthusiasm he’d lost for his own.
“No two days are the same, and no two children are the same,” she said. “What works for one might send another into tears. It’s a balancing act.”
“Did you always want to be a teacher?”
She snuggled closer, and her voice went soft. “I always knew I wanted to work with children and be a positive influence in their lives. When I was in high school, my father suggested I volunteer at a summer program for three- and four-year-olds to see if I liked it, and that was it. I knew what I wanted.” She gazed into his eyes, her fingers moving slowly over his skin. “It’s funny how sometimes you just know something is too right to be wrong.”
“Like us.”
“Like us,” she whispered. “That’s something else we have in common. You always knew you wanted to be a builder, like your father. Did you ever entertain the idea of being something else?”
“Not once. When I set my mind on something, I’m not easily deterred.”
“Really? I couldn’t tell. It’s not like you were persistent when we first met.”
“And you were sweet and sexy and curious, but careful not to let me know how badly you wanted to get in my pants.”
She gasped. “I did not want to get in your pants!”
“Until tonight,” he teased.
She flushed, and he touched his forehead to hers. “Desiree, you are the sweetest, most passionate creature on this earth, and I hope you blush like that until we’re old and gray.”
“We’re…?” she said breathlessly.
“Slip of the tongue.”
He came down over her and laced their hands together, holding them beside her head. “We’re too right to be wrong.”
He took her in a series of slow, intoxicating kisses. In seconds, he was drunk on her, lost in the way she moved sensually beneath him, breathing harder, then hardly breathing at all. He kissed her jaw, ran his tongue along the shell of her ear, and his emotions came pouring out in one heated whisper after another.
“I can’t wait to make love to you.” He brushed his lips over hers, rocking his arousal along her lower belly. “I want to make you so hot that by the time we come together, you’re hanging on by a thread.”
“Yes,” came out in a rush of hot air.
He moved lower, holding her arms up as he teased her nipples into tight peaks. Moving from one to the other, he lavished each with kisses, licks, and finally, good, hard sucks.
“Rick—” she cried out, bowing off the blanket. “Don’t stop. Talk dirty to me.”
Kissing his way back up to her mouth, he traced her lips with his tongue. “I loved watching you suck me off.”
She wrapped one leg around his waist. “I loved when you grabbed my hair, and when we…”
“Got each other off?”
“Yes—” She arched up, trying to catch his mouth, but he leaned out of reach, loving the passion burning in her eyes.
“Good things come to those who wait.” He kissed her shoulder, then sealed his mouth over her neck.
She writhed beneath him, her fingers digging into his back. “No, no, no. No waiting. You’re too good at seducing me.” She turned her head to the side and licked his arm, turning a hot-as-fuck gaze on him.
“Damn, sweet thing. I think it’s the other way around.”
She did it again, and he released her arm and hooked his thumb over her lower lip. Narrowing her eyes, and holding his steady gaze, she swirled her tongue over it, then sucked it into her mouth so hard heat bolted to his cock. He uttered a curse. Unable to hold back another second, he withdrew his thumb, and their mouths collided. There was no finesse, no sweet tenderness in their wild, passionate kisses. They were messy and rough, accompanied by moans and whimpers, and fingernails carving crescents into his back.
“Baby, I’m so into you I can’t think straight.”
“I’m yours, Rick. Take me—”
Their kisses turned even more demanding as he aligned their bodies, the head of his cock pressed against her center, coated with her arousal. She lifted her hips, gripping his ass and urging him in. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized they needed protection.
“Condom,” came out like a curse.
“I’m on birth control.”
“Thank God.”
He wanted to drive into her with one hard thrust, but he also wanted to make sweet love to her with all the tenderness he felt toward her. He slowed their kisses to try to get a grip on his emotions, but he was too far gone. He pushed into her tight heat, a groan falling from his lips as her body swallowed him to the root.
“Christ, baby. We were made for each other.” He pushed his hands beneath her ass, lifting and angling until she gasped.
“There,” she said with a shaky breath. “Right there. Don’t move. You’re right on that spot. Just…be with me. Like this.”
Her hands felt like fire moving over his skin, up his back, down his sides, gripping his ass. His legs began to shake. She felt too fucking good; holding back was near impossible. He pulsed his hips in slow, soft beats, deeper, deeper, deeper, without withdrawing.
“Ohgodohgodohgod, Rick.” She inhaled a jagged breath. “I’ve never…That’s so good.”
“Kiss me, baby. Let me make it even better.”
His mouth came down over hers, worshipping, exploring, as they rocked and thrust, groped and fondled, learning the dips and curves and sweet spots of each other’s bodies. Her heart beat frantically against his, their bodies sliding, bumping, grinding, greedily soaking in every perfect moment. Together they found the tempo that bound them together, carrying them higher and higher and exploding in an avalanche of fiery sensations.
He held Desiree close, never wanting to let her go, and spoke heatedly into her ear. “Feel that, sweetheart?”
“Mm,” she said with the softness of a sated lover. “Amazing.”
“Real, baby. That’s as real as it gets.”