She found him. Her heart swelled at the sight of him sitting in front of her, and she was thankful he was okay. Her journey to Necker Island had not been an easy one. After twenty-four hours of dead ends, she was at her wits end in finding him. She was thankful it was such a small island and the locals talked so freely. She was able to get enough information to track him to the wicker bench on the balcony in the back room behind the strip club.

“Look at you. You’re a wreck.” She sat next to him, tucking her foot underneath herself and turning toward him. She scanned over him to be sure he was still in one piece, and still the Edward she’d fallen in love with.

“You’re here. How is that possible?” His words ran together, and his smile was lazy.

“I am. And by the looks of things, I’m just in time.”

“Just in time.” He looked around, trying to open his eyes wider.

“Is this your idea of getting away from everything?”

“No, no. I didn’t want her.” He sat up with some effort and pulled his shirt closed.

“I don’t mean the girl. I meant,” she picked up his drink and handed it to him, “this.”

“They make them strong here.” He chuckled. “I guess I had a few too many.” He filled his mouth with whiskey and swallowed it down. “How did you know where to find me?”

“I went to look for you, and I saw Claire. She knew where you were.”

“Ah, yes. Of course.” He leaned toward her. “Do you know what? I think she has surveillance on me everywhere I go.”

“Why do you say that?”

“She always knows where I am, what I’m doing, and when I need her most.”

“It’s called caring for someone. She seems to know you better than anyone.”

“She seems to know too much.”

“Maybe that’s why your father kept her so close.” She took his hand and held it close to her heart. “I could be your Claire if you give me that chance.”

“You still want that chance? After everything that happened?”

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

“You are. And it’s blowing my mind. I don’t understand. I thought you hated me.”

“Hate is such a strong word.”

“But true?”

“No. I was angry, hurt. I felt deceived by someone I truly cared for.”

“And now?”

“We have a lot to talk about.” She leaned into him, lifting his face toward her. Her lips were tender and soft against his, a strong smell of liquor lingering between them.

“What changed?”

“I sort of ran into Jack.”

Edward looked at her, and she saw his eyes change. “What happened?”

“A lot. He told me everything.”

“Everything?”

“I didn’t think he meant to, but I was able to get away from him before he did anything too harsh.”

“What do you mean? Did he try to hurt you?” Edward grew defensive, and his anger surfaced.

“He tried to. Steven seemed to show up at the right time.”

“That seems to be going around.”

“Well, now I know the truth, and I know you have done nothing but try to help me, like you tried to say before. I was just too damned stubborn to listen.”

“Not stubborn, concerned. I get it. You have a lot to lose.” He set his drink on the floor next to the bench.

“I owe you a huge apology, Edward.”

“No, I owe you at least that.”

“Well, because of my stupidity, I almost lost you.” She nudged him with her shoulder.

“Maybe I should be thanking my brother, instead of wanting to kill him then.”

“First, let’s keep him from taking my company. Then you can do what you want with him.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” She helped him up and started walking toward a wooden staircase that led down from the balcony, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, embracing her and kissing her with the passion she had missed. “What was that for?”

“For being you, and for giving me another chance.”

“Maybe I should be the one grateful for that chance.”

“Let’s not waste it.”

They walked down off the balcony and along the coast, where the water met the shore.

The sun threw brilliant colors across the ocean waves as Mia hugged her mug of hot coffee. She walked out the back door of Edward’s villa until her bare feet were in the sand. She inhaled the warm, salty air and drowned herself in the sunrise. After a bottle of water and two ibuprofens, she had put a very clumsy, yet flirtatious and horny Edward to bed, tucking him in just after midnight. She snuggled in beside him and surprisingly slept very well.

Her wake-up call involved birds chirping outside the bedroom window and fresh, salty air that wafted in with the warmth of the morning.

She sat in the sand, her legs crossed underneath her, and she just existed. It felt good not wondering about anything, or worrying about what was going to happen. No company phone ringing off the hook or deadlines to be met. She’d left all of that back in New York so she could concentrate on finding Edward. As soon as she did that, she was able to breathe easier, promising herself that she would accept the rest of her time on the island as a gift.

“Good morning, sunshine.”

She smiled as soon as she heard his voice. She didn’t turn around when he sat behind her, his body close to hers. She felt his arms wrap around her, and she melted. “Good morning. How did you sleep?”

“Not as well as I had hoped with you by my side.”

“Are you sure I was the reason for your lack of a deep slumber?”

“I hope not. Otherwise, I think I’m going to have to learn to live with it.”

She squeezed his hands with hers and pulled him around her a little tighter. “God, I’ve missed you.”

“I know the feeling.”

“This place is amazing.” She looked up at the sky with the colors softening with the rise of the sun taking over.

“You are amazing.” He pulled her around to his face and kissed her, his mouth covering hers. “I love you, Mia.”

She felt her heart swell as she allowed his words to sink into her mind, into her heart, and into her soul. “I love you, too.” She leaned to the side, propping her coffee cup in the sand and turning toward him, her legs on either side of him. She took him in and smiled at his loosely buttoned shirt and boxers.

“What?”

“Welcome back.”

“Thanks.”

“You weren’t quite yourself last night. It’s good to see you again.”

“That was definitely not me last night. I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“I’m glad I got to you before your friend did.”

“Actually, me too. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Stop thinking.” She pressed her lips to his and lingered there, allowing him to invade her senses. Her tongue explored his lips, pushing into his mouth with an urgency that woke her essence up. She pressed into him, her hands exploring what was underneath his shirt.

He grabbed her top, and without hesitation, pulled it up off her body and over her head, leaving her exposed to him and anyone else that might have gotten up that early and straggled onto the beach. He cupped her breasts, feeling the tips stiffen against his palms. He buried his face into the crook of her neck, leaving succulent kisses along her collarbone as he worked his way to her breasts. With a gentle push, he coaxed her to lie back in the sand as he caressed his way down her torso.

“Put your hands above your head, Mia.”

She shivered as she lay back on her legs, her back arching at the command and her hands above her head, buried in the sand.

“Good girl. Now keep them there for me.”

She felt completely exposed to him, except for her panties, which covered what was left for him to unwrap. Her pubic bone pressed upward, giving him a perfect outline of what was underneath. She felt his hands caress her breasts before they slid to her stomach. He pressed into her belly, just below her stomach, awakening a pressure from within her. His fingers continued down, pressing into her and gliding over her panties.

He covered her mound and leaned forward, sucking her nipple into his mouth. Each flick of his tongue across the hardness of her nipple made a shock run through her. She let a small sigh escape her lips as his fingers played and teased her through the thin fabric of her underwear. Her hips moved with his touch as she fought to keep her arms above her head.

He repeatedly pressed into her, building the arousal that began when her lips touched his. He grabbed her hips and pulled her into him, his hardening cock grinding into her. He climbed over her, pulling her panties down and off her legs, and taking in her curves before pressing his into her and using his weight to deepen her arousal. A few more strokes and her legs were around him, his mouth invaded hers, and his hands didn’t leave one inch of her alone.

“Edward,” she pleaded breathlessly. He stopped for a moment to look at her. “Have you ever seen those movies where the man and woman make love on the beach? They move perfectly together, so in love and completely enamored by each other?”

“Yes.” He looked at her, curiosity in his eyes. “Do you feel the same way?” He bent down and sucked on her neck, his cock pushing into her again.

“No.”

He stopped and pulled himself up quickly. “What?”

“I have sand where sand shouldn’t be.” She grimaced and wiggled uncomfortably.

Edward burst out laughing as he climbed up off her and helped her to her feet, sand clinging everywhere. He stood in front of her, his eyes gliding over her body. “I think it’s kind of sexy.”

“Well, it doesn’t feel sexy.”

He chuckled again and pulled his clothes off, discarding them next to hers on the sand. Slapping her butt cheek, he ran toward the ocean with her running after him. They ran into the warm salt water, splashing and falling into the ocean as he grabbed her hand. He pulled her close and kissed her. “Better?”

“For now.”

The taste of his tongue on hers, a hint of salt from a massive ocean that surrounded them, and the idea she was naked with the man of her dreams in paradise was powerful. She didn’t want to leave. She didn’t want reality. She was willing to give it all up if he promised to make love to her every day on this beach, under this sun, with this much love between them.

“Come on.” He took her hand and led her up the beach toward his villa. He dropped their clothes on the bedroom floor. He turned on the shower and watched her until the water felt warm on his hand. He motioned her to him, watching her every move until she stepped into the warm water. Her nipples instantly hardened against the heat of the water that felt prickly against her skin. He joined her, his hands sliding up the curves of her body as the water washed the sand from her skin. “You are so beautiful.”

She lowered her head and smiled as she felt his hands wrap around her wrists. He pulled them to his mouth, kissing each one as he lingered his lips on her skin. He pulled her arms up over her head and guided her hands to the shower head. “Hold on.” His hands stayed over hers as he wrapped them around the base of the showerhead. “Don’t let it go, no matter what.”

She nodded and took a deep breath. He stepped back, folded his arms, and smirked as he watched her chest expand and contract with each deep breath she took. He lathered his hands with a new bar of soap placed in the holder and stepped closer to her again. His hands glided along her waist, giving her arousal the fuel it begged for.

Her lips parted when his hands moved between her legs. He knelt before her, moving his fingers between the folds of her pussy, circling her clitoris before moving down her legs. He leaned back allowing the water to wash it all away before moving closer to her again. He wrapped his arms around her waist, his cheek pressing into her stomach.

She wanted to pull him closer, but she kept her hands where he commanded them to be, closing her eyes and letting herself go.

He opened her legs further, his teeth grazing against the tender skin on her thigh, his tongue touching dangerously close to her pussy, fueling a growing ache deep within her. She felt her arousal push rapidly higher and higher, begging to be thrust over the edge. He teased her, staying at the edges of her womanhood, blowing air from his lips but not touching the way she silently begged to be touched.

She moved her hips when she felt his mouth on her, hoping he would give her more. His hands spread out on her hips and slid around to her buttocks, pulling her closer as his tongue pressed into her sex. Her breath caught in her throat when her arousal slammed into her. He stayed there, pressed into her until she began to shake.

He had teased her too long. A mere touch was all it took to push her over. He tried backing away to bring her down before her orgasm grabbed her, but she felt the pressure continue. The orgasm took over and gently seized her until her legs buckled. He stood up, catching her and carefully lowering her into the tub, his arms wrapped around her.

She cuddled into him and enjoyed the aftershocks of what he’d done to her. “That was so fast.”

“Too fast.”

He reached up and shut the water off, stepping out of the tub and scooping her up in his arms. He carried her dripping wet body from the bathroom and lay her on his bed. She shivered from the cool change in the air until he lowered himself down, over her. The mixture of the coolness from the water and the warmth from him felt sensational. She felt his tongue run across her neck and over her shoulder as he licked the beads of water from her skin. Goosebumps formed quickly, her nipples hardening.

She tried covering herself with her arms until he grabbed her wrists and pressed them into the mattress over her head. “I know. Don’t move them.”

“Good girl.” His grin was devious and penetrated her to her core. She felt her arousal return while he played with her most sensitive points. His hands covered her breasts, his palms grazing across her nipples. He bit at her side as he lowered himself down between her legs again. He pushed her legs apart and kissed her inner thigh. His lips moved to her other thigh, leaving a trail of kisses down to her knee.

“Close your eyes.” His voice was deep and gruff, and she complied with his command. She felt him for a moment, then nothing. She waited, her body beginning to tremble at the anticipation.