“Sounds like you,” he murmurs with a smile.

“Well, I should have kept my mouth shut. They hounded us the rest of the day. Ended up causing a small car accident.”

“Hold it.” He pulls me to a stop, his hand on my arm. “Did you get hurt?”

“No.” I shake my head. “But it scared me. And it pissed Scott off.”

“It should have.” He’s so angry on my behalf and I just want to kiss him.

“No, he was pissed at me,” I clarify.

“For what?”

“For not keeping my mouth shut. According to him, it was my fault.”

“Mother fucker sonofabitch!”

God, he’s hot when he’s pissed.

“Yeah, that’s why I broke it off. And then a few years later was the incident in Luke’s house not too far from here.”

He sighs deeply and pulls me into his arms, rocking me back and forth, his hands rubbing up and down my back.

I feel so safe with him.

“Let’s sit on our blanket and watch the sunset,” he murmurs into my ear and pulls away to lead me over to the blanket in the sand.

We spread it out and plop down in the middle, leaning on each other, not saying anything as we watch the sun begin to sink into the water.

“I love the water here,” I comment.

“Me too, but honestly, I’ll take Seattle over this any day of the week.”

“Really?” My startled gaze finds his.

“Yeah, I guess I didn’t realize until I’d spent the past few months there how homesick I’ve been.”

“I like it when you’re in Seattle, too,” I whisper, tracing the tats on his hand with my fingertip.

“Do you?” He kisses my head.

“Yeah.”

He tips my head back with his fingertip, his gorgeous gray eyes the color of the ocean in the setting sun, and I’m completely caught up in him.

I fucking love this man.

Chapter Seventeen

My eyes drop to the piercing in his lip and he leans in and gently sweeps his lips over mine.

“You are so sweet,” he whispers and sinks into me, his hands pushing into my hair, holding me to him.

I moan softly as he pushes me onto my back in the soft sand, protected by the blanket. He lays over me completely, we’re still in our clothes, and he just kisses me, brushes my hair from my face, and then pulls up, just a few inches, and smiles down at me.

“You’re going to get cold,” I whisper and rub his warm back with my hands. I love the way his smooth skin feels.

“I’m fine,” he murmurs and shakes his head. “You smell so good.”

“So do you.” I smile shyly and nuzzle his nose with mine. “You’re still wearing pants.”

“Do they offend you?” He asks with a chuckle.

“Yes, I’m horribly offended,” I give him a mock-glare and shove my hands between his underwear and the skin of his ass. “I love your ass.”

“I love your ass too. And it’s still covered.”

“You’re on me.”

“Yep.” He agrees and doesn’t move so I can remove my clothes.

“Well, then it looks like we’re at an impasse.”

“What if I just want to lie here and kiss you all night?” He asks, his face sober, his gaze wandering over my face, his fingers still gently skimming my skin.

“Do you?” I ask.

“Hell no, I want to be inside you, but that wasn’t the question.” He laughs.

“Well, you can kiss me whenever you want.”

“Good to know.”

He kisses me again, and then rises up to his knees, pulls my pants down over my hips and raises his eyebrows when he sees my thong.

“Nice underwear.”

“Please don’t tear them.” I laugh.

“No, they’re staying on.” He unfastens his pants, pushes them down around his thighs, and lowers himself over me again, cradled between my thighs. I can’t believe I never had sex in this position before him. I love the way he feels over me.

Although, I never would have trusted anyone before him to put me in this vulnerable position.

“What are you thinking?” He whispers.

“That I love how you feel when you’re on me like this.”

He pulls his hips back, reaches between us to pull my thong to the side with his finger tip, and slowly, so damn slowly, sinks inside me. “Oh, baby.”

“Okay, I like this, too.” I smile against his mouth.

“Oh, sunshine, you are incredible.” He kisses my nose and my cheeks. He’s so not fucking me right now. He’s making love to me, and I can’t get enough of it.

“Why do you call me sunshine?” I ask, and wonder if he’ll tell me. My hands are roaming all over his back, arms, ass. I can’t stop touching him.

“I told you before, because of your hair.”

“I don’t think that’s true.” I pull my fingers down his face and kiss his lips softly.

He takes a deep breath and moves very slightly inside me, making me gasp.

“I call you sunshine,” he whispers and brushes his knuckles down my face, “because when you smile, you light me up inside.”

“Oh, baby,” I whisper and pull his face down to mine and kiss him fiercely, rocking my hips. He begins to slide in and out of me, still slowly, but more firmly, rocking his pubic bone against my clit each time he’s buried as far as he can go.

Night has descended completely around us, and I can hear crickets blending in with the rush of the waves down the beach. I am wrapped in Leo’s warmth, literally as well as emotionally. He pulls one of his hands down from my hair, along my face, and farther still to rest over my breast. His thumb and forefinger worry the nipple through my shirt, sending electricity straight to my center, and I pulse around his hardness.

He kisses down to my neck and bites my shoulder. “Come.”

And I do, softly, but no less intensely than when he fucks me stupid. I’m shattering beneath him, gripping onto his back with my nails.

“Ah, damn, baby,” he groans and follows me over the edge into bliss.

***

“We really should get up,” I mumble and turn my face to kiss his chest.

“Why?”

“It’s almost noon.” I laugh. Leo chuckles and kisses my head.

“We don’t have anywhere to be until this evening.” He turns on his side to face me.

“What are we doing this evening?” I ask and trace the tattoo on his shoulder.