CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

 

Dinner was fabulous, and the dessert astounding. We had warm chocolate gateau that melted in our mouths, and the ice-cream tasted divine. I don’t think I’ve ever had anything that good in my mouth before. When I told Beau that, he’d started choking, reaching for his wine.

“Sir, your drinks are waiting on your balcony.”

The server passes a key card attached to our room number over to Beau, whispering something near his ear, before clearing our table.

“What was that?” I ask, suspicious.

He just gazes at me. “Want to take a walk along the beach?”

I’m out of my seat before he finishes. “Yeah, I do.”

He laughs, taking my hand in his, before walking me back towards the path we entered from. Instead of going up, we walk down, following the spotlights that light up the path. When we reach the beach, I kneel to unstrap my shoes. Beau does the same.

“It’s a lovely night,” I say, wanting to fill the silence. I’m excited to get back to our room, but what girl would turn down a walk on the beach with their boyfriend.

Not me.

He takes my hand in his and holds his shoes in the other. I do the same, feeling merry as my toes sink into the soft sand.

“It is,” he replies, leaning over to kiss my head.

I smile to myself, watching the waves crash against the shore, the noise soothing. Little cottages line the beach, a place I wouldn’t mind having as a holiday home. But the cost of living there would probably be high.

“Wonder who lives in them,” I muse, pointing to the row of lit up cottages.

“Funny you should mention them, we’re staying in number two-zero-one.”

I stop walking, pulling on his hand to face me. “What?”

He grins at my expression, or the surprise in my voice—I’m unsure, it could be both. “Yeah. I booked us our own room on the beach.”

My feet move towards the houses on their own accord, then back to Beau, my heart beating rapidly with excitement. “Please don’t be joking.”

He laughs. “I’m not, I swear.”

When he points over my shoulder, I turn, my gaze following where his finger is aimed, and gasp when I see our number on a post at the end of a stoned path.

“Beau,” I squeal, before dropping my shoes and jumping into his arms. He chuckles, dropping his own shoes as he catches me.

My legs wrap around his waist, my arms gripping the back of his neck. “You, Mr. Beau Johnson, are an amazing man. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” I pepper his face with kisses before reaching his lips.

My mouth opens, sliding my tongue against his. I’ll never get enough of his kisses. My body buzzes with awareness, my blood surging through my veins. His grip on my arse tightens and I moan into his mouth.

He pulls back, clearing his throat. “That was…”

“Phenomenal, breath-taking, mind-blowing?”

He laughs against my lips. “Yeah.”

Slowly, he slides me down his body, my arms still around his neck. “Show me our room.”

At my excitement, he presents me with a smile before bending down and grabbing both our shoes.

We walk up the pathway. In front of the window is a swing bench, and next to it is a table with a silver bucket on top and a bottle of something inside. Candlelight flickers inside its glass.

Everything looks magical. It’s the perfect setting, the perfect night, with the perfect man.

If I wasn’t sure before, then I am now. Girls, wait for that perfect moment and nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, could get more perfect than this, in this very moment.

Once we reach the door, Beau places our shoes on the floor, then takes the key card out of his back pocket. I reach out, stopping him from inserting the key.

“Let’s have a drink before we go inside,” I tell him, having a plan already in mind.

“All right, baby. Take a seat, I’ll open the champagne. They told me it’s their best.”

“Awesome.” I smile, taking a seat. A blanket is folded next to me, so I shake it open and place it over my legs, the chill in the air getting colder.

When he walks over with two full champagne glasses, I take one with a quiet, “Thanks”. I’m all kinds of nervous; the good, the terrifying, and anxious kind.

He takes a seat next to me, and I drop the other half of the blanket over his legs.

“I’m glad we came,” I tell him, sinking back and watching the waves crash against the shore. A gentle breeze stirs the air and through the gaps in the clouds, I see the stars, shining bright.

“Me too. Oh, before I forget, Saturday, I might be able to finish my shift early. It all depends on what calls we have. Collings said I’ve been working other cases, which I’m not hired to do at the moment, so he did this for me. I don’t mind though. I’ve really liked working for the department. The guys there are great. Collings even hinted at me getting offered a permanent job after your case is closed.”

“Really? I thought you were already working there full time. What will you do if you don’t get offered the permanent position?” I ask. Taking a large gulp of champagne, I wait nervously for his answer. It never occurred to me he would leave once my case was solved.

“No, I’m only temporary at the moment. If I don’t, I’ll go back to being a PI and doing security.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal, but it is. Would he move back to where he lived before all this started? Would he stay? I need to know.

“Does that mean if you don’t get a permanent job, you’ll be moving back to where you lived before?”

He turns to face me, raising one knee on the chair beside us. He looks at me lazily, his smile small. “Faith, nothing would make me move back there. My home is here now. With you.”

My breath catches in my throat. “You really mean that?”

He runs his fingers down my cheek. “I do.”

His lips are soft when he kisses me, licking the seam of my lips. With a gasp, my mouth opens, and he slides his tongue against mine.

Pressing my fingers into his biceps, I melt against him the best I can in the position we’re in.

My lips are still tingling when I pull back, clearing my throat.

It’s now or never.

“Can I have the key, so I can go freshen up?”

Pulling it back out of his back pocket, he hands it to me. “Go ahead.”

“Won’t be long.” I smile, giving him one more kiss before getting up.

When I get to the door, I realise we don’t have our bags. A mild panic attack is brewing as I turn back to face him, trying to keep my voice from trembling.

“Um, where are our bags?”

He turns away from the view to face me. “They put them just inside the door. Want me to come in?”

“No!” I squeak before clearing my throat. “I mean, no, stay out here. We’ve still got a while before the rain starts.”

He looks unsure but nods anyway. “Okay. Just yell if you need me.”

With the cast still on my arm, that may be a possibility. Before now he’s had to tie a bag around my arm for me to shower or has run me a bath. At the beginning, when the pain had been at its worst, he even did the buttons on my jeans.

I head inside, flicking the big light on. My bag is where he said it would be and I grab it, before heading to the bathroom. I don’t linger to look at the king-sized bed or the forty-two-inch TV, otherwise my nerves will get the best of me and I’ll back out. I don’t want it to be forced. I want it to be meaningful and romantic.

In the bathroom, I quickly splash some cold water over my face. When I look in the mirror, my cheeks are flushed and my eyes dilated. It’s what he does to me.

The brush is the first thing I take out. After sitting on the beach, the wind strong, my hair is a tangled mess. Not the sexy look I was hoping for when I’d pictured tonight.

Once it’s done, I leave it down, and begin removing my clothes. I fold them and, with shaking hands, take out the pink lace and dot mesh babydoll with matching thong. The top is floral, covering my boobs, but the rest is see-through, leaving nothing to the imagination. I’ve never worn anything like this before, but I have to admit, it feels great against my skin and I feel sexy.

I have the matching robe, but for effect, I’m going to leave it undone. I want him to want me so much he can’t help himself. And this outfit is a sure way to do it.

I hope.

All my prayers are on this working. I hadn’t known—and still don’t know—how to seduce a man, so I’d Googled, ‘How to seduce your boyfriend’, and the top hit was sexy lingerie.

With a deep breath, I face the mirror, my eyes bugging out of my head when I take in my appearance. I look… I look like a siren, so different to my normal plain look.

With one last glance—and another deep breath—I open the door.

As I step out, I hear something smash on the floor, followed by a gasp. I look up, surprised to see Beau standing in the doorway.

His mouth is agape, his eyes roaming my body with so much heat behind them. I start to feel unsure, wanting to cover myself, but something deep inside me stops myself from doing it.

“Holy fuck!” he manages to croak out.

The smash I heard is the champagne glass now in shatters on the floor. I notice Beau doesn’t make a move to pick it up, but instead walks towards me, his gaze predatory.

My breath leaves me in one great whoosh, and when he stands in front of me, I sway towards him.

With an inhale, I close my eyes, breathing him in. I close my mind off to the world around me and focus solely on him.

When I open them, his mouth descends, his eyes dark, penetrating. His fingers run over my shoulders. The feel of the robe falling down my arms and pooling to the floor is highly erotic.

This is it. It’s really happening.

Our lips meet tentatively, his coaxing mine apart with his tongue. Kissing him is like breathing for the first time.

My hands are surprisingly steady as I reach up to wrap them around the back of his neck, and before I know it, his large hands are against my butt, hoisting me up his body. I go, clinging to him for dear life.

I moan into his mouth. “Beau, I want you. I’m ready,” I whisper hoarsely.

He groans, his breath a whisper across my lips. “Are you sure?”

Without words, I nod and bring my lips back to his. He walks us backwards towards the bed. He lowers me down like I weigh nothing, managing to stay above me. His hands on my skin are sizzling, and when he pulls back to look down at my body, I squirm, the look in his eyes and across his face turning me on.

Arousal is thick in the air, and with innocent hands, I reach down to pull his top over his head. He lets me, his breathing heavy.

“You’re so fucking beautiful it hurts.”

His words mean more than he realises. They’re true, meaningful.

“Please,” I plead, trying to pull him back down to kiss me. I’m going mad inside, wanting to have him lay against me.

His eyes heat and with a half moan, half growl, he reaches for the babydoll and slowly starts to lift it up over my body. I sit up to give him access, the feel of the satin gliding along my sensitive skin pulling a moan from me. I can feel the wetness surge between my legs, my hips already grinding against him for some kind of friction.

With the babydoll removed, his eyes take on a predatory look, his fingers running down my arms, my stomach, stopping at the waistband of my thong.

“You next.” The words are barely audible, I’m that turned on.

He falls to the side of me, his eyes never leaving mine. A zipper being undone echoes in the room. I’m breathless, trying to focus on him when all I want to do is look down, explore.

He is gorgeous, so completely gorgeous. It’s unfair.

He kicks them to the floor, and my eyes finally look down, my fingers inching forward to run down his chest. I gulp when I notice he’s completely naked, his boxers removed. His hard cock stands proudly, slapping against his stomach when I inch further down his muscled, heaving chest.

Arriving at my goal, I bravely reach out and wrap my hand around his silk hood. He growls in the back of his throat, his head falling back onto the pillow.

“Is this okay?” I whisper. My insecurities are coming out, but I needn’t have worried. Beau’s hand covers mine, gliding my hand up and down his hard shaft.

“More than okay. But, first, let me love you.”

My mind goes straight to sex and my breathing picks up. But when he starts to move slowly down my body, trailing kisses, removing my thong, I become confused. Shouldn’t he be kissing my lips?

Any thoughts of rejection are removed from my mind when his soft tongue licks through my slit.

I cry out in pleasure, my body arching from the bed. My core tightens and my clit tingles in anticipation.

With fingers running through his hair, I get lost, my orgasm building until I’m screaming out his name. Every time we’ve done this, he’s made me lose my mind within minutes.

“One more,” he whispers against my most private parts.

Just when I think it couldn’t get any better, his finger enters me, swirling inside me before I feel another finger follow. It feels tight, but good.

And like my body has a mind of its own, I begin to move, my hips grinding against his hand, just as his mouth descends on my clit once more.

There’s too much going on for me to concentrate on one thing. It all feels good, better than good.

My body startles with the surprise of another orgasm, my skin slicked with sweat.

Beau rises, his mouth covered in my juices. He wipes them away, his gaze smouldering as he moves up my body.

“One last chance. Are you sure?”

My fingers reach for his cheeks, my gaze searching his as I answer honestly, “I’ve never been surer of anyone in my life, Beau. It’s you I choose. It will always be you.”

Pride and love flash across his expression, his mouth opening like he’s going to say something. But he shakes his head, his eyes closing.

“Faith Carter, I think I’m falling in love with you.”

A startled gasp escapes and tears fill my eyes. “I’m falling too,” I tell him, before slamming my lips against his.

His kisses me back with so much passion it sends me dizzy. We’re all lips, tongues and hands before he pulls back, gazing at me with so much adoration it steals my breath.

“Condom.”

Having planned this, I packed us a few. “In my robe.”

He kisses me one more time before jumping from the bed and grabbing my robe, pulling the row of condoms from the pocket. Six to be exact.

“Was you certain about getting lucky?” he chuckles.

My face heats as I smile at him. “Totally.”

At my saucy reply, he grins, slipping back on the bed and rising above me. “You make me feel like the luckiest man alive.”

I run my fingers through his hair, my smile nervous. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Beau. This is as far as I got with my planning. So, please, make love to me.”

“As you wish.”

He makes ripping open a condom wrapper with his teeth, sexy as hell. God, just seeing his white teeth biting into the foil wrapper has me clenching my thighs together.

I watch in fascination as he slides it on. My gaze reaches his once it’s done and all the excitement I felt before, evaporates. Now it’s replaced with a nervous energy, but more, it’s filled with want and need.

He looms above me and, instead of his large body feeling intimidating, it’s hot, sexy.

I jump a little when he lines up against my entrance, his heavy breathing causing a little anxiety to bubble up. He looks like he’s in pain, but when he opens his eyes, gazing down at me, all I see is his desire and arousal.

He pushes inside, his gaze never leaving mine. My fingers dig in to his shoulders, preparing for the pain I know is going to come. I’m not naive enough to think it’s not going to. It’s a given.

“You okay?” His jaw clenches as he pushes in a little further, stretching my walls. Sweat beads on his forehead and his arms, braced on either side of my head, are shaking.

“More than.”

He brings his mouth back down to mine and I try not to squirm, but it’s hard when he feels and tastes so good.

He pulls back a little, his expression one of concentration as he moves a little more inside me. I tense slightly, but when his lips move down to my neck, sizzling my skin, I relax. I arch into him, causing him to slide in a little more.

I feel full. It’s a foreign feeling, but not uncomfortable enough for me to pull back and stop this. Meeting resistance, his jaw clenches, looking down at me, torn. I know he doesn’t want to hurt me; I can see it in his eyes.

“Do it, please. I’ll be okay.”

His mouth meets mine once again in a long, languid kiss. I feel dizzy, moaning into his mouth. I’m so disoriented that I forget about the sensations down below until a sharp sting has me gasping and letting out a pathetic whimper.

It hurts, but nothing I can’t handle.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, his voice hoarse against my ear.

I run my fingers through his light hair as my body and mind get used to the sensation between my legs. I can feel myself tensing around him, causing him to groan.

“Beau, what do we do next?” I ask when he still doesn’t move, his breathing hot and heavy against me.

He lifts up, his face tortured. “Just give me a second.”

“Did I do something wrong?”

He smiles at me, tilting his head. “Faith, I’m about to blow my load already, and I haven’t done that since I was fourteen. And I’m worried I’m going to hurt you.”

“Please move.” I shift my hips to prove how much I want him. It burns a little as he slides out, but the friction feels amazing.

He moves slowly, allowing me to get used to the fullness of him inside of me. My mouth falls open when he pushes back in. Everything in my lower body tingles and tightens, building up to something beautiful.

He reaches between us, his fingers sliding across my already sensitive clit.

“Oh, God.” I close my eyes, leaning my head back as his mouth devours my throat. He moves down, his tongue brushing along my skin.

There’s too much going on.

Each thrust is deep, controlled.

Each kiss is tantalizing.

And with each moment, I am falling deeply in love with the man above me.

I cling to him, embracing his shoulders as I shift beneath him, my body demanding I move. I know I made the right judgment when Beau lifts his head from my neck and groans in pleasure.

He looks beautiful, like a god.

His movements become frantic and I whimper against him, my teeth sinking into his shoulders as my nails rake down his back.

I’ve never felt more loved than I do in this moment.

His fingers leave my clit and pay attention to my boobs. With one light roll of my nipple, and a quick tug, I cry out, the sensations building to become explosive.

My core tightens around him and with a few more thrusts, he’s groaning, lips meeting mine in a wet kiss. I kiss him back hungrily, not caring when he collapses against me.

Something inside me breaks. Whether it’s from losing my virginity or from who I lost it with—or a mixture of both—I don’t know. But I feel powerful, brand-new. And it’s all thanks to the man above me.

Our breathing is heavy, laboured. When he pulls away from the kiss, he looks down at me, his eyes filled with so much love it nearly chokes me. Whether he knows it or not, the man is definitely in love. There are no ifs or buts.

Because I know he’s reflecting the same look I’m showing him.

It’s a look I’ll never get tired of.

“That was epic. When can we do it again?” I ask breathlessly. I grin up at him, running my fingers through the front of his hair.

He looks at me in disbelief, before bursting into laughter. He rolls us so I’m lying on top of him, making sure to stay inside me.

I stare down at him, my hair falling like a curtain, blanketing us, and give him my best innocent look.

“Well?”

“You, Faith Carter, are going to be the death of me.”

I pretend to consider it before nodding. “It will be a good way to go.”

The laughter that rolls free from him has me melting against him. “It most certainly would, but first, how about we get you in the bath, so you won’t be sore in the morning?”

With that, he moves and proves himself right. A sting burns between my legs, but with what just happened between us… it was totally worth it.

I move closer until my lips are a breath away. “So, Mr. Johnson, what are you waiting for?”

His grin is blinding. Before I have a chance to move, he’s sitting us both up in the bed. I squeal when he lifts me up and walks us to the bathroom.

I give him a look of wonder, of love, because with my heart, my body and soul, I’ll fight to keep him and this memory for the rest of my life.

I never want to forget tonight.

Ever.