His fingers tangle in my hair, and my question goes unanswered. And maybe that’s life’s way of reminding me to live in the moment. I’ll never know the name of his cologne, and I’ll probably never come back to this private beach in this obscure town in the middle of nowhere.
For now, all we have is this moment.
And maybe, for right now, that’s all we need.
Chapter 24
Zane
“Rue’s house sold, by the way.” The moon washes over Delilah’s face from the passenger window as we drive back to Laguna Palms Tuesday night with sand in our shoes and leftover remnants of beach-sex orgasms coursing in our veins.
We made love on the beach.
It wasn’t fucking.
It was so much more.
Gone was any hint of dirty talk. She didn’t beg for it, and I didn’t manhandle her like some kind of sex-starved animal. It was slow and sensual, the kind of sex that means something.
The kind of sex I haven’t had since Mirabelle . . .
“We’ll be gone by the end of July,” she adds.
My stomach clenches. “Well, that kind of blows.”
“Kind of?” she elbows me playfully.
“Guess we’ll just have to make the most of the time we have left,” I say. “I say we make a pact.”
“What kind of pact?”
“No fighting. Just sex. And fun.” I turn to her, feeling her stare. Her lips curl at one side. “Let’s make this the kind of summer neither one of us will ever be able to forget.”
“All right. Deal.”
We shake hands, our holds lingering a second too long.
When we pull onto my street, I veer into my driveway out of habit. My body warm and relaxed and my mind drained after spilling my life history earlier, I reach for Delilah’s hand and take a deep breath.
“You want to sleep over tonight?” I ask.
Her knees clench together. “Oh, um. I mean, it’s not that I don’t want to have sex with you, but . . .”
“No,” I say. “I’m not asking for that. I want you to stay with me tonight.”
She turns to me, slowly, brows lifted. “Really?”
“Yeah.” I shrug. “I want you to.”
I shift into park and she grabs her bag, her gaze moving from my house to Rue’s. We climb out, walking around and meeting by the hood.
“What are you thinking about?” I ask.
She bites her lip. “A lot of things.”
Lifting my brows, I will her to elaborate. “Such as?”
Delilah opens her mouth to speak, and then silences herself. “Nothing that needs to be said right now. It’s late. I’m exhausted. You are too.”
I take her hand in mine, pulling her near. “You coming inside or am I going to have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you?”
Her lips inch into a grin before she yawns. “Do what you want with me, de la Cruz. You’ve earned some bonus points tonight.”
“Not sympathy points, I hope.”
“Nope. Just nice guy points.”
My eyes squeeze shut and I stick my tongue out. “Lame.”
“Not lame. Not lame at all.”
Without hesitating, I hoist her over my shoulder, running my hands up the backs of her thighs and slapping her ass. She pounds on my back with clenched fists.
“I thought you were joking about throwing me over your shoulder.” She laughs.
“Nah. I’ve always wanted to do that to someone.” I take her inside, plunking her down on my bed at the end of the hall. Grabbing a t-shirt from my dresser, I toss it to her. “You can sleep naked or in one of my shirts. Whatever makes you comfortable.”
“Host’s choice.” She unzips the back of her dress, letting it fall to the floor as she wears nothing but her bra and panties and a smile.
“I know I said I wasn’t going to fuck you if you stayed the night tonight, but it’s going to be really hard to be a man of my word when you’re standing there, looking like that with those fuck-me lips of yours.”
I loosen my tie and work my buttons at a feverish pace as she unhooks her bra and steps out of her lace panties. I’m hard as a rock already. I guess I underestimated the big guy. He’s still got plenty of life in him tonight.
“Where do you want me?” Her smile is coy, her tits buoyant and peaked.
I study my little sex kitten, trying to decipher the correct arrangement of words to keep that smile planted on her lips and that slick heat between her thighs.
“On your knees,” I say.
She lowers herself, and I get it.
I understand why Delilah Rosewood likes to be treated like anyone but Delilah Rosewood in the bedroom. It’s freeing to be someone else.
Life is hard.
Sometimes we need a break.