One Secret Night, One Secret Baby(18)

He swept his hand around her neck and caressed the tender spot behind her ear. She closed her eyes to the pleasure and breathed deeply, soaking it in. His gentle touch and the power of his persuasion weren’t anything to mess with. She could stay like this for hours, unhurried, just enjoying being the sole focus of his attention.

“I think we already are, Dylan. I’m having your baby. That puts us on a little higher level than friends.”

“Maybe it’s not enough,” he rasped, and with a little tug, he inched her closer until their mouths were a breath apart. “Maybe we need to be more.” And then he kissed her.

“What if that’s not possible?”

He swept into her mouth again and deepened the kiss, his tongue working magic until her entire body grew warm and tingly. Her nipples pebbled and she gasped for sustaining breath.

“It’s possible,” he urged, rising from his seat and reaching for her hands. He seemed attuned to the exact moment when her body betrayed her. With both her hands in his, he gave a gentle yank and she came to her feet to face him in the soft glow of the floor lamps. “Let me show you.”

Dylan was an expert at seduction; what he was doing to her now was solid proof. He took her face in his palms, looked deep into her eyes and then kissed her for long-drawn-out moments. Until her heart sped like a race car. Until her knees went weak. Until the junction of her thighs physically ached. It was too much and not enough. She was dizzy when he was through kissing her. Dizzy and wanting more.

“It’s your choice, sweet Emma,” he said, planting tiny kisses over her lips, his hands roaming over her body, taking liberties that she freely offered. She moaned a little when he touched her breasts and then gasped when he cupped her butt and pressed her firmly against his rigid, hard body so there was no doubt what he was about. He whispered softly into her ear, “We can take a walk on the beach to cool off, or walk into my bedroom upstairs and heat things up. You know what I want, but I’ll abide by your decision, whatever it is.”

She was out of breath. Her fuzzy mind told her to stall for time. As ardent as his kisses were, she couldn’t wrap her head around him wanting to make love to her. It had once been her wildest dream. And yes, they’d done the deed already, but that wasn’t really logged into her memory bank. Or his, either. “Is this what usually happens on your first dates?”

He laughed and took her into his arms, squeezing her tight as if she was a child asking an adorable question. “You know me. You know it’s not what I do, Em.”

Well, no. She’d never really quizzed him on his methods of seduction. How would she know how easily or often he took his dates to bed? He’d been in enough tabloids to wallpaper his entire mansion with the stories they’d concocted. And his sister defended him on every front. He’d even sued a few papers that had stepped over the line and had won his cases.

So, if she was to believe him now, then he was truly attracted to her. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen your bedroom, Dylan.”

He smiled then and nodded, and the next thing she knew, Dylan was lifting her in his strong arms and carrying her out of the screening room.

And up the stairs.

* * *

She roped one arm around his neck and laid her head against his broad shoulder as he marched to the double-door entry of his master suite. She felt featherlight in his arms, tucked safely into his embrace. He gave the door a nudge and pushed through, entering a massive room with an equally large bed. It faced wide windows that angled out with a magnificent view of the Pacific. Right now, only stars and a half-moon lit the night sky, but she heard the roar of the waves and smelled the brine of the sea coming through an opened terrace slider.

She wasn’t sure about any of this, but lust and curiosity won over any rational sense inhabiting her brain at the moment. She’d done this before with Dylan, but now both were aware, both would remember. It was key. Monumental. Dylan would be in her life one way or another and she wanted this memory. Sane and rational or not, she simply didn’t have the will to deny them both this night.

She did, after all, have secret dibs on him.

He lowered her down, her body flush against his until her feet hit the floor beside his bed. He let her go then, taking a step back to lock eyes with her and lifting his black polo shirt over his head. A rush of breath pushed from her lungs. His upper body was ripped and bronzed, his shoulders wide, the muscles in his arms bulging. He’d been working out hard for this Navy SEAL role and he had her vote. Hands down.

“We’ll take this slow,” he said.

Slow? She was on her first official date with him and about to get naked.

He reached for her and placed the palm of her hand flat against his concrete chest. His breath hitched and she lifted her lids to find the gleam in his eyes bright and hungry. Slowly, she moved her hand along the solid ridges that made up his six-pack and tiny coarse chest hairs tickled her fingers. He was amazing to touch, almost unreal. She’d never been with a man like Dylan before. It scared her, how absolutely perfect he was.

What was his flaw? Everyone had one, but she couldn’t find it here, now.

He took her other hand, put it on him and encouraged her to explore. She did, running her hands over his shoulders, to his back and then returning to his torso. In her exploration, her fingers grazed his nipples and they grew taut from her touch. It was a turn-on, just seeing how she affected him.

He stood there, allowing her to know him, to feel his skin, absorb his heat and become familiar. She took her time, meeting his eyes once in a while, but mostly keeping a vigil on the beauty of his body.

He kissed her then, suckling her lips in a heady way that said he was ready to move forward. To take the next step.

“Should I undress the rest of the way?” he breathed over her mouth. “Or is it your turn?”

Fair is fair. She turned around and offered him her back. He didn’t hesitate to unzip the long gold zipper on the little black dress she wore. The zipper hissed as it traveled all the way down to the small of her back. A shot of cooler air hit her as he pressed his hands to her shoulders and helped her shimmy out of her dress. Free of the fabric that pooled at her feet, he bestowed tiny kisses along her neck. Slowly, he turned her around and his eyes met hers once again, before drifting down her body over the slope of her ample breasts encased in her black lace bra, to her tummy that bulged slightly and the matching thong she wore. He rode his hands along her naked thighs and a tiny moan squeaked from her mouth.

“You are soft everywhere, sweetheart,” he said, slipping his hand over her hip and edging up to her stomach. His palm against her growing belly, he stopped his exploration and bent on one knee to bestow a kiss there.

Her eyes slammed shut as Dylan worshipped their baby. It was a beautiful moment, so tender, so gentle, wiping away her fears. She couldn’t fault him for anything. This situation was out of their control now. Maybe she’d been too hard on him, too rigid in her stance. He had a right to love their baby and want to share in the joy. She could give him that. She could try this dating thing, go in with an open mind and heart to see where it led.

He rose up then and stared directly into her eyes. “Our child will be beautiful like you, Emma. Inside and out.”

Laying her hand flat against his cheek, scruff facial hair rough against her fingers, she whispered, “You’re going to make a wonderful father, Dylan. I have no doubt.”

Longing filled his eyes and he smiled. There was a moment that seemed to change everything; a newer intimacy and understanding passed between them in that moment.

And then Dylan reached for her again, pressing her fully against his hot, delicious body. Skin to skin, he kissed her for all she was worth. The next thing she knew, she was naked and they were on his bed and tangling in his sheets. Going slow was a thing of the past, and easily forgotten.

While one hand sifted through her long hair, his mouth created a dampened trail from her chin, along the base of her throat and farther down past her shoulders, until her breasts fairly ached for his touch. He came over her then and didn’t disappoint, giving attention to one, then the other. Her back arched, the rosy nipples pointing up, hardened and sensitive, while white-hot heat scurried down past her belly, reaching her female core. A shudder ran through her, a beautiful sensual tremor as Dylan continued. She squirmed beneath him, the pleasure almost unbearable.

His mouth was masterful, his hands ingenious. When he moved, she moved and they were in sync, their bodies humming along together at a pace that suited her. She was in heaven, a bliss that she’d never encountered before. And it only got hotter when his hand slipped down past her navel, his fingertips teasing and taunting, edging closer to that one spot that would send her soaring.

She was damp and ready, and when he finally dipped into her soft folds, a tiny plea, a cry of pleasure, escaped her lips and she did, in fact, soar. The pressure, the light stroking growing firmer and more rhythmic worked her into a frenzied state. Dylan knew how to please. His kisses muffled her soft whimpers, his mouth devoured hers and his body radiated enough warmth to heat all of Moonlight Beach.

She reached a climax quickly. “Dylan, Dylan,” she breathed, grasping his shoulders, clinging on, her heart pounding against her chest. He didn’t let up until she shattered completely and was fully, wonderfully spent.