He liked the sound of that. It was the perfect way to honor the woman who had given him so much. The woman who deserved so much more than what he’d given back. Even more, he liked the sound of his potential charity rolling off Sterling’s tongue. He liked everything about the fact that Sterling was here for this moment. He wanted her involved. He wanted her to help him put his plan into action. Plus this was an excellent excuse to spend more time with her before he left.
“Will you help me?”
She looked to the wet sand under their feet. “Oh, I…I’m really busy.”
“Right. Sorry. You’re already doing so much to help us.” That’s right, jackass.
Essentially he was paying her to spend time with him…and spend his money. On her end, it was a win-win deal. He scolded himself. He hated that he thought those things about her, but if history had taught him anything, he’d give her the world, and when she finally got what she wanted she’d take off, leaving him in the dust. The fact that he knew this beforehand should be a benefit, but it would still hurt.
“Well…” She hesitated. “I guess I could help you get organized.”
He caught her stare, her eyes twinkling. “You would do that?” His chest ached. She believed in him. And here he was practically calling her a gold digger. He couldn’t control the future but he could control the time they spent together, and he wouldn’t waste it sulking.
“It’s what I do best.” Sterling brushed his hair away from his forehead. She caressed his temple, letting her fingers glide over his cheek to his lips. She outlined his lips with the tip of her finger. With her free hand, she touched her own mouth. Her eyes sparkled from the reflection of the moon on the water. She was more beautiful than the setting sun.
“Jack?” She leaned forward, and raised up on her toes to touch her lips to his. It was the perfect distraction from what her hands were doing. Namely rubbing him through his pants.
A low growl sounded in his throat. He wanted to be the one to see the look on her face when she found something she loved. That’s what the salsa dancing had been about, the nude beach, the different foods. And now…
“Have you ever made love under the light of the moon, Sterling?” He brushed his lips along her neck. She smelled of coconut and female, a light, musky scent he had come to adore.
Instead of responding, she whimpered.
“Fuck me, Sterling. Out here. Under the stars. I need you.”
“Yes.” She gripped his shoulders, mumbling against his neck. “I want that, too.”
Satisfaction rumbled inside him. “Hold these.” He held out his sandals, which she took with her free hand, then picked her up and carried her to the boardwalk.
Setting her down, he took off his shirt and spread it on the sand, laying her on top of it, careful to hide their bodies from view. Although Sterling had agreed to sex on a public beach, he would be damned if anyone were to stumble upon their intimate encounter and tarnish their connection. He threw their shoes aside and covered her body with his.
Capturing her lips, he kissed her deeply, sensually. A kiss that touched the very depths of his soul. He opened his eyes and studied her. Every time they were together, her expression became lighter yet more intense at the same time.
She tugged him closer, grinding her pelvis into his stomach where he had nestled in between her legs. He lifted one leg, holding her thigh tight, now bare from her dress riding up her body. His lips explored the depths of her luscious mouth.
She moaned.
“Do you like my lips on you, Sterling?”
She became more animated with every encounter. More confident. More in tune with her wants and needs. And for someone who used to pride himself on the number of women he could have fall at his feet at any given moment, giving in to the desires of another person was a revelation.
“Where do you want my mouth, Sterling?” He would push her tonight, and every other time they were together he would push her even further. He knew what she craved, but he wouldn’t give it to her so easily.
He rubbed his lips across her neck and met her gaze. She moaned, a sensuous rumble from her throat.
“How about you tell me when I’m getting warm?”
She smiled. “Your lips are cold. Very, very cold.”
He moved down, kissing the hollow of her throat, then across her collarbone.
“Warmer.”
He moved farther down, biting at her nipples through the fabric of her dress. If they had more room, if they weren’t so exposed, she’d already be naked and begging.
“A little warmer.”
He rose up on his knees and planted his hands on either side of her body. The sand was cool under his hands. He prowled down, kissing her ribs and abdomen, finding her hip bones. She lifted her pelvis in invitation but she wouldn’t win so quickly.