Sanctuary(54)

He was too busy looking at Jo to notice. Everything about her had brightened, relaxed. "What?"

"See there?" Jo leaned back against his arm and gestured toward the edge of the water. "Lex and Gaff are tangling. They've been blowing hot and cold on each other since they were in diapers. Ginny's mighty fond of both of them and probably did something to have them blowing hot tonight."

"she wants them to fight?"

"No, you pinhead." Laughing, Jo lifted the sizzling hot dog from the fire, anchored the stick in the sand. "she wants them to make up."

Nathan considered, then lifted his brows as Gaff scooped Lexy up, hefted her Rhett Butler-style in his arms, and strode-with her kicking and cursing-down the beach. "If that's how it works, I'm going to have to talk to Ginny about stirring things up for me."

"I'm a much harder sell than my sister," Jo said dryly.

"Maybe." Nathan plucked the hot dog off the stick and tossed it from hand to hand to cool it. "But I've already got you cooking for me."

I Despite the struggling woman in his arms, Gaff kept his pace steady until the bonfire was a flicker in the distance. Satisfied that they were as private as they were going to get, he set her on her feet.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" she shoved him hard with both hands.

"Same person I've always been," he said evenly. "It's time you took a good look."

"I've looked at you before, and I don't see anybody who's got a right to haul me off when I don't want to go." No matter how exciting it had been, she told herself. No matter how romantic. "I was having a conversation."

"No, you weren't. You were coming on to that guy to piss me off. This time it worked."

I was being polite and friendly to a man Ginny introduced me to. An attractive man from Charleston. A lawyer who's spending a few days on the island camping with some friends."

"A Charleston lawyer who was just about to drool on your shoulder." Giff's normally mild eyes spit fire. "You've had time to sow your oats, Lexy, and I gave you plenty of space to sow them in. Now you're back, and it's time to grow up."

"Grow up." she planted her hands on her hips, ignoring the water that foamed up the sand inches from her feet. "I've been grown, and you're just one of the many who hasn't had the sense to see it. I do what I want when I want, and with whom I want."

she turned on her heel and began to stalk off, her nose in the air. Giff rubbed his chin and told himself he shouldn't have lost his temper, even if Lexy had been sliding herself around some Charleston lawyer. But the damage was done.

He moved fast. By the time she heard him coming and turned, she had time only to squeal before he tackled her.

"Why, you flea-brained idiot, you'll ruin my skirt." Furious now, she used elbows, knees, teeth, rolling with him while the surf lapped up and soaked them both. "I hate you! I hate every inch of you, Gaff Verdon."

"No, you don't, Lexy. You love me."

"Hah. You can kiss my ass."

"I'll be glad to, honey." He pinned her arms, levered himself up to grin down at her. "But I believe I'll work my way down to it." He lowered his head, and when she turned hers aside, brushed his lips over the soft skin just below her ear. "This is a fine place to start."

Shudders coursed through her, liquid and hot. "I hate you. I said I hate you."

"I know what you said." He nibbled slowly down to her throat, thrilled with the way her body went lax beneath him. "Kiss me, Lexy. Come on and kiss me."

On a sob, she turned her head, found his mouth with hers. "Hold me. Touch me. Oh, I hate you for making me want you."

"I know the feeling." He stroked her hair, her checks, while she trembled and strained beneath him. "Don't fret so. I'd never hurt you."

Desperate, she gripped his hair, dragged him down harder. "Inside me. I need you inside me. I'm so empty." she arched up, groaning.

He closed a hand over her breast, filled his palm with her, then giving in to his hunger, tugged the scooped neck of her blouse down so he could take her into his mouth.

The taste of her, hot, damp, pungent, pumped through his blood like whiskey. He wanted it to be slow and sweet, had waited all his life just for that. But she was moving restlessly beneath him, her hands tugging, pulling, reaching. When he closed his mouth over hers again, he couldn't think, could barely breathe. It was all taste and sound.

He was panting as he fought with her wet skirt, yanking at the thin, clinging material until his hand could skim up her thigh, until he found her, already wet. she jerked against his hand and climaxed before he could do more than moan.