Sea of Love(39)

“Lacy, I’ll take you with me any way you’ll let me. We can make this work.” He kissed her forehead and held her against him, with one hand buried in her curls and the other around her back, until her body stopped trembling and his own breathing calmed.

By the time the marina was in sight, Lacy was back to her normal self. She’d shed the blanket and stood in the middle of the deck with her shoulders back and a gleaming smile across her lips.

She placed her hands on her chest and proclaimed, “I did it. I didn’t freak out.”

“You sure did, Lacy,” Rob said. “We’re so proud of you.”

“You never fail to amaze me, Lace.” Dane swooped in and twirled her around with a kiss. “You ready to blow this taco joint?”

Lacy flashed a flirtatious smile at Dane. “You lead; I’ll follow.”

The same words you used last night. “I’ve got some studying I want to do before we go to dinner.”

The flush on Lacy’s cheeks told Dane that she was thinking the same thing.





Chapter Twenty-Two


STUDYING. THAT WAS all Lacy could think about from the second the line flew from Dane’s lips. He was a fast learner, too. She stifled a smile as the memory of the night before came back to her. She walked away from the men, wanting to clear her head. If she didn’t hear his voice, she wouldn’t think about the things he’d said to her the night before, in the throes of passion.

The dock was not coming into focus fast enough. Her body was pumping with adrenaline from seeing the shark. Thoughts of touching Dane were sending her heart into a state of desperation. Hurry up. Hurry up.

Once they reached the marina, it seemed to take forever to bring the boat into the slip. Lacy went to Dane’s side, and he reached an arm around her, stroking the bare skin of her waist beneath her T-shirt. Every touch made her mind wander to sensual places. Every minute was a slow, treacherous drag of time. She didn’t understand why she was so sexual with Dane, but she didn’t want to question it, either. Once she’d found out that he’d gone eleven months without touching another woman, her whole outlook had changed. Eleven months. When she’d heard it, she’d wanted to dance around the room singing, He likes me. He really, really likes me! Eleven months was beyond what she could have hoped for, and now, as she watched Dane and Rob, laughing, patting each other on the back, all Lacy wanted to do was get him belowdecks and show him that she’d been worth the wait.

Lacy watched Dane and Rob secure the boat to the dock, and when they were done, she touched Dane’s arm. His skin was hot from the sun. She wanted to run her tongue up his rock-hard abs and taste his saltiness. He flashed an urgent, hungry look from the dark shadows of his eyes, and the word savage came to Lacy’s mind.

Rob gathered his stuff and stepped to the edge of the boat. “Thanks for a great run,” he said with a smile. “I loved your ideas for Brave, Lacy. I can’t wait to see what you come up with for the strategic marketing plan.”

Oh, I have a few strategies up my sleeve. “I can’t wait to meet Sheila.”

“We’ll see you tonight,” Rob said as he stepped onto the dock.

Lacy watched Rob get into his car and drive away. She turned around and bumped into Dane’s chest. He didn’t give her time to recover. In the next breath, his mouth was on hers, his hands pressed to her bottom, pulling her hips against his. He kissed her passionately and came away breathing hard.

“I thought we’d never get back,” he said breathlessly. He pulled her toward the cabin, tugging her shirt over her head as they stumbled down the stairs.

“I know,” she said between hungry kisses. “All I could think about—”

Dane pulled her into another kiss.

“Was studying.”

Dane ripped his shirt off, then brought his full attention to Lacy’s body. Her skin was hot to the touch. He groped her breasts through the thin fabric of her bikini, and her nipples hardened beneath his touch. Lacy grabbed his head and pulled his mouth to her breast with a guttural moan.

He wrapped both hands around her breast as he flicked her nipple with his tongue. She brought his hand to her mouth and sucked on two of his fingers, then pushed them beneath the front of her bathing suit. The minute he touched her, she wanted more. He thrust his fingers inside of her, using his other hand to tease her nipple while his tongue worked wonders on the other breast, sending need searing through her.

“Lacy,” he whispered. Dane ripped her bathing suit bottom down to her ankles and pushed her up against the wall, spreading her legs with his feet.

“Touch me,” she said, and he followed her command, moving his fingers in and out of her again as her every nerve grew hotter, more sensitive to his touch.

“I’m gonna…” Her breath came in short, fast bursts. His hands moved to her ass, and right before she came, he lifted her up and drove himself into her—hard. She cried out, unable to control the lustful demands screaming for more between her legs. Her back slammed against the wall with each pump and thrust of his rampant heat. Lacy went up on her toes as he quickened his pace, his thighs straining against her. His lips found her mouth; his hands grabbed her cheeks, and he held her in a possessive kiss. He was claiming her as much as ravishing her. Their bodies slipped and slid, igniting a fire that ripped through them and exploded as a burst of light behind Lacy’s eyes and electric pulses between her legs. Dane met her release with his own powerful climax. He held her as he drew his lips back and brushed her sweat-dampened hair from her forehead.

“When did you turn into such a temptress?” he whispered.

Lacy felt her cheeks flush. “I don’t know.” Her breath came fast and hard. “I realized my fear was probably more of everything...” She took a deep breath, trying to gain control over her breathing. “Not just sharks. And when I let go of that…” She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, her lungs finally regaining control. “And let you into my heart, everything changed.”

Dane leaned his forehead against hers. “You own my heart, Lace. I want only to protect you.”

Lacy snuggled against him with her hand on his chest. Feeling his heartbeat against her palm, she realized that she’d been falling in love with Dane from the first moment she’d met him on the beach in Nassau. She had never realized that she might need protecting, but as the words fell from his lips, she couldn’t think of another person she’d rather have watching out for her.





Chapter Twenty-Three


AFTER DANE DROPPED Lacy at her cottage to get ready for dinner, she showered, dressed, and read an email from her boss advising her of the status of her previous work and congratulating her on solidifying Brave as a client. You have no idea how solid Brave is. She called Danica to fill her in on how things were going.

“I’m seriously the worst sister ever, and I’m sorry,” Lacy said when Danica answered the phone.

“I don’t know. Kaylie has her moments,” Danica teased.

“I’m sorry I haven’t called. So much has happened, and I don’t know where to start, but I know I owe it to you, Dan. I thought about what you said about letting his past go, and it’s like the minute I did that, all the fear and anxiety fell away.” Lacy put the call on speaker and began applying eyeliner beneath her lashes.

“That’s the funny thing about anxiety. You never really know what it stems from,” Danica said. “So, tell me what happened.”

“I don’t know. I tried to seduce him, which, by the way, I think I suck at, but anyway, one thing led to another, and he told me that he hasn’t been with another woman for eleven months. Eleven months, Danica. It’s been longer for me, but how can a guy even do that?” Lacy finished putting on her makeup, picked up the phone again, and walked into the living room, where she sat down at her computer.

“The heart is a powerful thing,” Danica said.

“We went out on Treat’s boat and looked for sharks.”

“Lacy, what did I tell you? Jesus, talk about pushing the limits,” Danica chided her.

“I know, but you also said to face my fears, and I was pretty much okay. Your advice really helped. We saw one shark that Dane said was small but looked huge to me. I didn’t panic. I didn’t like it, but I didn’t lose all of my faculties either, so I feel like that’s a big step.”

“That’s a huge step, Lace. All you need to do is be okay on the boat and, Lacy, you know that even if you can’t overcome this, you and Dane can still have a relationship. He’s the one in the water, not you,” Danica pointed out.

“True, but I don’t want him worrying about me when he needs to be concentrating on the sharks and doing his job. Given what I’ve seen so far, he’d worry about me every second he was underwater if I was on the boat. He doesn’t need that distraction, and as a couple, we don’t need that stress.”

“You’re not going to end it again, are you?” Danica asked.

“No. I don’t mean it like that. I think I’m figuring all this stuff out, and actually, I’m excited about doing marketing for Brave, too. Oh, and don’t forget that I touched a baby shark at the aquarium, remember? At first it freaked me out a little, but then I was okay and went back to touch it again.” Lacy sat down on the couch.