His strong arms wrapped around her body and he sighed. “I believe you would have. It was a long time ago.”
They sat like that for a long while, their silence buffered by the sound of the ocean and the smell of the sea. Eventually—Jessica didn’t know how much time had passed—his grip on her eased. Their eyes connected, and when their mouths came together, the rest of the world fell away. All that was left was the sound of their breathing, the feel of their hearts beating fast and hard against their chests, and the passion that had them kissing with desperation, grasping at each other’s bodies. She ran her hands through his hair, over his neck, and all over every inch of his muscular back she could reach, while his hands traveled up her sides, making her crave more of him. The sadness of their confessions swirled around them and morphed into something thinner and smaller with every breath, then changed shape completely, spiraling into a common thread that wound around them and bound them together.
“Jess,” he said in a heated breath.
Three dates. Three dates. Three dates. Oh geez! Three whole dates?
She couldn’t answer. She could only kiss him more. His hands were everywhere—Oh my, yes—sending a shudder of need right through her. Shivers of heat chased that shudder deeper, and when he used his other hand to hold the back of her head as he kissed her neck, then licked it with his tongue, it was all she could do to fist her hands in his shirt to keep from begging for more. But, oh, did she want more. He used his teeth to unzip her sweatshirt, and it just about killed her to have his mouth that close to her skin. He drew back for an instant.
“Waist up?”
“Waist up.” Ohgoshohgoshohgosh.
He lifted her shirt and kissed her belly, and her body electrified. She could hardly believe she was making out on the beach. She didn’t do things like this! But every pass of his tongue took her higher, until she couldn’t think and couldn’t take it anymore. He moaned, a guttural, masculine sound of appreciation that made her pulse skyrocket. She was going to hyperventilate. She was sure of it. She couldn’t catch her breath, except to beg.
“More. Oh please, Jamie.”
He kissed and teased until her mind went numb and her body turned into a bundle of oversensitive nerves. Every kiss, every touch, took her closer to the edge.
They tumbled to the sand, groping and kissing, their bodies aligned. Goosebumps raced across her flesh as his big hands gripped her ribs and he kissed a path down the center of her stomach and lingered around her belly button. His thumbs stroked the sensitive skin beside her hips, and she felt as though she might come apart right then. She buried her hands in his hair and he grazed his teeth along her waist. Then he moved up her body, aligning their bodies again, and took her in a long, passionate kiss that nearly made her lose her mind. Their hips gyrated. Tingling began in her arms and legs. Something unfamiliar, wicked, and wild coiled deep in her belly, tugging, reaching, teasing. She’d read about these sensations, but she’d never actually felt them. Her heartbeat quickened. She was so aroused. This had to be what all the fuss over sex was about.
Above the waist. Above the waist.
Oh good heavens, they were totally clothed, their bodies moving in a mesmerizing rhythm, and she was embarrassingly close to having her first orgasm. She sucked in a breath, and he trapped her earlobe in his teeth, as he’d done the other night.
“How close are you?” he whispered.
She mewed. Mewed! He knew? She was mortified and even more turned on.
“Close…I think.”
He sealed his mouth over hers and kissed her hard, demanding. It was erotic and sensual and so darn hot that she lost all control, and fireworks exploded behind her closed lids.
She was panting, embarrassed, and totally and completely taken with this patient and compassionate man who also happened to be off-the-charts sexy and able to turn her world upside down while almost fully clothed. Jessica covered her eyes with her arm. He gently moved her arm aside and kissed her eyelids.
“Hey,” he whispered. “Don’t hide. You’re stunning, Jess.”
She clenched her eyes shut. She wished she could disappear, slip beneath the sand and tunnel to the sea. But even from behind closed lids, she sensed his smile and felt the heat of his gaze. She opened her eyes, and he was indeed smiling down at her.
“Oh no,” she whispered.
“Stop.” His whisper washed over her, soothing her worry. “You’re beautiful.”
“But I…” She glanced down at her body. “You…”
“I’m fine.” He rolled onto his side beside her, one arm draped over her belly.