“I want so badly to make love to you out here,” she told him as she licked at his earlobe, “but we don’t have any protection.”
Marcus had to forcefully push aside the urge to be inside of her without anything between them. If this were more than a long weekend together they could get tested and—
No. He needed to stay focused on here and now, on the fact that Nicola had already given him more pleasure in three days than any man should rightfully expect to have in one lifetime. She’d made it clear to him that she didn’t want a relationship.
Just as clear as he’d made it to her, in fact.
That was when he showed her what he was holding. “I planned ahead.”
She shook her head on a surprised laugh. “How the heck did you get this out of your pocket and unwrapped without my noticing?” Without waiting for his answer, she grabbed the condom from him. “Never mind. Just put me down so that I can do the honors.”
Not sure he’d survive having her hot little hands on him, he warned her, “Don’t even think about teasing me,” as he put her back on her feet in the surf.
She blinked at him, all sexy innocence and pure wicked intent. “How else am I going to know if you’re ever going to make good on all those spanking threats?”
“Oh, I’ll make good on them, all right,” he told her, tempted to take care of her right then and there, but then her tongue was coming out to lick at her upper lip as she focused her attention on him.
“You’re the beautiful one,” she murmured as she dropped to her knees before he saw it coming and put her mouth over him.
Jesus, he couldn’t believe he was out in the ocean with the most beautiful woman on the planet pleasuring him in the swirling surf. This wasn’t him, wasn’t what his life was like, wasn’t any part of his plans.
Forget his plans, he thought as he slid his hands into her hair and decided to take what she was so happily giving him. All the while, even as she nearly took him over the edge, he watched her carefully to make sure he wasn’t hurting her. Fortunately, he could tell from the sexy little sounds she was making that she loved giving up her sensual control to him.
Waiting until he was a split second from losing it, he dragged himself out of her mouth. “Put the condom on me, Nicola.”
Her gaze was fuzzy as she blinked up at him, but she obeyed him with shaking hands.
Gritting his teeth against the sweet tug of her hands on him, he marveled at the way she completely gave up her body to him when they were making love. He wanted to be as good as the trust she gave him, wanted her to know she’d made the right decision in trusting him.
“Come here.” He waited for her to take his hands and stand up before he said, “Wrap yourself around me.” She jumped up to wrap her toned limbs tightly around him and he couldn’t hold back his confession. “I love holding you like this.”
“You can’t possibly love it as much as I do,” she said against his lips as he started walking deeper into the cold water.
“Oh God,” she gasped as the surf pushed over her bottom, “that’s really cold.” Her big eyes flicked up to his. “You’re going to have to work really hard to keep me warm.”
“That’s the plan,” he said, and then after he moved her even closer to him, “How’s this working?”
“Mmm, pretty good. But,” she held out one arm, “I still have goose bumps.” He pressed first one kiss, and then half a dozen, up her arm. “You’re only making me shiver more,” she said in a husky voice and he lifted his mouth from her soft skin.
“Maybe this, then?”
Their eyes held as he took her in one hard stroke.
“Oh.” Her eyelids fluttered at the pleasure of coming together. “Yes. Just like—” Her words broke off on a gasp of pleasure as he angled his hips to stroke over the most sensitive parts inside her.
Being with Nicola like this was as natural, as unstoppable as the tides. There was no ebb and flow to his desire for her, only a constant crashing of need and want that kept dragging him deeper under her spell.
Her eyes glittered with emotion as she looked up at him and he could feel the dangerous pull of more than just bodies coming together in that moment as she held onto him, the sun illuminating her stunning beauty, the golden hue of her smooth skin.
For all his sensual demands, Marcus knew damn well who was really in charge. Nicola had owned him from that first moment in the club when she’d looked into his eyes and claimed him.
She’d had his body from the first, but he’d been so sure his heart—his soul—were safe. That no woman could possibly touch him.
So then, why did being with her like this touch him as nothing ever had before?
And when, he had to helplessly wonder, had hot sex with his beautiful pop star turned into making love, out on a beach beneath a sun that felt like it was shining just for them?
Chapter Seventeen
Laughing together as they put on their clothes over wet skin, they walked hand in hand up the beach to sit on the soft sand and plunder the contents of the bag Marcus had put together at the small Point Reyes corner store.
Nicola loved being with Marcus like this, sharing meals and sitting together, their legs touching as they ate and kissed between bites. She was frankly amazed to find that their picnic was in some ways even more intimate—and scary—than making love in the ocean had been.
When he’d been holding her, driving her insane with his kisses and caresses, she’d been so close, barely another kiss away from spilling what had been growing deep within her heart. But now, she had a feeling it might not take more than one of his beautiful smiles to send her all the way over the edge, way past no-strings to turning into one of those girls she’d teased him about earlier, wearing the wedding dress and knocking on his door.
Somehow, despite the fact that she was having the best day of her life, despite how sweet he’d been when he was telling her that her ex hadn’t deserved her, she needed to remember to keep a firm hold on her heart at all times.
“So,” she asked as she tore another chunk of bread off and dipped it in the red-pepper hummus, “how do you know about this place?”
“This was my father’s favorite beach.” She followed his gaze down the beach to a pretty cottage perched on the rocks. “His best friend from college owned that house and this stretch of sand.” A shadow passed over his face as he said, “Joe died a few years ago. He left my mother this place in his will, told her his best memories had been of all of us playing on the beach when we were kids. And that he hoped our grandkids would play like that one day, too.”