An odd hunger clawed up from my gut. God, had anyone in my life ever simply accepted me for an artist? People clucked over my hobby, rolled their eyes, and generally made fun of the entire thing. Watch the little rich boy play at his paints and pretend he’s important. It hurt so bad, I began hiding it undercover, disguising it as a hobby, but craving so much more. Ivy League schools blurred before me, when all I’d ever wanted was to go to art school. But that would be accepting what I really wanted.
That would mean I could fail. And then I’d have nothing left.
I fought a shudder and redirected the conversation. I’d given her enough. “How about you? Did you always know you wanted to go into social work?”
She shook her head. “No. But I’m good at it. Look, here’s the beach.”
Her comment was odd, and I knew there was more, but I let it go for now. No need for deep secrets to be revealed for either of us. I was familiar with the small beach at the southernmost tip of Key West. Wedged between a pier and hotel complex, it was a great spot to hit between bars and cool off. Some women were already topless, running off the families from the afternoon shift to be replaced by the nighttime crowd. The water was usually warm, and you could wade all the way out forever without ever going over your head.
Quinn grinned and stepped onto the sand, moving toward the shoreline. Her dress tugged in the breeze, exposing more of the delicious skin I couldn’t wait to taste, and she dug her toes in and lifted her head up to the sky. Darkness bled into the shoreline and the moon peeked out. I watched her, happy and free in the moment, soaking up the simple pleasure.
“I guess you miss this in Chicago, huh?” I asked, brushing back the loose strands of hair from her face.
“This is pure heaven. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love living in a big city, I’m definitely a city type of girl. But the beach and sun make me feel a bit decadent.”
Decadent. The word dropped from her lips like pure sex.
The wind plastered the flimsy fabric against her chest, and her ni**les poked out from the halter top. Holy shit, she wasn’t wearing a bra. I hadn’t thought she was, but the evidence ruined me. I stared, trying not to, and imagined sucking on those points until they were red and wet and swollen for me. Music drifted from the restaurant/bar. I knew I should offer to get her a drink, go inside, chat, and be normal. But I wasn’t feeling very chatty.
“James?”
“Huh?”
“You okay?”
“No.” I’d never felt so alone in a public place. Like it was just Quinn and me and the moon overhead. I wrapped my fingers within hers and tugged.
She took the few steps forward. Her eyes assessed, as if she wondered if it was a good idea, but the flare of lust confirmed my decision. She wanted this; wanted me. And I was gonna give it to her.
“Do you know how f**king gorgeous you are?”
She bit at her lip and looked worried. “No, I’m not.”
I laughed. Again, a first. I’d never had a woman completely reject a compliment. “Oh, yes, you are. Look at you. Your hot little body wrapped up in a little black dress. I want to strip it off, taste you everywhere, make you come. Make you scream.” Her pupils dilated and she panted, holding still as I stroked her hair, her cheek, her naked shoulder. “But right now I’m just going to kiss you, Quinn.”
I fisted my hands in her hair and held her still. Lowered my head.
“Okay,” she whispered.
I smiled before I claimed her lips with mine.
Chapter Six
THE HEAT seeped into my skin, my bones, my muscles, and began to burn me alive. Warm water swirled around my ankles, the sand was firm and damp under my feet, and he trapped my head so I couldn’t move. Not that I wanted to. The strength and bit of domination gave me a dark thrill. No man had ever wanted to kiss me this bad. And I had never wanted to be kissed like it was as important as my next breath.
His lips covered mine completely, as if savoring me, like an appetizer before the holiday dinner. I rested my hands on his shoulders for balance and enjoyed the sensation. Slow, sweet, exploratory. His tongue traced the seam of my lips for entrance, and I allowed him full access.
His tongue plunged into my mouth and the world exploded.
I gasped at his delicious taste, a slight sting of alcohol and a raw hunger that devoured me alive. He moved his hands from my hair to cup my face, his tongue dipping in and out of my mouth as if gathering honey, taking me over completely until the ground shifted and I could only cling to him, wanting more. He nipped my bottom lip, then sucked. The sharp pain gave way to heat that flicked my skin, tightened my ni**les, and made me crave something really, really bad.
“So good,” he groaned. “Like candy.” His deft fingers stroked under my chin, down my neck, and across the swell of my br**sts. I twisted in his grasp and tried to get closer, but he only laughed and kissed me deeper, while his fingers touched my ni**les.
I forgot we were on a public beach and almost begged for him to pull down my dress. I felt achy all over, so I pressed against him and those hard muscles surrounded me with a power I wanted everywhere—over me, under me, in me. “Oh God, I want—”
“Yes, baby, me too. I want to touch you, kiss you, f**k you.” His dirty words made me gasp, and he swallowed the sound, moving his fingers from my br**sts to my rear. He cupped my ass and pulled me hard against him. His erection seemed massive behind the ridge of his jeans. I imagined him slipping between my thighs and I moaned again, sinking into an animal state where I didn’t care about anything except slaking the ache.
“James. Please.”
He breathed heavily, and when he finally lifted his head, those aquamarine eyes sucked me in, foggy with lust and naked want. I went to reach for him again, but the sound of laughter close by made me stiffen as reality leaked in. Holy shit, I was on a public beach with people everywhere! This was not like me at all; I was an extremely private person. The thought of strangers watching me practically climb on him with my dress exposing my girly parts freaked me out. Shaking, I tried to pull back, but he realized I was upset and tightened his hold. Tucking my head under his chin, he pressed a kiss into my hair, gently caressing my back.
“I can’t believe I did that,” I muttered against his chest. His T-shirt was soft and smelled like Snuggle dryer sheets.
“Shh, my fault. I got crazy. I want you so bad, Quinn. I’d love for you to come back to my house so we can finish what we started, but I think it’s too soon. I screwed up once, I’m not going to do it again.”