He could get used to hearing that every single day.
He’d get to.
Pulling out of her, he thrust his fingers again, but this time he added his mouth, rolling his tongue over her clit until she was thrashing about on the bed, one leg flung over his shoulder and the other pressing down into the mattress. When he scraped his teeth against her and sucked, flicking his tongue over the love bite, she clenched around his fingers and came, hard and long.
He rode out the climax, moving his fingers and applying a light pressure until she came back down. When she fell back on the mattress, he grabbed a condom off the nightstand—thank God he’d thought of that before—and rolled it on. He slammed into her with one thrust. She shrieked and clung to the headboard, soft whimpers escaping from her as he pulled out and rested against her entrance.
She cupped his face with her hands, wrapped her legs around his waist, and kissed him. He groaned, melded his mouth to hers, and moved inside her. At first, he kept the tempo slow and easy, making love to her instead of seeking out his pleasure. But as they moved, becoming one even more with each thrust, he lost control. As he made love to her, her nails scratched down his back, drawing blood.
His stomach clenched, and his balls tightened, but he still didn’t let himself go. Not until she came, too. He reached between them and pressed his thumb against her clit, deepening his strokes. Every fiber in his being demanded he seize the pleasure that was so f**king close he could grab it, but he didn’t reach out. Sweat poured down his temples, but he kept moving, angling his hips just right.
He broke off their kiss, his breathing harsh. He rested his weight on his free elbow, his forehead pressed to hers. “Fuck, babe, I need you to come. I need your pu**y tight on my cock, squeezing me.”
“I’m…so close.” She moaned and dragged her nails over his back, sending shards of pain shooting through him. “I love you,” she moaned.
“I love you, too,” he said, kissing her again.
As his tongue moved over hers, he rubbed his finger over her clit and thrust again. Her body tightened and she clenched down on him, sending him over the edge, too. He stiffened and the pleasure crashed over him, taking him to a different plane for a little while. By the time he came back to reality, she was collapsed on the mattress beneath him, a limp hand resting on either side of her head.
He lifted up on his elbows and smiled down at her, brushing the hair off her face. He knew he’d made the right choice, no matter how scary it might be to walk away from the known. Because without her?
He wasn’t the man he now knew he could be.
Epilogue
Mexico
Christmas Day
Tyler leaned back against the chaise longue, closed his eyes, and smiled. Mexican music played in the background, and all around him Spanish intermingled with English so smoothly it was hard to remember which was which. It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, but he couldn’t be happier they’d decided to come back to the place where it had all started.
It would make his Christmas present for Christine all the more sweet.
Behind his closed lids, he pictured her sitting beside him, so young and sad. The first time they’d come here, he’d fallen in love with her. He just hadn’t known it yet.
The memory of their conversation in Mexico all those years ago washed over him like a soft wave from the ocean. It had been the same day he’d taken her virginity—only hours before, when the sun had still been shining. It had also been the first time he’d realized exactly how special she was. He’d been hooked on her ever since then.
Back then, he’d been teasing her about something. He couldn’t even remember what, but he’d been trying to make her have fun since she’d looked so sad. He’d said whatever it was he’d said, and she’d laughed, her dimple popping out before she turned away from him.
“I love that dimple, Red. You should stop hiding your smile from me.”
She shook her head, laughing lightly and dipping her head. “It’s stupid. Who has one dimple?”
“You, and it’s perfect.”
“No, it’s not,” she said, smiling that shy smile she’d always given him. “You’re just being nice.”
“No, I’m just being honest.” He reached out and caught her chin, turning her face up to his. “You’re beautiful just the way you are.”
She flushed. “You’re too kind.”
“You’re too modest.”
He wanted to kiss her so bad, and he’d swear he saw the same desire in her eyes. “Red…”
“Why do you call me that?”
“Because it’s something that only I do,” he said, leaning closer. “It’s our thing…”
“Hey,” present-day Christine said, ripping him from his memories. He lifted his heavy lids, watching her with a warmth in his heart he still wasn’t used to. She sat down on his lap, smiling down at him from underneath a floppy straw hat. “You sleeping on me again, Dresco?”
“Of course not.” But he was tempted to. They’d been up all night making love, and woken up early to go hiking to the top of a waterfall. He was f**king beat. “I was just watching the backs of my eyelids.”
She snorted. “Sure you were.”
“I swear it.” He played with the strings of her bikini, his eyes on her. “There were dragons and monkeys and a flying cat.”
She laughed. “Really?”
“I solemnly swear it,” he said, grinning. “But if you’re worried you’ll lose me to my exhaustion, how about if we take a walk along the beach? Splash around in the water for a bit?”
“Sure.”
She hopped to her feet and picked up her fruity umbrella drink. He grabbed his Corona and smiled at her. He had no idea where all her energy came from, but he wished he had even a small portion of it. It’s one of the things he loved most about her, but sometimes he just couldn’t keep up with her. She was always going, going, going until she crashed at about midnight.
Then? She didn’t move until the alarm went off.
He grabbed her hand, entwined his fingers with hers, and led her toward the water. “Can you believe this vacation is almost over?”
“I know.” Her fingers tightened on his. “Tomorrow we go back to chilly Maine, where there’s three inches of snow on the ground.”
He laughed. “That’s nothing compared to Colorado. The other day, Kady said they had almost three feet at their place.”