“I guess not.” She shifted so that one of the jets pressed directly against her tailbone, and her muscles turned to jelly as the pressure slowly massaged her skin. Overhead, a spatter of bright stars lit up the clear night sky. She tilted her head to take in the gorgeous view, breathing in the scent of salt and island freshness floating in the air.
This was nice. She hadn’t wanted it to be nice, but it was. She hadn’t taken a vacation in…well, she’d never taken a vacation, and the strange rush of relaxation coursing through her felt completely foreign.
“You’re too far away,” Ben complained.
With a roll of her eyes, she scooted over so they were side by side. Arm touching arm. Thigh against thigh.
He instantly draped one wet arm around her bare shoulders and slid his hand to give one of her breasts a firm squeeze. “Much better.” He slanted his head and shot her a mischievous look. “Wanna make out?”
She laughed. “Sure. Maybe afterwards we could go to the malt shop and share a milkshake with two straws.”
He didn’t seem to mind her teasing. If anything, his grin only widened and, as usual, he wasted no time bending his head and covering her mouth with his.
She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to this man’s kisses. So long and intoxicating. Hurried. Rough. Taking it slow? She doubted he knew what that meant. Oh no. His lips and tongue simply took what they wanted without permission.
Not that she minded. His hungry claim of her mouth stole the breath right out of her lungs and made her chest constrict with burning need. Each hot, toe-curling kiss ended with a gasp from her and a groan from him, and made her squirm under the warm water eddying around her.
Pulling back, Ben nipped playfully at her earlobe. “Why do you still have your suit on?”
“I’m waiting for you to tear it off with your teeth, remember?”
“Is that a challenge?”
“More like a dare.”
“I like the way you think, Red.”
Water splashed over the edge of the hot tub as Ben moved in front of her. He rested on his knees, his chiseled torso disappearing into the water with a splash of clear bubbles. “I’ll begin with your bottoms,” he said, his voice professional and matter-of-fact.
The last thing she saw before he ducked under the water was the tiny grin on his face. A second later, she jumped as his mouth latched onto her hip and tugged at the strings holding her bottoms together. His teeth grazed her skin. He tugged again and then one half of the triangle came loose.
Ben surfaced, wiping droplets off his somber face. “I’m sorry to inform you I couldn’t save the knot to the right of your hip, Ms. Reilly. I do, however, have high hopes for the left one.”
She choked back a laugh as he submerged again, and then shivered when he untied the second knot. Her bikini bottoms floated to the surface at the same time as Ben.
“Couldn’t save the left one either. It’s gone,” he said, pointing to the shiny green material as a rush of water carried it away to the other side of the hot tub.
“You’re a sad excuse for a doctor,” she said with mock anger.
“That’s what the producers at General Hospital said before they fired me,” he answered with a rueful smile. “But it was only my second acting gig, so how could they blame me for being unable to pronounce Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy?”
“What on earth is that?”
“To this day I still have no clue.” He shrugged and then planted his gaze on her breasts, which were still covered. “I should take care of that.”
He skimmed his fingers over her wet, fevered shoulders and swiftly maneuvered her so that her back was to him. She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, waited for the sting of his teeth against her skin, and exhaled a shaky breath when her top came loose and her breasts were bared.
Her nipples instantly jutted out, hardening even more when she shifted and one of the jets sent a gushing rush of heat right against her breasts.
“So…your bathing suit has been removed,” Ben whispered into her neck.
She twisted around to look at him. “Are you going to do that all night?”
“Do what?”
“Narrate.”
“Why, does it turn you on?”
She paused. “I’m actually pretty indifferent to it.”
“Indifferent?” His expression tightened with mock horror. “No woman of mine is ever allowed to feel indifference in my presence, sweetheart.”
No woman of mine?
Before she could figure that one out, Ben dipped his head and brushed a light kiss over her lips. “Trust me, babe, by the time I’m finished with you, you’re going to love my narration.”
He cocked one dark brow and reassumed that professional demeanor. “I think it’s time I paid some attention to—” he reached down and cupped her breasts, “—these.”
A jolt of desire streaked across her chest, down her belly and settled into an impatient throb between her legs.
“Not sure what my opening move will be, though,” he continued huskily. “Should I pinch?”
He rolled her nipples between his fingers and gave each pebbled nub a small pinch.
“Or squeeze?”
He squeezed.