Sand Angel

chapter Sixteen


A sensation of tranquility wrapped around Zoë’s heart as she gazed at Drew sleeping beside her. Damn the man for being so good looking. She brushed a tendril from his forehead, noticing he was perspiring even though the room felt cool to her. She had switched on the air conditioner while Drew closed the back of the trailer. Even now there was a breeze blowing over their naked bodies. The scent of dust was gone. Instead the smell of rain filtered through the vents.

Their afternoon delight had turned into another tumble in bed, and then they had drifted asleep in each other’s arms. Her chest rose and fell on a blissful sigh. No matter how hard she tried to deny it, she loved him. Her earlier outburst proved it. She chuckled silently. Kari’s reaction to her threat was as she expected. The woman was all talk, no guts. Yet the expression on Drew’s face was priceless.

Not only had Zoë’s calm exterior surprised him, it had been a revelation to her. She would never get over Drew. When the realization set in, the rest was intuitive. No one took what belonged to her—including her man.

Emotion tightened her throat. Did she dare believe that all of this was actually happening? That Drew had truly returned, wanting to rekindle what they had?

Before she could ponder those questions, Drew cried out. He mumbled. His words incoherent as his fingers curled into fists and his face twisted in anguish. What the hell had he gone through?

“Zoë.” The panic in his voice made her reach out and touch him. “Where are you?” he murmured, moisture seeping from behind his closed eyelids.

He was crying in his sleep.

Tears misted Zoë’s eyes. The sorrowful moans he made were breaking her heart. She folded her arms around him, holding him to her. “I’m here…” She paused, swallowing hard to keep her emotions restrained. “I’ve always been here.”

It was true. Although she had put up a good exterior front, on the inside she had yearned, dreamed and she had waited—waited for his return. Lonely days, sleepless nights, they had been for him and him alone. She had become an empty shell with a void in her life that no man could fill, except for the one she held.

She buried her face against his chest. “I love you,” she whispered, unable to silence the tenderness that made her entire body tremble. “Damn you,” she choked. “I’ll always love you.”

Zoë startled when Drew’s warm palm smoothed across her back. She tensed, squeezing her eyes closed, praying that he hadn’t heard her confession. What would he say? Would he run again?

Her shoulders squared, her arms falling to her sides, as she prepared herself for his response. He was quiet for longer than felt comfortable. Every muscle inside her body tensed. If only she had kept her mouth shut.

When he spoke, his voice was shaky. “I-I love you too.” He drew her closer, pressing his lips against her forehead. “Let me in, Zoë. Let me love you.”

Her pulse sped. “I’m scared,” she blurted, then clenched her jaws tight. Oh God, did I admit that?

Drew rolled her gently upon her back. Her nipples tightened, not from arousal, but fear. She didn’t want to meet his gaze but she did. His eyes were rimmed red with emotion, from his dream or the current moment, she didn’t know. He propped himself on an elbow. “I made a mistake. We’ve both suffered. Let me make it right.”

Zoë wanted to believe him. “You hurt me.” She hated the childish tone in her voice. To add to her mortification, her chin began to tremble. Painful memories threatened to surface.

“Oh, baby.” He caressed his knuckles across her cheek. “I know. I’m sorry. But I’m back now and I’m not leaving.” She couldn’t help leaning into his hand. She hungered for his touch. “Please let me back into your life.”

Mentally, she heard her hard-as-nail exterior begin to crack. Be strong. Breathe. Yet when his lips met hers, she crumbled like a day-old cookie. Her arms flung around him. She held on tight, speechless, while her mind cried, Yes. I’ve missed you so much.

Their naked bodies came together, chest to chest, hip to hip. His kiss magically washed the anguish of the last three years away. Instead, a happiness Zoë hadn’t felt in a long time embraced her. Within seconds, she found herself trapped beneath him. His firm cock pressed to her belly. His mouth ravished hers as she surrendered body and soul.

When their lips parted, he said, “Say you’re mine.” Zoë was still trying to catch her breath, her mind whirling with what was happening. He dragged her hands above her head, pinning them against the bed. “Mine,” he repeated.

Raindrops began to pelt the trailer, making tinny sounds. She could hear the rustle and voices of people rushing around the campsite outside. Doors opened and slammed shut. There was a brisk knock against the side of the trailer.

“Drew. Zoë.” There was urgency in Josh’s muffled tone as he stood at the door. “Wake up. Damn rain.” The awning wasn’t out. That meant he was standing in the pouring rain.

“Your brother has impeccable timing,” Drew grumbled. When the banging continued, he growled, moving from atop her. He climbed off the bed and then paused. “I should let him drown out there.” Zoë laughed, her breath catching as Drew swept his hot gaze up and down her naked body. “You’re so beautiful. Stay here. Don’t move.” He turned, padding down the steps and across the room to the door. From where she lay naked, Zoë could see Drew as he opened the door and peered out. “What the hell do you want?”

“Get dressed. We’re going to town for dinner,” Josh said.

Zoë groaned, bringing her arms to her side. She didn’t want to share Drew with anyone. No, she had other things in mind, like having Drew thrusting deep inside her.

“Not interested.” Drew’s quick response put a smile on Zoë’s face. Perhaps he was thinking the same thing.

Zoë heard her brother’s carefree laughter. “You sure?”

“Absolutely.” Drew shut the door and locked it. He pivoted, catching her ogling his masculine form. Dark hair, sensual eyes, broad shoulders, six-pack abs and a narrow waist. He was so sexy, handsome, standing before the doorway.

Drew grinned. “Now, where were we?” The stairs creaked as he approached.

Zoë’s heart pounded with joy. She opened her arms invitingly. There was nothing she would prefer than to spend the rest of the day and evening locked in Drew’s embrace, savoring his kisses and devouring his body. Just the thought firmed her nipples into taut beads. Moisture released between her thighs. She was ready—more than ready. The tingles tightening her womb grew stronger.

Just out of her reach, he stopped. “I think you owe me an answer.” His eyes twinkled when her gaze shot to his cock. She licked her lips.

Mmmm… He looked good enough to eat.

Her blood pressure soared as he took himself in hand, his finger squeezing as he stroked from base to tip. “Answer?” she squeaked. What was he talking about? Her mind felt hazy, her attention focused on the prominent veins in his arm and hand, his palm sliding up and down his shaft squeezing a clear drop of liquid from the small slit in his crown.

He stepped closer. His erection lengthened, reddened as he continued to tempt her. “Tell me you’re mine.”

There was no hesitation. She scrambled to her knees, licked her lips again. “I’m yours,” Zoë breathed. Yours. Yours. Yours.

“Forever?” he asked.

Insecurity was a black cloud crashing down around her. “Forever?” she whispered as a shiver raked her spine. Did she have “forever” inside her?

Drew’s brows tugged together. He frowned. “You said that almost as if the word left a bad taste in your mouth.”

“What? Uh… No. It’s just—” She eased back on her haunches. How could she explain that she’d quit thinking of a future? She lived her life one day at a time with no worries about tomorrow. He was asking, or at least she believed he was asking, for the ’til death do us part, the little picket fence. Those girlish dreams had vanished along with him three years ago. Zoë’s heart sputtered. What if he wanted children?

“You’re trembling.” He released himself, drew closer to embrace her. “You’re cold as ice.” He began to rub his warm palms briskly up and down her arms.

“I’m—” Speechless? Dumbfounded? Or maybe scared shitless was a more appropriate response from her.

“Baby, I want you in my life forever.” He speared his hand through her hair, cupping the nape of her neck. “Can you promise me that, Zoë?”

Could she? Her skin felt like it had shrunk two sizes too small as panic set in. A home, a man who loved her, children, everything she had ever wanted stood before her, offering, waiting for an answer. Did she have the courage to grasp it with both hands, or would she fail?

Zoë mentally pushed away her insecurities. She was a woman of action, not words. Yeah. That’s who she was. “Make love to me, Drew,” Zoë blurted. She didn’t want to think about the future. Most of all she didn’t want to think about disappointing him—of not being the woman he thought she was.



Zoë wasn’t fooling Drew. Her taut expression, her widened eyes, the deer-in-headlight expression revealed she was scared. Hell, he was frightened. But for once he was going for what he knew was right. Him. Zoë. Together. Clearly she needed more time, and time was all he had.

“What’s your pleasure?” he mouthed against her lips.

“I want to taste you.” She kissed him softly. Her eyelids rose. She peered up at him through feathered lashes. “I want your cock in my mouth.”

Blood rushed his groin, slamming into his balls to draw them up tight against his body. “F*ck, baby,” he groaned. Just the thought made his erection lengthen, harden to a painful ache that pulsed. “Do it. Oh yeah. Do it.”

She slid out of his arms and onto her belly so that her head was level with his hips. He couldn’t keep his gaze off her mouth as her tongue made a slow, sensual path along her full lips. When her warm, wet tongue flicked out to smooth across the crown of his dick, his entire body was jolted with a volt of electricity. He felt the sensation from head to toe as she licked down the underside.

Zoë didn’t release him from her sight as she paid special attention to his sensitive head and frenulum. The muscles around his shaft contracted as she drew him into her mouth. The bobbing of her head was friggin’ hot. But it was her soft cries, the moans she made that nearly undid him. He grasped her head, increasing the pace. She didn’t gag or fight him as he f*cked her mouth, thrusting deep and pulling back so she could take a breath. She began to suck harder, swallowing so that she squeezed the head of his cock, working her tongue around, above and below the ridge.

“Feels good.” He barely got the words out when fire threatened to lace down his erection. He threw back his head, making a hissing sound before the air in his lungs froze. The pressure was so intense. He struggled to hold back his oncoming climax. “Whoa. Baby, stop.”

She whimpered but promptly released him. Her eyes were bright with desire, hunger, watching while she waited patiently as he gathered his control.

“Felt too good.” He forced a smile between clenched teeth. She was so beautiful sprawled out on the bed. Like a sensuous cat she moved, stretching and pushing to her knees. She dragged her fingernails up his thighs. Cupped his balls in her hand and gently rolled them between her fingers.

“More,” she purred, licking her reddened and swollen lips.

His uneasy chuckle met her demand. “Not if you want me to last longer than ten seconds.” He stilled her hands.

She puckered her lips, something she used to do when she was young and wanted her way. For a moment the girl he remembered surfaced. “I’m wet and horny,” she admitted without shame as the woman she had become stared him in the face. Zoë had become much more than the girl he left behind and she thrilled him to the core.

“How wet?” he asked.

She pushed a hand between her legs and he nearly lost it. Heat raced through his body as she touched herself. Her mouth parted, her eyes darkened. She took a quick, sharp breath as she rubbed her *, and then extracted her hand. The little vixen leaned into him, her hard nipples pressing against his chest as she traced her finger along his lips. He inhaled her female musk, catching her hand to suck her finger deep into his mouth. She tasted of heaven.

“More?” she asked, a smile tipping the corners of her mouth.

Drew pushed her back, receiving a cry of surprise as she landed on her back. Placing his hands beneath her thighs, he jerked so that her legs dangled off the side of the bed. Her laughter was music to his ears as he fell to his knees, spreading her thighs wide.

“I guess the answer is yes,” she said, tittering.

“Oh yeah.” He draped her legs over his shoulders and then moved in. The soft moan she cried as he licked from one end of her slit to the other made him grin. He loved this woman—all of her.

Lightly he massaged her pelvic area, running his fingers through her short, strawberry-blonde hairs as his tongue pushed beyond her swollen folds. She was slick and moist, sweet ecstasy to his taste buds. Her thighs parted farther, her hips meeting each thrust. With a flick of his tongue across her sensitive *, her hips shot off the bed. Her fingers threaded through his hair, easing him back into the cradle of her hips. Her * swelled beneath his touch. He sucked it deeper into his mouth as he inserted a finger into her hot, moist p-ssy.

When he felt her tense beneath him, he moved away from her sensitive organ, allowing her to come down from the peak of sensation. He varied his speed and position, following her response so that he carried her to the brink without tossing her over the edge. The day was too young to be over so quickly.

“Drew,” she moaned. “I need to come.” The way she writhed beneath him f*cking thrilled him.

“Not yet, baby.” He released a stream of warm air across her folds. “Scarf?”

“Scarf?” she repeated.

“Do you have one?” he asked, never stopping the motion of his finger moving in and out of her.

“Er…I think. In the top drawer. Why?”

“You’ll see.” The nightstand was within arm’s reach. Drew didn’t even have to remove her legs from his shoulders. He reached over and opened the drawer to find not only a couple silk scarves, but a vibrator and lubricant.

Oh yeah. Now they were talking.

The vibrator could wait for another day, but the lube gave him a number of sinful things he could do to her. His heart started to pound. His breathing elevated.

White-hot excitement raced through his veins as he gathered the items, making sure to get the wet-wipes that sat on the top of her nightstand. She never took her eyes off him as he placed the items on the bed. When he raised her buttocks, pushing a pillow beneath her for support, the softness in her face was replaced with apprehension. He bent her legs until they threatened to touch her chest as he leaned forward and used the scarf to cover her eyes.

“What are you up to?” Her voice cracked, but she didn’t stop him.

“It’s all about feeling. The loss of sight heightens the sensation. I want you to focus on my hands.” He dragged the long ends of the silky scarf over the tips of her breasts, watching the nubs bead. “My voice…” He lowered his tone so that she had to strain to hear him. “And my cock as I f*ck your ass.”

“OhmyGod,” she breathed. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. “I…uh…never…” Zoë sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and began to nibble on it.

Drew exerted pressure on her puckered entrance and she jumped, releasing a tight squeal. Damn. Had he been wrong? When he had entered her with his finger, he got the impression that it turned her on. “Zoë, would you like me to f*ck you here?”

“I—” Her hands were fisted by her sides. She inhaled, releasing a heavy breath. “Yes. Oh God, yes.”

A wave of relief washed through him. He smoothed his palms up and down her arms, watching goose bumps scamper across her skin. “I can’t tell you how much that pleases me.” Zoë continued to surprise him. She was ready to try anything. That scared and aroused him.

Sonofabitch. He was shaking almost as much as she was. Thoughts of taking her in the most dominant of positions made his erection rock-hard. His heart felt like it would crash through the wall of his chest.

Drew gathered her hands together and fastened the remaining scarf around her wrists. “Raise your arms over your head.” Without a word, she did as he requested. Zoë could easily break her bonds, but it was the picture she portrayed, blindfolded and bound, and the fact she didn’t attempt to get loose that made his mind spin and his pulse race. For a moment, he feasted on the erotic picture before him. She was so beautiful and vibrant and she was all his.

“Drew?” She licked her lips, the same mouth that had nearly driven him insane earlier.

“Anticipation only makes it sweeter.”

“For whom?” she countered with an edge of sassiness.

A silly grin overtook him. She would make life an adventure. He didn’t need to run off to faraway places. All the life he would ever need lay before him.

Lightly he began to touch her, dragging his fingertips over the silk covering her eyes, down her cheek, across her parted lips. As he stroked a path toward her breasts, she arched, offering herself. She was so responsive.

He took a moment to coat his cock in the cool gel that oozed out of the bottle now in his hand. It was slick and arousing as his hand moved up and down his shaft. He squeezed a small amount on Zoë’s tight entrance.

“Oh!” she cried out. Her mouth made the cutest “O”.

Drew quickly wiped his hands, before he began to make large circles around the base of her breasts with one hand. He used his free hand to guide his firm erection. Gently he rocked against her ass.

“I need to touch you.” She began to lower her arms, but he caught them midair, forcing them back above her head.

“No. I do all the touching. Just relax.” He thrust his hips several times and slid an inch inside her, passing the first ring of muscle.

She buried the back of her head into the mattress and groaned, low and deep, before gasping for a breath. “Relax? Easy for you to say.”

He rocked slowly, working the lubricant in and around her entrance. “Tight,” he growled. “Damn, baby, you’re tight.”

She clenched and flexed her fingers. Her breathing was small pants. “F*ck me, Drew. Now.” She raised her hips, trying to force penetration, but he knew she wasn’t ready to take all of him. Her mind was willing—her body still resisting.

He tweaked her nipples, attempting to distract her.

“Now,” she growled. The low rumble nearly made him lose control. He clasped her thighs tightly, thumbs soothing over her skin. He wouldn’t rush this moment, ruin this experience for her. Another drive forward and he eased a little farther in. “Drew.” His name came out a warning. If he wasn’t so turned on he would have laughed. His woman was not patient, but she was tight, squeezing his cock and making his balls throb with need.

When he could take no more, Drew said, “Breathe in, push out and I’ll be all the way in.” She took a deep breath and bore down, opening the passage so he slid to the hilt.

“F*ck,” she screamed, echoing his sentiments exactly. Her legs trembled from the intensity of his invasion. The shallow breaths she swallowed told him she felt the burn. He held deathly still. Tight. So friggin’ tight. He had never felt anything as earth-shattering as this moment. His dreams had never been this good.

A moan shuddered through her body as he began to carefully rock back and forth. Pleasure-pain knotted his groin. He didn’t know how long he could hold on. Moisture glistened from her slit. He pierced her with a finger and she whimpered softly. In unison, he f*cked both orifices. Her inner muscles convulsed around him. She was close. The flame inside him roared into a raging fire, building to a crescendo. He pressed his thumb against her swollen *. “Come for me.”

The coarse sound that ripped past her lips was nothing like the explosion that tore down his shaft and shook him to the core. Drew couldn’t breathe or think—only revel in the depth of what he felt for the woman beneath him. He loved her. As he held on to her tightly, they both trembled, caught in the moment as their bodies, minds and souls reached for the sky. She whimpered as the last of her contractions eased and they both tumbled from the peak of ecstasy.

The muscles at the base of his cock relaxed. He felt the blood drain away as he slipped out of her warmth. Carefully, he lowered her legs before he reached for the wet-wipes and started to cleanse her. She lay boneless on the bed. Her eyes still covered, her arms raised above her head. After he cleaned himself, he removed her blindfold and released her.

Zoë’s eyelids rose halfway. “Mmmm… When can we do that again?” she murmured.

“Soon,” he promised, crawling into bed beside her. They had a lifetime to explore each other.