God help me.
My heart bleeds a little for Cole.
揑抦 sure it wasn抰 easy,?I whisper.
揑t wasn抰 all bad. I grew up comfortably and my future was clear. I accepted having my life hitched to a legacy.?He pauses, inhaling me again like he needs the scent of my hair. 揟his place may fall apart if and when Destiny takes over, but I stood at my father抯 funeral years ago, struggling to care. When the delayed grief hit, it was more like I抎 never had a father than if I抎 just lost my dad.?
Again, my heart nosedives. Knowing he抯 had at least two big losses in life must be partly why he抯 so closed off.
揑抦 sorry.?
揇on抰 be. It抯 not your life and I抦 not asking for tears. Especially not in this beautiful place where it feels like a sin not to smile,?he says sternly.
He takes the brew pipe and pulls one last sip from it before passing it to me, caressing my face as he does.
Those incandescent blue gems in his face catch my eyes again. His hand goes from softly skimming my cheek to cupping my face, his fingers relishing my heat.
Oh, hell.
Then that sparkling gaze drops from my eyes to my lips.
There抯 something feral in his expression.
Something wild.
Something that wants to taste me with teeth.
I stretch my legs out, feeling the breeze, suddenly aware of how wet I am.
Just in case, I place my hand over the brew pipe and push it toward the sand next to me. I抦 not ruining this by getting burned if it抯 still hot.
He must read my mind, bringing his other hand to my face and inhaling sharply.
God, I love how his breath trembles. Like it抯 taking his entire soul to hold back from turning me over, hiking up my dress, tearing off my panties, and taking me right here where anyone can see.
揧ou are fucking dangerous,?he growls, giving words to the harsh thoughts in my head. He urges me up in his arms.
With both hands, he pulls my face to his.
When our lips touch, I hug him with a loud moan spilling from my throat.
I抦 not like this.
I don抰 go to pieces kissing strange, broody men on exotic beaches and aching for sex that抯 guaranteed to complicate my life.
But with Cole, I become someone else.
Someone who melts into a puddle when I see the shine in his eyes as he dips his face to mine, knowing it can only mean one thing.
His kiss falls on my lips like a meteor, hot and intense enough to blind the high tropical sun.
I抦 freaking electrified as our mouths collide, my life flashing before my eyes, his tongue swiping mine and then pushing in.
Not asking. Taking what he wants.
My toes scrunch up in my sandals. He seizes my bottom lip with his teeth and a low animal growl, only relenting to chase my tongue again.
His tongue delves against it, teasing and claiming, pulling a raw whimper from my throat.
揙h.?I sigh, tumbling back with my mouth tingling.
For a second, we stare at each other, eyes searching for any last doubts. Though I抦 honestly not sure if they would stop us.
It抯 the only invitation he needs.
He grabs me again and hauls me onto his lap, pushing my legs around his muscular body. Our faces melt together.
He explores my mouth.
My tongue ravishes his.
His hands grip my waist, brushing my sides, my thighs, and finally wrapping behind me, squeezing me deliciously.
I hook my legs around him, loving how he isn抰 afraid to be rough with my ass.
Oh.
Oh, shit.
I can feel him.
I can feel what he抯 got and it抯 so devilishly thick I gasp against his kiss.
He pulls back with laughter in his eyes. 揋uess you see where the big ego comes from. I may be an arrogant bastard, Eliza, but I come by it honestly.?
When he moves, I抦 so not ready.
His hips punch up, pushing between my legs, raking his hard, throbbing desire against me.
Holy hell!
The friction makes my eyes roll.
I bite my lip as his cock rubs my pussy through the fabric, as he rears back and thrusts against me several more times, each movement coming harder than the last.
This man wants me violently.
I抦 sweating rivulets梐nd it has nothing to do with the hot sand under us.
God damn him.
I want more. So much more, but he抯 my boss.
A strange, hurt beast who抣l command a heavy price if I let him drag me into bed.
I shouldn抰 want it.
I shouldn抰 focus all my energy on devouring his mouth, warring with his tongue, becoming paralyzed with pleasure as his fingers skim the waistband of my panties.
As his hand flicks under lace.
As he finds my clit and pinches it oh so softly梑ut still hard enough to make me push my face into his shoulder, where I bite down on his shirt.
It抯 all I have to muffle this scream.
I have to end this.
Before we wind up having horizontal monkey-sex here on an open beach.
I have to?
揊uck!?he snarls in my ear, so low and vicious it抯 barely even human. 揑 could lick this raw, Eliza. I could give you a thousand of these sunsets with your pussy on my face.?
Foly Huck.
This kiss is enough, I lie to myself.
It抯 the closeness I crave.
Everything else, his hand there, his crude promise that makes me so soaked I抦 afraid I won抰 even be able to walk梚t抯 too much. Too soon. Too tempting.
He must sense my confusion and the way I抦 trembling because he pulls back.
His mingled scent of salt water and coffee and man is overwhelming. The strength of his arms still wrapped so tight consumes me.
揈liza, if it抯 too much棓
揘o. Not if we stop now,?I whisper, smiling into his lust-lit eyes.
I swear, I could live in this moment forever.
For now, his kiss is enough, and I need to get my soul seated back in my body.
I抦 slowly, reluctantly untangling myself from him and standing when a young voice calls, 揇ad? Dad, where are you??
Moment over.
Cole bolts to his feet so fast I almost topple over.
He抯 too distracted to catch me. I shoot him a glare as I dust sand off my arms and legs, but I can抰 hold too much of a grudge when I see the alarm on his face.
I sit down again a few safe paces away, grabbing the brew pipe.
揇addy! Where are you??Destiny shouts, sounding frantic.
揌ere! Right here, sweetheart.?But by the time he says it, she抯 already found us.
揥hy? Why didn抰 you take me??Destiny stands behind me.
Cole looks at his daughter. 揧ou said you didn抰 like the beach.?
She pouts. 揥e抮e in Hawaii, Dad. I have to try.?
揝orry, Dess. I didn抰 know you were ready.?
I raise an eyebrow. She抯 fifteen and walks to the harbor daily. He抯 acting like she抯 three and she抯 never seen water in her life, but she抯 definitely got this mysterious phobia...
What抯 really going on?
Destiny sighs. 揥ell, I didn抰 know either, but Kate and Uncle Troy棓
揢ncle Troy??Cole repeats, his face tightening into a scowl.
Destiny blinks. 揌e抯 known me since before I was born, right??
揜ight.?Cole nods heavily.
揂nyway, a couple people on the team said they saw dolphins this morning on a boat ride, and I wanted to go see them. But Kate got sunburned, so she couldn抰 come. She said I had to find you, or I couldn抰 go to the marina, so I抳e been stumbling around here looking for like half an hour! So, can we go see the dolphins? Please??
Cole sighs. 揔atelyn Storm needs a raise.?
I laugh. 揥hat? You don抰 compensate her for nanny duties??I whisper. I place the brew pipe and ladder back in the pocket of my sundress and stand. 揅ome on, I抣l take you. Let抯 go see some dolphins.?
揜eally??Destiny claps her hands.
揧ep.?I抦 almost as excited as she is.
Cole gives me a look I can抰 decipher. So many emotions that don抰 match his words when he says, 揂re you still going to let your dad tag along??
揌ell yes! This is the best day ever,?Destiny says.
I smile, slightly more at ease as Cole returns it.
揑 love dolphins. They抮e just big sea puppies,?the girl says excitedly.
揑s there an animal you don抰 love??Cole grumps.
揢m, the ones I抦 allergic to??Destiny says pointedly. 揟hey make me sneeze. Not a big fan of the creepy crawlies with a thousand legs either...?