“You're right,” he said, suddenly disengaging her. He braced her when she reeled slightly from the loss of support. “Since I intend to say a lot of things like that to you, I guess we'd better get out of here.”
Seven
She was virtually dragged off the dance floor. They said a hurried good night and thank you to the bewildered Bishops and hastily left the restaurant.
“Let's walk on the beach.”
Josh took her hand, and they strolled around the Olympic-sized swimming pool, where a few of the guests were still cavorting. To those they recognized, they called out rushed greetings. Others were up to their necks in the churning bubbles of the outdoor hot tub. Neither appealed to Megan at the moment. She sought only to be alone with Josh.
Nearly all the paths of the compound led eventually to the beach. Josh took the nearest one, which sliced across the broad stretch of manicured lawn, through the tall grass left growing on the gently swelling dunes, and down to the expanse of white shore.
“Oh, how lovely,” Megan said reverently. They'd left the lights far behind and found the deserted beach in its natural state. With the surging tide, the moonlight kissing each foaming wave, and the wind carrying the ocean's roar, the scene seemed primitive, elemental, and unchanging.
“You're lovely,” Josh cupped her head with one hand while the other closed around her throat. His mouth fused with hers, his tongue pushing through her yielding lips to nestle in the pliant moistness of her mouth.
The wind ripped strands of hair out of her neat chignon and whipped her dress wildly, but Megan was hardly aware of it. The heat of Josh's mouth, the hard strength of his body, were all the protection she required.
When he finally released her and stepped back, he glanced down at her high heels, which had sunk into the sand. “You won't get very far like that,” he said, laughing. “Put your foot up here.” He patted his thigh.
Caught up in his lighthearted mood, she wiggled her high heel out of the sand and lifted her foot to his thigh just above his bent knee. His strong, slender fingers closed firmly around her ankle, and he unbuckled the strap. The breeze billowed her skirt, providing him with an enticing view of smooth, trim thigh. It was funny how the elements were working with her to aid in Josh's downfall. The wind was tearing through his hair, and the irregular angle of that one eyebrow added to his devilish appeal.
Once she was rid of her shoes, they took a few steps along the beach. “I can't resist it,” he said, sitting down on the sand, heedless of his expensive suit. He slipped out of his shoes and socks and rolled a double cuff on his pants legs. Standing up again, he shrugged out of his coat and unknotted his tie.
“You don't intend to go any further, do you?” she asked, teasingly.
“Only if you will too,” he said suggestively.
“No way. I'd freeze.”
His eyes slid down her body and, if she hadn't already been chilled, his gaze would have made her shiver. The crepe de chine was plastered to her, and the cool wind had brought her nipples to hard distention. “You wouldn't hear me complaining,” he said boldly. She gave him a discomfited look that made him laugh, and he wrapped his free arm around her. Her shoes dangled from his fingers. “I want to walk in the surf.”
“But I can't,” she said, stopping again.
“Why? Too cold?”
“No, I'm wearing panty hose.”
“So?”
“So? So that would feel terrible, and besides, they'll get wet.”
“Not if you take them off.”
“Josh!” She glanced quickly around. The beach was still deserted except for them. “I can't do that.”
“Why?”
“Are we going through that routine again? I just can't, that's why. Someone might see me.”
“There's no one to see you,” he said, spreading his arms wide to make his point. “Except me. And I certainly wouldn't jeopardize my reputation as a gentleman and peep.”
She eyed him warily. “You're not a gentleman.”
“Oh? Well, then, I need to become one. Come on,” he urged, “take them off.” When she hesitated, he bent toward her and asked, “What's the matter? Don't you trust me?”
“Not a bit.”
He only laughed, the wind carrying the sound away, but not before it sent chills of expectation down Megan's spine. Was anything about him not attractive? “Please,” he said like a little boy asking for a second cookie, “I have my heart set on walking in the surf on this beautiful moonlit night. Please.”