“Won’t it be cold?” she asked, looking down at her jeans. “Is that why I brought a change of clothing?”
“Yeah. I figured we might get a little wet.” He held his hand out. “Will you come with me?” The words felt heavy; full of unasked questions. And yet she slid her hand into his without hesitation, filling his heart with warmth. With a grin, he lifted her until she was in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms around his neck, and he carried her to the w
ater, loving the way she was laughing against his ear.
He didn’t want to stop to take his clothes off, no matter how expensive they were. Didn’t care about his socks or the designer jeans his stylist had paid way too much for. Instead, he kicked off his shoes and waded through the water, holding the woman he ached for in his arms, wincing as the cold water soaked the denim.
“Shouldn’t we have taken off our clothes?” she asked him.
“Yeah.” His voice was gruff. “We can do it now.”
“Where will we put them?”
“They’ll wash to the shore.” He shrugged. “I’m not sure they’ll be salvageable though.” As if to demonstrate, he pulled her strappy flat sandals off and threw them onto the sand.
He glanced at where the waiter was still standing. “We’ll be ready to eat in an hour.”
The waiter nodded. “As you wish, sir. I’ll be back then.” He turned and left.
Then it was just the two of them and the ocean. He gently set Maddie down and pulled his t-shirt off, taking a sharp breath in as the spray hit his bare chest. Rolling it into a wet ball, he threw it until it thumped against the sand. “Score,” he said softly.
“Don’t get your hand wet,” Maddie told him, nodding at the bandage on his left palm.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He winked.
Maddie grinned and pulled her dress off, revealing an ivory lace bra that barely covered her breasts. She followed his lead, throwing it, though her aim was worse than his and it bobbed in the tide.
Before he could take off his jeans, she was diving into the water. He watched as the ripples closed over her, before she surfaced again, swimming out toward the waves. “Come on,” she called.
He grinned and unzipped his jeans, having to tug at the soaked denim to peel them from his legs. Then he pushed through the water, closing the distance between them with strong, sure strides.
He grabbed her waist with his good hand and pulled her to him. The water was chest deep here, and he could feel her float against him as she pressed against him. And damn if he didn’t have the biggest hard-on as her chest pressed against his. Her arms curled around his neck to keep herself steady, and he cupped her face with his free, injured hand.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, brushing his lips down her neck and tasting the salt there. Her hair was damp, pulled back from her face. She arched her back, and he buried his face into her chest, pulling at her nipple with his lips. She unclipped her bra, throwing it into the water.
“I’ll never see that agai… oh…” He sucked her in again, his tongue lapping against her sensitive flesh, and he felt her legs tighten around him. “Gray,” she whispered.
“Yeah?”
“I haven’t… we haven’t got anything.” She gasped as he moved to her other breast. “Condoms, I mean.”
He laughed. “I guess we’ll have to stop ourselves before we get too crazy.”
But he wasn’t ready yet; nowhere near. Not when she was grinding against him with every lash of his tongue, the water lifting her up and down as it gently ebbed and flowed. She shimmied against him until her core was against his hardness, dipping his head to catch her lips with his. She was clinging to him, her body naturally grinding against his.
Yeah, they didn’t have anything, but he still wanted her to come. And when she did, he watched her. Head tipped back and mouth opened with a half-scream, her arms and legs clinging to him like she never wanted to let go.
Christ she was beautiful. He was determined to keep her. No matter the price he had to pay.
* * *
“There’s something I wanted to ask you,” Gray said, putting his silverware onto the empty plate in front of him. They’d just eaten an amazing dish of soft shell crab with risotto and a green salad. Maddie could still taste the gorgeous dressing on her tongue.
“What is it?” she asked, looking over at him. The moon was high in the sky, illuminating his face, highlighting his prominent cheekbones and sharp jaw.
“I want you to fly to L.A. with me. Meet with my publicist.”
She blinked. “When? Why?”