“So, even though it absolutely killed me to do so, I had to stay away,” he continued. “I moved my boat up the coast and stayed away from you. I knew if you found me again, I wouldn’t be able to let you go. I knew if they found out who you were, your life would be in danger. I just couldn’t take that risk, Rachel. I couldn’t.”
My eyes started to water up as any anger I’d had morphed into nothing but concern for the beautiful man who had stolen my heart five years ago. Those years away from him had been torture for me, but I couldn’t even imagine what they’d been like for him.
“I’m so sorry, Jay…”
“No, I’m sorry,” he replied. “I should have found a way to get a message to you. I should have found a way to let you know—”
“No,” I shook my head. “You’re right. I would have come looking for you. You don’t even know how many times I went back to Green Harbor looking for your boat. I would have gotten in the middle of things and screwed everything up.”
“These five years away from you have been the hardest years of my life,” he said, moving closer to me on the couch. “I thought about you every night. Every single day I wanted to come and find you, but I knew I couldn’t.”
“But now?” I asked, almost afraid of the answer.
“Now things have changed,” he smiled, his lips no more than an inch from me. “Now I’m back, and I’m not going anywhere.”
And then he kissed me and my whole world shook.
Chapter Six
Rachel
My body came alive against his touch. I moaned eagerly and lay back as he pressed his body against mine. I felt his strength, his passion, the raw masculinity and wild energy that had swept me off my feet five years ago.
I knew I’d been starving, but until his lips touched mine, I hadn’t realized just how close to death I’d been.
Not real death, of course, but emotional, spiritual death.
I’d been rationalizing my marriage to Caleb—telling myself I could deal with it and that it wouldn’t really matter—but as Jay and I embraced in his tiny cabin in the middle of nowhere, and his rough hands explored my body, I knew that I’d been kidding myself.
This was the only man I could ever be with.
I knew it. My soul knew it, and my body knew it too.
As Jay pressed his bulge against me, I heard the sound of the sea in my mind and felt my body come alive for his. I felt the wetness start to form between my thighs as I readied myself for him. I’d never wanted anyone more in my entire life.
His hands traced the lines of my neck down to my breasts and as he squeezed, I gasped against his mouth. I melted as his fingers pinched my nipples through what was left of my wedding dress. My back arched and I pressed against his strong chest.
Just as I was losing myself in his embrace, Jay sat up quickly, and with a single movement, tore my dress down the middle.
My breasts spilled out and his eyes lit up as he stared down at me. I was anything but self-conscious and flushed with pride as I saw the desire in his eyes. I reached up and tried to get his tuxedo jacket off of him, but Jay was way ahead of me.
Like an action movie star, he slid out of the jacket and tossed it aside. Like he’d done to me, I grabbed at his shirt and tried to tear it open. Only two buttons tore off and I laughed and fell back onto the couch.
“Almost, duchess,” he smiled as he tore it the rest of the way and exposed his gorgeous body to me.
“Don’t call me that—”
But there was no time to protest. Jay was on top of me again, his bare chest pressed against mine, his hungry lips starting at mine then moving across my face. He kissed my cheeks, let his breath play against my ear causing a shiver to run through me.
His bulge pressed against me and my excitement reached new heights. Heat pulsed between my thighs as my body cried out for him. Not only had I been thinking about Jay every night for the last five years, but I’d also been saving myself for him.
Caleb had asked me a few times if I was going to sleep with him, but had never really pressured me to when I said no. I assumed he was getting some on the side, and that didn’t really bother me. After all, it was really just a business arrangement marriage; what did I have to be jealous of?
I was tingling with anticipation as Jay ran his strong hand down my chest, cupped my breast and traced a line down my stomach. His fingers found the hem of my panties and lifted, slid inside, causing a gasp to burst from my lips.
“Jay!”
“I’ve thought about you every night,” he whispered as his fingers found my dripping slit. I would have responded if I’d been able to, but as he slid his middle finger inside of me, all thought left my mind.