I moved in behind her, placing my arms around her waist. “One more step,” I urged softly.
She was breathing rapidly, her body trembling against mine. And then she took that final step. Her bare foot touched the sand, and I heard her suck in a breath. “Oh, my God,” she whispered. “Is that…” Her toes moved, digging deeper. “Is that…”
I pulled the blindfold off. “Open your eyes, Doe.”
All it took was one second, one breath to turn this moment into a memory that would last forever.
Chapter 2
Doe
A soft gasp escaped my lips when I saw the scene in front of me. For a moment I was sure I had stepped out of reality and right into a dream. It was beautiful.
“Antonio,” I whispered, unable to find my voice. “It’s…it’s…”
“How long has it been?”
“Years.” I took a deep breath. “It’s been years since I…since I’ve seen the ocean.”
Antonio tightened his hold around my waist. “Now you know why I insisted you come barefoot.”
I heard the smile in his voice then glanced down at my naked toes, digging them deeper into the sand. It felt strange, yet familiar as memories of my childhood returned. My mom used to take me to the beach every Sunday. It was our thing. Every Sunday, we spent what she called “quality time” together since she was always working long hours during the week. I missed that.
Tears started to sting my eyes, sadness threatening to pull me from the most perfect moment I had ever had in my entire life. I clenched my jaw, trying to fight the tears. But it was impossible to do. This moment was just too perfect.
He settled his chin on my shoulder. “Tell me what you’re feeling. What you’re thinking.”
“The sound of the waves crashing. I remember it.” I wiped a tear from my cheek. “It’s beautiful, Antonio. It’s more than beautiful. There are just no words…no words to describe what I’m feeling right now.”
He placed a soft kiss just below my ear. “That’s exactly how I feel whenever I look at you. There are no words to describe how I feel about you, Doe.”
More tears escaped, my heart threatening to rip through my chest.
“You see how bright the moon shines?” The warmth of his breath mixed with the chill of the autumn breeze. “You see how the light scatters on the ocean, making it seem like diamonds drifting between the ripples? That’s us, Doe. You and me.”
“How? How is that us?”
His lips brushed across my shoulders, his hand coming up my front, fingers wrapping lightly around my throat. “Without the moon, the ocean is merely a river of black, storming waves.” His fingers tightened slightly around my neck. “Without the light of the moon, the ocean is nothing but a dark void in the distance. It’s the moonlight that turns its darkness into something beautiful…just like you turned mine into something less…ugly.” His grip laced tighter around my throat, and I closed my eyes, my body climbing higher as my lungs started to burn. Warm lips sucked on my earlobe, teeth nipping the flesh. “And without the ocean’s lack of beauty in the dark, the moon would have nothing to shine on.”
I closed my eyes. “Why do you say such beautiful things to me, Antonio? I’m not worth—”
He spun me around abruptly, and his lips crashed against mine. Fire and ice, that was what it felt like—his kiss forcing the flames through the ice in my veins. It was like that every time he kissed me. I’d grown addicted to it, loving the adrenaline that rushed from my heart straight through my entire body. What was happening between us? I didn’t know. I didn’t want to know. All I wanted was for it to never end, to never lose this feeling of hope that suddenly bloomed inside my chest, and it was all because of one man. Antonio. My master…only he was turning in to something so much more than that. And by the way his kiss devoured my lips, I was starting to think he felt the same. I hoped.
He pulled back, a soft whimper escaping me. “Don’t ever finish that goddamn sentence, do you understand me?” The dark brown, earthy tones of his irises gleamed under the moonlight as he searched my face. “Do not even finish that sentence inside your head. You are worth more than you’ll ever know, and I’ll spend my entire goddamn life to show you exactly how much you’re worth…to me.”
Every ounce of the woman inside me melted as his words slammed against my chest. My heart thudded against my ribs, my core filled with a feeling I’d never experienced before. It felt light and heavy at the same time. Overwhelming, yet serene. There was nothing I could compare it to, no words to describe it. All I knew was it felt…good.
He took a step closer, his body flush against mine. “I meant what I said, Doe. I’m not letting go. No matter what happens. I’m. Not. Letting. Go.”
This time I kissed him. I pushed myself up on my toes, wanting to feel his lips against mine, the woman in me becoming bold and greedy. It was strange, thinking about the woman in me, about what she wanted. Up until now I’d never even acknowledgedher, or thought aboutherin such a way, as if she had her own will. It was daunting, but I was starting to like it.
With rapid breaths and racing hearts, we broke our kiss still leaning into each other. The soft breeze and black midnight sky paired together with the touch and kiss of the man who changed my entire world turned this moment into a memory I would cherish forever.
He turned me back to look at the ocean in front of us. “Even though I want to give you the world right now, I can’t. Not until Va—”
“Don’t,” I interrupted. “Don’t ruin this moment by saying his name. I get it. I understand.”
“Do you?”