Page 118 of Counting On You

“There goes our little escape plan.” I throw the little device onto the beach and wrap my arms around Vicky, realizing I’m completely cut off from the real world now…and it doesn’t matter.

“I’m sorry.” I nuzzle her neck. “I’ve just ruined your chance at continuing to spy on Bruce.”

She cocks her head, granting me better access. “Are you?”

“Not really. On a side note, we’re completely alone out here.” I look at her to take in her reaction and realize her lips are slowly turning blue. “I shouldn’t have thrown us in. That wasn’t my brightest idea.”

“It’s not so bad,” Vicky says. “It’ll get warmer in an hour or so. By the time we get back, our clothes will be dry.” She’s trying to paint the entire thing in a positive light, but her body’s betraying her. She’s clinging to me, seeking my warmth. Up close, she smells amazing. I want to bury myself in her and ignite her heat from within her little body. I want to make her shiver from want and hear her moan my name with the waves crashing against us.

But she’s too fragile to be out in the cold for too long, and I wouldn’t want to see her harmed in any way.

Drawing her closer to me, I brush a stray strand of hair from her forehead as I take in her face. She has gorgeous lips. Everything about her is beautiful. Holding her feels right, the way it should be.

I wonder if she would let me hold her like this forever, shield her from whatever the world might be throwing in our path?

“I want you naked,” I whisper in her ear because that’s all I can demand from her.

“Why? So you can fuck me again?”

“Would it bother you if I said yes?”

She laughs. “It would bother me if you didn’t.”

She snuggles into me and wraps her arms around my neck. We’re both shivering. It’s so damn cold, I know we need to get out of here before we both catch pneumonia, but the moment is too special.

I want to hold on to it as long as I can.

Above us, the sun is slowly rising in glorious shades of red, building a beautiful backdrop to the twinkling stars. Rubbing my hands up and down her back, I whisper, “If you’re not amazed by the stars, your heart has no place for beauty.”

Vicky nods in response.

“Let’s get out of here.” Without waiting for her reply, I lift her out of the water and carry her back to our little spot. She doesn’t protest as I undress us both and then sit down, drawing her into my arms as I wrap the blanket around us.

The sun is rising in the distance, bathing the water in a shimmery hue of gold.

“It’s so beautiful here.” Vicky’s breath is hot against my cheek. Her skin is deliciously soft and warm against mine. I place a soft kiss on my mouth and pull her just a little bit closer to me.

“No. You know what’s really beautiful? You are,” I whisper. “You are beautiful, Vicky, in every sense of the word.”

She throws her head back, and our eyes lock.

The stars are magnificent, but compared to her, they pale in beauty. I know it now; I knew it the moment I laid my eyes on her.

I don’t just want to just see her happy. I want her to stay. In my life. In my heart. In my breath. In everything I have to give her.

I realize my heart isn’t just beating faster whenever she’s around; it beats for her.

She leans her head against my shoulders. I can sense that she wants to say something but can’t bring herself to.

“I wish I had met you before,” she says eventually. “I bet I wouldn’t have ended up here.”

“Maybe. But under different circumstances you might not have liked me.”

“Why do you assume I like you now?”

“Because you do. You have to,” I say. “At this point, any man is better than Bruce.”

She nods, and after a while, she says, “While reading his letter I wished I could make him disappear.”

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