Page 32 of Secrets at Seaside
“You might be surprised how much I remember.”Like how you love to be teased and the feel of your body.
Tony nodded toward the pier. “Come on. For old times’ sake.”
He helped her off the boardwalk and onto the sand. They kicked off their shoes, and Tony rolled the cuffs of his pants. Then they walked hand in hand down by the edge of the water. There were a few couples sitting on the beach beneath the stars, but Tony had another place in mind, and from the look on Amy’s face as he led her beneath the pier, she didn’t seem to mind.
There was nothing particularly unique about the underside of the Provincetown pier. The pilings were scarred and uneven, spearing out of the ground at funky angles, bracing the ancient pier. The smell of fish, wet earth, and fried foods from the nearby eateries lingered in the darkness. But to Tony, all of that brought back a rush of memories so enticing that he could barely think past getting his arms around Amy and revisiting them. He couldn’t pinpoint when things began to change, but sometime between their walk on the beach and now, the energy between them had become reminiscent of that summer so long ago. The good parts, when the mere thought of being apart felt treacherous and the air between them, no matter where they were, was thick with the pulse of desire.
Moonlight streamed through the slats of the pier. Tony pulled Amy’s hips against his and buried his hands in her hair, cupping the back of her head. Her skin was hot, her eyes seductive and heavy-lidded.
“Kitten.” The nickname came naturally and rolled off his tongue, laced with anticipation. He brushed his nose against hers and ran his thumb over her lower lip. “Boy, I’ve missed you.”
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
Their lips crashed together, tongues probing, searching, stroking, and pulling a greedy moan from deep in Tony’s lungs. Kissing Amy had always been his undoing. She took and gave in equal measure. His hands traveled up her back, down her rib cage, and over her sexy curves, stopping at the hem of her skirt. He stroked the back of her thigh with his thumbs and captured her needy sounds of desire in his mouth. It took all his willpower not to do more. He promised to prove he was the right man for her, but kissing her, being with her again, left him no doubt.
He reluctantly drew back and touched his forehead to hers. They were both breathing hard, their bodies plastered together from thigh to chest. The backs of her thighs were hot and tense, and he knew she was feeling the flames, too.
“Kitten, I’ve never stopped loving you.” Her body was doing it again, vibrating from the inside out.Purringas she snuggled in close, her cheek pressed to his chest, her hands beneath his shirt, pressing against his skin.
She gazed into his eyes with love and confidence. “I know.”
Tony took her hand in his. His thumb moved in slow, circular motions over her wrist. Amy’s emerald eyes darkened as he drew her mouth to his again. He kissed her softly, slow and deep, with the silent promise of all he had to give of himself, his heart, and his life.
“Tony,” she said after a long while. “Take me home.”
Chapter Eleven
TONY SLID HIS hands around Amy’s waist and nibbled on her neck as she fumbled with the keys to the back door of her cottage.
“I love the way you taste.” He loved the scent of her skin, the curve of her shoulder. The way she squirmed when he sucked her earlobe into his mouth was sinful. Her body stilled when he ran his tongue along the shell of her ear.
She exhaled loudly and pressed her back to his chest.
Tony gathered her hair over her left shoulder and lowered his mouth to the curve of her neck, grazing his teeth over her skin. He turned her in his arms and pressed her back to the door. The keys dropped to the deck as he took her lower lip in his teeth and gave it a gentle tug. She was so sexy, burying her hands in his hair and guiding his mouth back to hers. Their lips met in a deep, probing kiss, breathing air into her lungs in order to kiss her longer, deeper. When they finally parted, every muscle in his body was tight and Amy was breathless. Her hands grasped his shoulders as he crouched to retrieve the keys.
He ran his fingers lightly up her legs as he rose to his feet. He pressed his forehead to her chest, exhaling her name. “Amy.”
He lifted his eyes to hers. They’d gone smoky and dark. He could get lost in their seduction, but beneath the heat he recognized love. He hadn’t seen such raw emotions in Amy’s eyes for so long that it momentarily stalled him.
He managed to open the door. The cottage was dark and quiet as he set the keys on the counter and folded Amy into his arms again.
“I want to wrap you up and hold you tight.” He kissed the corners of her mouth. “I want to get to know every inch of your beautiful body again, until I know how it changes when you breathe.”
Their lips met in a tender kiss as he lifted her into his arms and her legs circled his waist. In a few determined steps they were in the bedroom, lips locked together. He lowered them both to the bed. The intimacy brought a rush of emotions. Not crazy, lustful stranger kind of emotions, but emotions of what they’d shared, how deeply they’d loved, and the carnal memories of how their bodies came together. He wanted to stay there and revel in the feel of them connecting on an emotional level again. He fisted his hands in her hair and deepened the kiss. Her delicate fingers traveled up and down his back.
“Kitten, I’ve waited so long to touch you. I need you to be sure, because if you’re not, then we need to wait. I won’t be able to take loving you again and then hearing that you regret it.” He searched her eyes. There was no doubt in them, only love and raw desire, but he needed to hear it from her lips. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Oh, yes. But, I haven’t been with a man in a very, very long time. Fourteen years to be exact.”
His heart nearly stopped.
She trapped her lip between her teeth again.
“Kitten?”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t. I’ve done other stuff, but…you’re the only man I ever wanted to be with.”
“Oh, baby. That’s a really long time.”
