Page 34 of Turn the Tide
He’d do it now, she was sure. He’d kiss her, hard, and show her exactly what wild animals did with their prey.
But he didn’t. Not the way she expected, at least. He didn’t press his now-open mouth to hers or shove his tongue down her throat. Though she could feel something savage thrum through him as surely as her own frantic response, he didn’t act on it.
Instead, he put one hand on her shoulder, the other on her waist, and pressed down. Firmly.
A long, lowohemerged from her mouth, dragged out by this powerful man. As though she had no say about what her body did—her heart, her mouth. All of it was tied to whatever he’d do next. Breathless with anticipation, she waited, eyes open too wide, expectation shimmering across her nerve endings as shockingly as the fear just hours before. In fact, she suspected that fear was making all of this much, much bigger.
He shifted, and she let out a sound like she’d never made in her life, waiting for that kiss. He, meanwhile, was a stone wall of silence. She wished there was more light so she could see his face.
What next? What next?She didn’t dare budge for fear of waking him from whatever this was.
Have I ever been this turned on?
How on earth could this slow grind feelbetterthan sex? This was untamed, fierce, needy, andpurein the strangest way. This was back to basics.
Real.
And she wanted more.
***
Eric darted a quick glance toward the horizon, relieved to see that nothing approached. Then again, he wasn’t sure how much good he’d be if someone attacked them in that moment.
Christ, how was he not on fire right now?
He let his eyes roam over this woman, this fantasy who’d suddenly dropped in his lap.
Her weight was perfect, her flesh warm. Right here, through two thin layers of fleece, he bathed in her glow.
She leaned into him, so close, and he barely held back a long, low groan. This woman.Damn, this woman.
He’d had a crush on her, but he’d never imagined he’d feel this thrill when he finally held her. That was it, right? Adrenaline from whatever the hell was going on out here.
Their attraction couldn’t possibly be this extreme.
But he’d take it. He’d take whatever she gave him.
Speaking of which. “Your lips.”
“Jesus, Eric. This is…” She circled her hips in a way that made him wild before meeting his eyes. Hers were glazed over. He could just picture how he must look. He felt absolutely shell-shocked.
“Yeah” was all he managed, and then “Come here,” though that was almost impossible. How much closer could she get when she was already plastered to his lap, her body cradling his?
She leaned in, put her elbows on his shoulders, slid her hands into his hair, and—still undulating like a siren—whispered, “Why haven’t we been doing this for the past two years?”
He bit back a groan and shook his head. Couldn’t meet her eyes, since her body was so close and her face a little too high, but that just gave him a chance to take in the way she moved. The woman was sexy. Insanely sexy.
He had a flashback to the first day he’d seen her. At least two years ago now. He’d been newly retired, his back messing with him, but also his mind, and after a few near-sleepless weeks, he’d finally headed out on theDaphne. He’d wound up at San Elias, expecting peace and quiet. No interruptions.
She and a blond—no clue what her name was—had shown up in their wet suits, greeted him with wide California smiles, and continued on toward the rig, wind whipping in their hair.
Fucking Charlie’s Angels, he remembered thinking. Latina Angel, Surfer Angel… Where was the fucking redhead?
But his pulse had picked up at the way she’d watched him while the blond had chatted him up. Nothing overt or sexual, but curious. As if she’d wanted to figure him out. And then her smile…
The next morning, when he’d gotten up, again at loose ends, he hadn’t even asked himself where he’d go for the day.
All the memories flew off, replaced by this solid, very present dream woman who was showing him she was miraculously real as she kissed him on the temple, then lower, then lower still to his rough cheek, and across to his ear. Her breath sent tight little shivers from his ear down to the tips of his toes, hitting every inch in between.
