Page 97 of Crossing the Line
“You dove off the deck of a yacht in the clothes you were wearing.”
He patted the front left pocket of his still damp shorts. “Cash, credit card, pocket knife, and id.”
“And I just thought you were happy to see me.”
“I think I just proved to you that was definitely all me, baby,” he reminded her. “One thing I didn’t bother packing was a condom.”
Waverly felt like she should have been stunned by their irresponsibility. She’d never not used a condom before. But in the heat of the moment with Xavier, she hadn’t been thinking. And clearly, neither had he.
“Thank God I’m still on the pill,” she said with relief.
Xavier paused at the last door in the hallway on the left and slid the key into the lock. “You make me forget all my rules, Waverly.”
“Then what are we doing here?”
“I told you,” he said, turning the handle. “We’re taking a bath.”
The room was small and simple, dominated almost entirely by a queen-sized bed draped in cloud-like linens and a mosquito netting more for fashion than function. The walls were white, the wood plank ceilings were white, and the rough hewn floors were rich and dark. There were two small tables flanking the bed and a rickety white-washed dresser opposite.
But the view, oh the view. Through two sets of patio doors, the Aegean sea winked back at her as the moon rose over the private postage stamp terrace.
It hit her then. The romance of it all. She stood at the open doors, overlooking the ancient town and its crescent of beach with Xavier’s shirt draped over her. She heard bath water running and then he was behind her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and rested his chin on her head, and her shivers were suddenly no longer about being cold.
She turned her back on the sea. “Seriously, X, what are we doing here?”
He threaded his fingers through her damp hair, gently combing through it. “We’re escaping. For tonight.”
“Xavier, I can’t go back after this.” She wasn’t talking about her parents or L.A. How could she go back to a life where Xavier Saint didn’t touch her like this?
“We’ll figure it out, Angel. I’m not giving you up, and I’m not leaving you unprotected.”
“Where does that leave us?” she whispered the words as she lifted her mouth to his.
“Here.” His lips met hers softly, warmly, and she felt his heat begin to spread through her.
He dipped his fingers to the buttons of the shirt she wore and worked them free one by one as he leisurely sampled her mouth. When the shirt fell to the floor, he abandoned her mouth and turned her away from him. He lifted her hair over her shoulder and trailed his fingertips down her spine to the tie of her bikini top. With a slow tug, it loosened. He kissed his way back up to her neck and, using his teeth, nipped at the tie there.
“Jesus, X, what are you doing to me?” she murmured as the fabric loosened, then tumbled to the floor.
“Everything I’ve wanted since I met you.” His hands cupped the fullness of her breasts while his teeth nibbled at the spot where her shoulder and neck met. Stubble rubbed and abraded the sensitive skin, and Waverly dropped her head back against his chest in surrender.
He skimmed his hands lower and plucked both side ties simultaneously. Her bottoms fell away leaving her naked except for the fine coat of sand on her back.
“Come with me,” he said, leading her to the bathroom.
Here was another wow. The bathroom was the same size as the bedroom, but the level of luxury ratcheted up. The floor was tiled white with a thick pebble inlay that ran the length of the room. Rather than sinks, a long trough with two faucets was carved into the marble vanity. The cabinets were made of the same dark wood as the floor in the bedroom. A large freestanding tub took up the entire center of the room, riding the strip of decorative stone. Water steamed from the sleek faucet.
“Wow.”
He shoved his thumbs in the waistband of his shorts, let them drop to the floor, and stepped out of them.
“Wow,” she said again.
Xavier tested the water with a hand. Satisfied, he picked her up and plunked her down in the tub. He followed her and adjusted her so she reclined against his chest. The heat of the water and the feel of his naked body against hers sent the chill packing. Xavier lathered soap in a cloth in his hand and with lazy, circular strokes worked his way over her shoulders to her breasts.
Waverly arched against him as his palms plumped and caressed her flesh. “I can’t believe this is happening,” she whispered.
She felt his lips curve into a smile against her ear and then she lost all capacity for thought as his hands slipped over her belly and lower still. With the cloth, he gently stroked and played, arousing her as she never knew possible. Tenderly, he pressed his lips to her neck.
