“Thank you for being honest.”
At least he’d answered right. An exhale of relief gushed out of him in time with the receding wave. The next curl of the ocean around their feet sent desire pumping through him, an urge to forge ahead. “Then let’s be honest about what feelings we already have.”
Feelings?
She was awash in them at the moment. Sensual longing more than tingled over her now. It burned until she ached to sink deeper in the waves for relief.
Or submerge herself in the sweet release she knew she could find in Jordan ’s arms.
Maybe that was her answer after all. Quit worrying so much about the rings and happily-ever-after family portraits. The baby wouldn’t be born for a few more months. Why deny herself the pleasure of exploring what she and Jordan did have figured out? How to bring each other unsurpassed pleasure.
Before she could change her mind, Brooke tucked her hand behind his neck and arched up on her toes to press her mouth to his. His low growl of appreciation rumbled against her already sensitive br**sts a second before his arms secured her to him.
Water soothed around her feet, languished warm liquid touches up her ankles as Jordan toyed with the knots holding her whole dress together. Silk swayed along her calves, teasing between her legs while his mouth covered hers, his kiss growing deeper, more insistent. Her fingers gripped his hair, holding him to her while she let the desire for him wash over her as relentlessly as the waves stole the sand from beneath her bare feet.
He palmed her bottom and nestled her closer, closer still, as near as she could get in her condition—and likely as far as they should take this out on an open beach.
She’d been wanting this, thinking of this. Why was she hesitating? She wouldn’t.
“Let’s go to my room.”
Chapter 6
At the bold scoop of Jordan ’s arm behind her knees, Brooke gasped with surprise.
He gathered her up into his embrace and charged across the beach toward the private entrance to their suite. She laced her fingers behind his neck and held on, savoring the strength of his body and the fluid movement of muscle.
Her heart raced as fast as his feet. “I can walk, you know.”
His hold merely tightened, tucking her hip close to the hard heat of him. “I’m not wasting any time for you to change your mind.”
She threw back her head and laughed, the stars overhead not even close to competing with the sparks of sensation showering through her. She rested her head against his shoulder. “Not a chance of that. I want this. I want you.”
“I’m not going to argue with you.” He thundered up the lanai steps, across the small patio and angled to open the outside door to her room. His jaw slanted closer and on impulse, she arched up to brush a kiss along the bit of bruise that remained from his fight with her brother.
She would always associate the sweet scent of the greenery on the porch, the crash of the island waves with this moment, her senses all on high alert. He carried her over the threshold and lowered her to her feet. She sank her sandy toes in the thick rug and stretched upward.
Her hungry mouth locked to his, her fingers yanking at his shirt. The cotton fabric bunched in her fists still held the heat of his body which made her yearn all the more for the real thing. She flung away his shirt and flattened her palms to the pulsating warmth of his chest. She ached to feel that strength over her, under her, all over her.
Jordan swept away her shawl, the crocheted lace slithering down her body to pool around her ankles. The heat of his hands on her uncovered shoulders sent a shiver of anticipation through her.
He tugged the tie on one shoulder, then the other, the satiny top easing down until the fabric hitched on her br**sts. Leaving her covered. For now. But thanks to the dress’s built-in bra, once the top fell free she would be fully exposed.
Her hands gripped and twitched along the back of his neck, his bristly hair teasing along the sensitive pads of her fingertips. He murmured words of encouragement in her ear.
Not that she needed any. But the whisper of his breath against her skin incited a fresh wave of want.
Jordan slid his fingers under the gauzy fabric, teasing inside to test the creamy texture of one breast. The dress inched lower. Her breathing snagged in her throat.
She couldn’t think of a time she’d ached for anything as much as she longed for the feel of his palms on her br**sts, heavy with need.
“ Jordan …” Was that husky plea hers?
His steamy gaze darn near seared through satin. The ties from one shoulder still in his hands, he teased the tip along her collarbone, over the top of her br**sts. He nudged the dress lower bit by bit, layering kisses beneath each new patch of skin he unveiled. Finally, her satiny dress fell free from her chest, skimming down her body, leaving her wearing only panties, just a thin scrap of Lycra separating her from him. She pressed into his cupping palms with a needy groan as her dress joined her shawl around her ankles.
A moment’s unease snaked through her as she wondered what he would think of the unmistakable differences in her body. She waited, her hands stilled on his chest by anticipation mixed with anxiety.
The night breeze through the open veranda doors did little to cool her overheated flesh. Jordan ’s hungry and oh so appreciative gaze upped her temperature even more. Her heart kicked into a speed that almost made her dizzy.
“And I thought you were beautiful before.” His hands skimmed from her br**sts to shape over her stomach.
He seemed to mean it and she exhaled her relief.
The baby booted him. He jerked a hand back, his eyes wide. “Wow, that was so…incredible.”
She laughed, enjoying sharing this moment with him, having him touch their growing child. “Pretty intense, isn’t it? It doesn’t hurt, although this soccer star wakes me up sometimes.”
He stared at her stomach, stunned as he placed his hand back again in a broad span of warmth. “Amazing.” Eventually he looked back at her face again. “Are you sure we’re clear to take this further?”
Unease—and she hated to admit it, even a touch of insecurity—crept back up her spine. “Are you going to be one of those men who’s afraid to touch a pregnant woman?”
“Hell, no,” he answered without hesitation. “But I also think I should be man enough to check about restrictions.”
“No restrictions. Well, except we can’t pull out a trapeze.”
“You would have used a trapeze before?”
She rolled her eyes, but welcomed how his charm eased some of the starch from her spine. “In your dreams.”