“He'll take care of you,” Blake said in a low voice.
“I'm sure he will.”
“Will you accept?”
She looked up sharply. “Do you care?”
“How can you ask that?”
“I thought you didn't feel. I thought you didn't care about anything.”
“Caroline, I do care about your future. I just can't be what you need in a husband.”
“That's an excuse.” She stood, her posture militant. “You're nothing but a coward, Blake Ravenscroft.”
She started to walk away, but her feet sank in the sand, and he was able to catch up with her quickly. “Don't touch me!” she yelled when his hand closed around her arm. “Leave me alone.”
He didn't let go. “I want you to accept Riverdale's proposal.”
“You have no right to tell me what to do.”
“I know that. But I'm asking nonetheless.”
Caroline let her head fall back. Her breath came in short, shallow pants, and she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment against the emotions colliding in her mind. “Go away,” she finally managed to say.
“Not until I have your word that you will marry Riverdale.”
“No!” she cried out. “No! I won't marry him. I don't love him and he doesn't love me, and that's not what I want.”
His grip tightened around her arm. “Caroline, you must listen to me. Riverdale will—”
“No!” With strength that was born of fury and heartbreak, she yanked her arm away and started to run down the beach. She ran until her lungs burned, until her eyes were so filled with tears that she couldn't see. She ran until the pain in her body finally eclipsed that in her heart.
She stumbled along the sand, trying to ignore the sound of Blake's footsteps drawing closer. Then his body slammed into hers with stunning force, knocking them both to the ground. Caroline landed on her back, with Blake's body covering hers intimately.
“Caroline,” he said, his breath coming in hard pants.
She stared up at him, her eyes wildly searching his face for some sign that he loved her. And then she reached out, grabbed the back of his head, and pulled his mouth down to hers, kissing him with all the love and desperation in her heart.
Blake tried to resist. He couldn't have her; he knew that. She was going to marry his best friend. But her lips were sweet and demanding, and the press of her body against his turned his blood to flame.
He murmured her name over and over, like a mantra. He'd tried to be noble, he'd tried to push her away, but he wasn't strong enough to say no when her tongue was on his lips and her bare feet were rubbing along his calves.
His hands were nimble and quick, and he had her dress off in under ten seconds. He laid it down beneath her to protect her from the sand, but that was his last rational thought before his entire being was overtaken by the need to possess her.
“I will have you,” he vowed, rubbing his fingertips past her calves to her thighs.
“I will have you,” he pledged, yanking off her chemise and placing his hand over her heart.
“I will have you,” he groaned, just before his mouth closed over her nipple.
All she said was, “Yes.”
And Blake's heart soared.
Caroline arched her back as high-pitched sounds of desire escaped her mouth. It seemed that for every longing he fulfilled, he created two more, whipping her body into a frenzy of need.
She wasn't certain what to do, but she knew she wanted to feel his skin against hers, so she moved her hands to the buttons of his shirt. Her movements were rough and clumsy, however, and she soon found herself pushed aside by Blake, who tore the garment off with a savage cry.
A second later, he was back on top of her, the heat of his bare chest against hers. His mouth slanted over hers, and he devoured her from the inside out.
She moaned into him, clutching at his back, then skimming her hands down to the waistband of his breeches. She paused, gathered her courage, then hooked one finger underneath., touching the smooth skin of his buttocks.
Blake's lips slid across her cheek to her ear, murmuring, “I want to feel you,” against her skin. His breath was hot and moist, and so very erotic. She could feel each of his words even more than she could hear them.
“I want to feel you, too,” she whispered.
“Oh, you shall. You shall.” He rolled off her just long enough to divest himself of the rest of his clothing, and then he was on top of her again, the hot, naked length of him burning into her skin.
The surf was rising, and the cold water tickled her bare toes. Caroline shivered, but the movement only rubbed her more intimately against Blake, and she heard him groan with desire.
“I'm going to touch you,” he whispered, his voice hot against her cheek.
She knew what he meant, but it was still a shock when he brushed his fingers against her most intimate place. She stiffened, then relaxed as his lips pressed up against her ear with a soft, “Shhh.”
One finger slipped inside her, and she gasped with pleasure. “I want to touch you, too,” she said.
He let out a ragged breath. “It would probably kill me if you did.”
Her eyes flew to his face.
“I want you so much,” he tried to explain. “I'm damned near bursting with it, and I can't—”
“Shhh.” It was her turn now to comfort him, and she placed a gentle finger on his lips. “Just show me. Show me everything. I want to please you.”
A hoarse sound came from deep in Blake's throat as he nudged her legs apart. He touched her with the very tip of his manhood and nearly flinched at the pleasure of the contact. She was so hot and willing, and he knew she wanted him, damaged soul and all.