“Inside and out,” I said softly, as I turned to his other nipple and lavished similar attention on it.
As I made my way down his straining body, I felt his tension grow. When my tongue rimmed his navel, he jerked violently.
“Shh,” I soothed him, rubbing my cheek against his throbbing cock.
He’d washed up after our earlier round, leaving him smelling clean and delectable. His sac hung heavily between his legs, the satiny flesh bared by his meticulous grooming. I loved that he was as smooth as I was. When he was inside me, the connection was complete in every way, the sensations emphasized by touching skin to skin.
With my hands on his inner thighs, I urged him to spread open wider, giving me room to settle comfortably. Then I licked along the seam of his taut sac.
Gideon growled. The untamed, animalistic sound sent a ripple of apprehension through me. Still, I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. I wanted him too much.
Using only my mouth, I worshipped him, sucking softly and caressing him with my tongue. Then I suspended his testicles on the pads of my thumbs, lifting them to access the sensitive skin beneath. His balls drew up, the skin tightening and pulling close to his body. My tongue reached a little lower, an exploratory foray toward my ultimate goal.
“Eva. Stop.” He panted. “I can’t. Don’t.”
My mind raced as I continued to touch him, my hand gripping his c*ck and stroking it. He was still too much inside his own head, too focused on what was to come instead of what was happening now.
But I knew how to get him to focus on something else.
“Why don’t we do this together, ace?” Shifting, I turned around, straddling him backward.
His hands grabbed my h*ps before I was fully balanced, yanking my sex down to his waiting mouth. I cried out in surprise as he latched onto my clit, sucking hungrily. Swollen and sensitive from earlier, I could hardly bear the sudden rush of pleasure. He was wild and ravenous, his passion driven by his frustration and fear.
Wrapping my lips around his cock, I gave him back what he was giving to me.
As I sucked hard on the head of his erection, his groan vibrated against my cl*t and nearly made me come. He held me to him, his fingers digging into my h*ps with bruising force.
I loved it. He was unraveling, and while he was afraid of what that meant, it thrilled me. He didn’t trust himself with me, but I trusted him. It was a level of trust we’d worked hard for, shed tears and blood for, and I valued it more than anything else in my life.
Fisting his cock, I pumped him, lapping up the surges of pr**um that spilled from him. I’d just realized he was trembling when he wrenched us to our sides, placing us side by side instead of one on top of the other.
He ate me hard and fast, his tongue pushing into my sex and driving me mad with furious thrusts. I touched the pucker of his anus with the tip of my finger, my mouth sliding feverishly up and down his thickness. He shuddered and the low sound that escaped him sent goose bumps racing across my sweat-misted skin.
My h*ps were working without volition, grinding my slick sex against his working mouth. I was moaning uncontrollably, my core trembling with tiny shivers of delight. He was f**king me so good with his tongue … driving me insane.
And then his fingertip was mimicking mine, rubbing against my rear entrance. My free hand searched blindly for the lotion.
Gideon pushed the tube into my grip, a much-needed sign of consent.
I’d barely flipped the cap open when his finger pushed inside me. As I arched my back, his c*ck slipped out of my mouth and I gasped his name, my body absorbing the shock of his unexpected entry. He’d lubed his fingers before passing the tube.
For a moment, I was overwhelmed by him. He was everywhere—around me, inside me, plastered against me. And he wasn’t gentle. His finger in my rear plunged and retreated, f**king me, his forcefulness still tinged with that hint of anger. I was pushing him where he didn’t want to go and he was punishing me with pleasure that came too quick to manage.
I was gentler with him. Opening my mouth, I sucked his cock. I let the lotion warm on my fingers before I rubbed it against him. And I waited for him to push out for me, to flower open, before I pushed inside with a single finger.
The sound that rattled from him then was like nothing I’d ever heard. It was the cry of a wounded animal, but filled with soul-deep pain. He froze against me, breathing hard against my sex, his finger buried deep, his hard body quivering.
I pulled my mouth off him and crooned, “I’m in you now, baby. You’re doing so good. I’m going to make you feel so good.”
He gasped when I slid a little deeper, my fingertip gliding over his prostate. “Eva!”
His c*ck swelled even further, turning red, the thick veins standing out along its length, pre-ejaculate spurting onto his lower belly. He was hard as stone, curving up to a point just past his navel. I’d never seen him so aroused and it made me so hot.
“I’ve got you.” I stroked gently inside him, my tongue licking along his raging hard-on. “I love you so much, Gideon. I love touching you like this … seeing you this way.”
“Ah, Christ.” He shook violently. “Fuck me, angel. Now,” he bit out, as I rubbed him again. “Hard.”
I swallowed his erection and gave him what he demanded, massaging the spot inside him that made him curse and writhe, his body fighting the bombardment of sensation. His hands left me, his big frame arching away, but I held on with my lips and hands, driving him onward.
“Ah, God,” he sobbed, ripping the comforter in his fists, the tearing sound reverberating through the enclosed space. “Stop. Eva. No more. Damn it!”
I pressed inside the same moment I sucked hard outside and he came with such force, I choked on the heated flood. He spurted across my lips as I pulled away, over his stomach and my br**sts, releasing in a gushing torrent that made it hard to believe he’d already come twice in as many hours. I could feel the contractions against my fingertip, the wrenching pulses that propelled the sem*n from his cock.
It wasn’t until his body stilled that I pulled away, turning around shakily to pull him into my arms. We were a sweaty, sticky mess and I loved that it didn’t matter.
Gideon buried his damp face between my br**sts and cried.
19
GIDEON’S CHOSEN LOCATION was paradise. His pilot took us over the Windward Islands, flying low over the impossibly beautiful blue waters of the tranquil Caribbean into a private airport not far from our ultimate destination, the Crosswinds resort.
We were both still pretty shell-shocked when the plane landed. Gideon had had the orgasm of his life, after all. We had our passports stamped with our hair still wet, our hands linked tightly together. We hardly spoke, either to each other or to anyone else. I think we were both too raw.
We slid into a waiting limousine and Gideon poured himself a stiff drink. His face gave nothing away, his guard up and impenetrable. I shook my head when he held up the crystal decanter in silent query.
He settled on the seat beside me and put his arm around my shoulders.
I snuggled into him, draping my legs over his lap. “Are we okay?”
He pressed a hard kiss to my forehead. “Yes.”
“I love you.”
“I know.” He tossed back his drink and set the empty tumbler in a cup holder.
We didn’t say anything else on the long drive from the airport to the resort. It was dark by the time we arrived, but the open-air lobby was brightly lit. Framed by lush potted plants and decorated in dark woods and colorful ceramic tiles, the front desk welcomed guests with a carefree yet elegant style.
The hotel manager was waiting on the circular front drive as we rolled to a stop. His appearance was immaculate, his smile wide. He was clearly excited to have Gideon in residence and doubly so that Gideon knew his name—Claude.
Claude spoke animatedly, as we followed along behind him with our hands linked firmly together. No one could tell from looking at Gideon how intimate and exposed to each other we’d been only an hour or so before. While my hair had dried in a messy mop, his looked as gorgeous and sexy as ever. His suit was perfectly pressed and beautifully worn, while my dress looked a little limp after the long day. My makeup had washed off in the shower, leaving me pale with the remnants of raccoon eyes.
Yet Gideon’s possessiveness toward me was clear in the way he gripped me, and how he steered me into our suite in front of him with his hand at the small of my back. He made me feel safe and accepted, even though he was in his work persona and I wasn’t at my best, which reflected on him.
I loved him for that.
I just wished he weren’t so quiet. It made me worry. And it totally made me doubt my decision to push him after he’d told me to stop more than once. What the hell did I know about what he needed to get better?
As the manager continued to talk to Gideon, I moved slowly through the massive living area, with its wide-open terrace and white couches spread across bamboo floors. The master bedroom was equally impressive, with a large bed framed by mosquito netting and another open terrace that led directly to a private swimming pool with an infinity edge that made it look like part of the shimmering ocean just beyond it.
A warm breeze blew in, kissing my face and sifting through my hair. The rising moon cast a trail over the ocean, and the distant sounds of laughter and reggae made me feel isolated in a way that wasn’t quite pleasant.
Nothing was right when Gideon was off.
“Do you like it?” he asked quietly.
I turned to face him and heard the front door shut in the other room. “It’s fantastic.”
He gave a curt nod. “I ordered dinner in. Tilapia and rice, some fresh fruit and cheese.”
“Awesome. I’m starving.”
“There are clothes for you in the closet and drawers. You’ll find bikinis, too, but the pool and beach are private, so you don’t need them unless you want them. If there’s anything missing, just let me know and we’ll get it brought in.”
I stared at him, noting the several feet between us. His eyes glittered in the soft light cast by the dimmed cam lighting and bedside table lamps. He was edgy and distant, and I felt tears building in the back of my throat.
“Gideon …” I held my hand out to him. “Did I make a mistake? Did I break something between us?”
“Angel.” He sighed. He came close enough to catch my hand and lift it to his lips. Up close I could see how his gaze darted away, as if he had a hard time looking at me. A sick feeling settled in my gut. “Crossfire.”
The one word came out so low, I almost thought I’d imagined it. Then he pulled me into his arms and kissed me sweetly.
“Ace.” Pushing onto my tiptoes, I cupped the back of his neck and kissed him back with everything I had.
He pulled away too quickly. “Let’s change for dinner before it gets here. I could stand being in less clothes.”
I stepped back reluctantly, acknowledging that he had to be hot in his suit, but still sensing that something wasn’t right. That feeling worsened when Gideon left the room to change and I realized we wouldn’t be sharing the same bedroom.
I kicked off my shoes in the walk-in closet that was filled with way too many clothes for a weekend trip. Most were white. Gideon liked me in white. I suspected it was because he thought of me as his angel.
Did he still think of me that way now? Or was I the devil? A selfish bitch who made him face demons he’d rather forget?
I changed into a simple cotton slip dress in black, which matched my funereal mood. I felt like something had died between us.
Gideon and I had stumbled many times before, but I’d never felt this level of withdrawal from him. This discomfort and unease.
I’d felt it with other guys, when they were getting ready to tell me they didn’t want to see me anymore.
Dinner arrived and was neatly laid out on the terrace table overlooking the secluded beach. I saw a white tent cabana on the sand and remembered Gideon’s dream of us rolling around on a chaise for two by the water, making love.
My heart hurt.
I gulped two glasses of crisp, fruity white wine and went through the motions of eating, even though I’d lost my appetite. Gideon sat across from me in loose white linen drawstring pants and nothing else, which just made everything worse. He was so handsome, so goddamned sexy it was impossible not to stare at him. But he was miles away from me. A silent, forceful presence that made me want with every fiber of my soul.
The emotional gulf between us was growing. I couldn’t reach across it.
I pushed my plate away once I’d cleared it and realized Gideon had hardly eaten at all. He’d just forked his food around and helped me drain the bottle of wine.
Taking a deep breath, I told him, “I’m sorry. I should’ve … I didn’t …” I swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, baby,” I whispered.
Shoving back from the table with a loud screech of the chair legs across the tile, I hurried away from the patio.
“Eva! Wait.”
My feet hit the warm sand and I ran toward the ocean, pulling my dress off and colliding with water that felt as hot as a bath. It was shallow for several feet, then dropped off suddenly, plunging me in below my head. I bent my knees and sank, grateful to be submerged and hidden as I cried.
The weightlessness soothed my heavy heart. My hair billowed around me and I felt the soft brush of fish as they darted past the invader in their silent, peaceful world.
Being yanked back into reality had me sputtering and flailing.
“Angel.” Gideon growled and took my mouth, kissing me hard and furious as he stalked out of the water and up the beach. He took me to the cabana and dropped me onto the chaise, covering me with his body before I fully caught my breath.
I was still dizzy when he groaned and said, “Marry me.”
But that wasn’t why I said, “Yes.”
GIDEON had gone into the water after me with his pants on. The soaked linen clung to my bare legs as he sprawled over me and kissed me as if he were dying of a thirst only I could quench. His hands were in my hair, holding me still. His mouth was frantic, his lips swollen like mine, his tongue greedy and possessive.