Every time I tell him how gorgeous or hot he is, he always has the same reaction. Nothing. I used to wonder if he even hears me, but that stopped the one night he wrote me a letter explaining why he can never accept my compliments. It was heart wrenching and made me hurt for him.
“You know what, Blue?”
His voice startles me. Peering up into his shaded eyes, I wait for his reaction.
“It feels really good to be loved.” He leans down and places a quick peck on my cheek. Freezing cold water escapes from the cooler, landing on my shoulder and flowing right down the middle of my back.
Like a fool, I squeal and take off, trying to dance the cold liquid out of my swim top.
“Careful, toots, you might blow a tit,” Tuck hollers.
He was less than pleased with my bikini top, claiming it left absolutely nothing to the imagination.
“Catch me, then you can put it back in for me.”
I take off down the beach with our bag swinging behind my back and don’t look back, because Tuck is one of the fastest men on the freaking planet, so if I have any chance of escaping him, I can’t waste time seeing if he’s coming or where he is. About thirty strides in, my body is lifted from the ground and cradled up into Tuck’s arms. The man’s strength and power still shock the living hell out of me.
“Nice try, little bird.”
“Ass,” I holler.
The closer we get to the tide, the louder we have to talk.
“Call me that again and I’ll punch you in the balls.”
“Not much you can do about it, is there?”
“Oh, over there, Tuck, see that white sandy spot?” I point and try to kick free from his hold.
“Got it.”
He doesn’t put me down when we hit the place I want to camp out for the day. Instead, he drops the cooler to the sand and then flips me around, gripping my ass and forcing my legs to wrap around his mid-section. I drop the bag when my arms frantically grip around his neck.
“Tuck.”
“I fucking love you, Blue. I hate the shit you make me do, but I fucking love you and want to remember how each second feels with you.”
My lips break open to respond, but before they have a chance to, he claims them in the most aggressive kiss I’ve ever tasted. He’s completely shocked me with his confession and powerful kiss. Tuck drops to his knees, still holding me above the sand, and I know things are about to get dirty. When he wants sex, nothing stops this determined train of a man.
I find the hem of his shirt and pull it up over his head, only breaking our kiss for a few seconds.
“I’m just loving you, so enjoy it.” The words are lost on his lips as he continues to ravage mine.
He flips us around, so that he’s sitting on the sand and I’m straddling his lap. Tuck’s hands leave my face and begin fumbling with the button on my shorts. I’m afraid he’ll rip them off in a second if they don’t start cooperating. I rub up and down the rippled skin on his back. I’ve forced my palms to memorize every single one of his burn marks. They are what makes him who he is, and I never want to forget.
He grips my hips, raising me up and then slamming me back down onto him. A deep gasp of shock and pleasure escapes me. Tuck hypnotized me with his kiss and surprised me by entering me so quickly. I drop my head onto this forehead, pulling from his kiss and soaking up all the emotions running through me right now. He splays his hands on either side of him, digging into the sand.
“Watch me,” I whisper.
I wait for Tuck’s eyes to meet mine and then begin riding him. I find a steady rhythm that threatens to ruin our moment all too quickly. My hands lace in the back of his hair, knocking his hat to the sand. We’ve been completely exposed to each other before, but out in public like this is almost too much for me to handle. Every square inch of my skin is alert, reacting to any touch with overwhelming passion.
“Tuck,” I moan, and then everything inside me tightens up and releases with painful, beautiful pleasure shooting from the tips of my toes all throughout my body. I feel Tuck go limp underneath me, falling back onto the sand. I giggle when I realize I hadn’t even noticed he found his own release.
“That.”
I place a kiss on his lips.
“The best.”
Another kiss.
“Sex ever.”
This time I don’t pull up from the kiss, pouring everything I have into it. He rolls me over, pushing my back into the sand, and enters me again. And just like the first time, I gasp in shock and pleasure and send my hands flying over my head to rest in the sand. I let him take me and enjoy each stroke of it.
“I love you, Blue.”
He grunts after my name leaves his lips and slams back into me one more time, filling me with the most delicious feeling in the world. I prop myself up on my elbows and kiss the tip of his nose.
“Thank you for this.”
Tuck tilts his head to the side, not understanding me.
“You just gave me the world by coming here with me and doing this. I love you, Tuck Jones.”
“Enough mushy shit, little girl. I’m going to dunk your ass.”
And in Tuck fashion, he scoops me from the ground, snags my swim bottoms, and races toward the ocean. He has us both in the freezing cold water before I can protest, and this time when I go under, I’m holding onto him and staring straight into his dark eyes.
The eyes that’ve haunted me, broken me, and absolutely captured my heart from the beginning. I bring one hand up to his face and cup his cheek. Within moments, he paddles to the top of the water, still holding me.
“Damn, it’s cold.” Tuck flips the water out of his hair. “Wipe that goofy grin off your face, Blue.”
“I can’t help it.” My fingers brush beads of water off his shoulder.
“So, what now?”
“We just relax. Do you know how to do that, Tuck?”
“No, I mean there’s no weights or anything to lift.”
I send a splash up into his face and then kick away from him, taking off into the water. I find it comical that I can swim faster than Mr. All-Star Jock. Hours pass as we play in the water, sunbathe, nap, eat, and then hop back in the ocean. And to our delight, nobody shows up to invade our slice of privacy.
“I need some real fucking food.”
I roll up from my belly to see a disgruntled Tuck propped up on his elbow. “I packed food.”
“No, like real fucking food that sticks in your belly.”
Being an ass, I spread my legs wide open, and say, “Help yourself.”
Tuck pounces on me, and I scream out in a fit of laughter.
“No.” I pull him up by his hair.
“You can’t taunt me like that, missy.”
“Not here.”
“Really?” He crooks an eyebrow at me. “Because I’ve taken you like four times here today.”
“No, that’s just too…”
“Too what?” His smile shines brightly while he waits for my answer.
“It’s too intimate. My favorite thing you do, and I don’t want anyone interrupting us.”
“Good to know.”
Tuck’s stomach rumbles against mine.
“Burgers?” I ask.
“Please, for the love of all things fucking holy.” The pitiful look and puppy dog eyes melt my heart.
“See if Lane and Sophie want to meet us there, and I’ll pick up, big guy.”
He rolls off of me without a second question, scrambling for his phone while I gather our few things and nibble on the remaining carrots in the cooler. This moment is bittersweet. It was the best day of my life, and I don’t want it to end.
“They will meet us there. Ready?”
I look up into Tuck’s excited face and can’t help but smile back.
“Yeah, baby.” I plop the last carrot into his mouth and then grab his hand as we make our way back to the truck.
For one of the first times in our relationship, I don’t talk or bring up sore subjects. Instead I relish every second, branding each memory of our day on my heart.