“Don’t go. Help me out here. There’s enough to feed an army.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” She lifted a forkful of omelet and held it out to him. Holding her gaze, he took the bite.
After breakfast, they changed into swimsuits and headed for the beach, where he continued tending to her every need, beginning with applying her sunscreen and then by producing a Bloody Mary that left her feeling pleasantly buzzed and peaceful. Her siblings joined them in nearby cabanas, everyone enjoying the sun and sand and clear blue water. They were friendly to Gavin if not overly talkative. She could live with that. It was the most relaxing day Ella could remember having in a long time.
As relaxed as she was, however, Gavin seemed wound up, agitated, unable to sit still. “What’s wrong?” she asked as they returned to their room late that afternoon to shower for dinner with his parents.
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“You’re tense. You have been all day.”
“Did you have a nice day?”
“I had a great day.”
“That’s all that matters. I want you happy.”
“That’s not all that matters.”
“It is for now.”
He used the keycard to open the door, gesturing for her to go in ahead of him. The moment the door clicked shut behind them, she turned to him, resting her hand on his chest. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing is wrong, Ella. Nothing a cold shower won’t take care of.”
“Oh.” She let her gaze travel down the front of him, stopping just below his waist where the evidence of his arousal left no room for interpretation as to what had him so wound up.
“It’s your fault,” he said in a teasing tone. “You and that itty-bitty bikini you pranced around in all day.”
“My bikini is neither itty nor bitty,” she said. “And I don’t prance.”
“It’s both itty and bitty, and I’m only human, babe. And P.S., you most certainly do prance.”
She raised her hands to his shoulders and went up on tiptoes to kiss him.
He reacted instantly, cupping her bottom and lifting her into his arms as he devoured her with his lips, teeth and tongue. With his erection pressed against her, Ella wanted to forget all about the many reasons she’d planned to keep him at arm’s length.
Then she was falling, landing on the bed with him on top of her as the kiss took a turn toward the wild and frantic. The only thing standing between what they both wanted were her bikini bottoms and his bathing suit. He kept his hands on her bottom, squeezing as his tongue thrust into her mouth.
Ella arched into him, needing the relief only he could provide.
He broke the kiss, panting and staring down at her, seeming as dazed as she felt. “We have to stop or we won’t be able to.”
“Don’t stop yet.”
“Ella . . .”
“Please don’t stop yet.”
A muscle in his cheek pulsed from the tension that gripped them both. “Untie your top.”
With trembling hands, Ella did as he asked, baring her breasts to him.
He groaned as he dipped his head to run his tongue over the hard point of her nipple, drawing it into the heat of his mouth and running his tongue back and forth. The whole time he continued to press against her sex, letting her know what he really wanted with every thrust of his hard cock against her tingling clit.
God, she was actually going to come from the combination of what he was doing to her nipples while he pressed against her.
“Gavin . . . Don’t stop.”
“I’ll never stop loving you, Ella. Never.” He sucked hard on her nipple and thrust against her until she came with a sharp cry of pleasure. “Yes, baby, yes. Let me hear you.”
Mindful of their neighbors and who they were, she didn’t fully give in to the urge to scream, but she wanted to.
“Mmm,” he said against her nipple as he continued to stroke his tongue over her sensitive skin. “You’re so hot when you come. I could watch that all day and never get tired of seeing you let go.”
She ran a hand down the front of him, cupping his hardness. “What about you?”
“That was more than enough for me.”
“It wasn’t enough for me. Turn over.”
“No, El, really . . . We don’t have to.”
“Turn over.”
Sighing, he flopped onto his back. “If you touch me, I’ll explode.”
“That’s kind of the idea, isn’t it?” She kissed her way down the front of him, paying homage to his rippling abs before freeing him from the board shorts he’d worn to the beach.
“Ella . . . Christ . . .” As she stroked him, he raised his hips, and true to his word, he came within seconds of her first touch. “Told ya.”
“Feel better?”
“A little.” He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I won’t feel completely better until I can do that inside you again, until you stop waiting for me to fuck up again, until I’m sure that you’re sure you can trust me to be what you need. Then I’ll feel better.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “Today was a good day.”
“Tomorrow will be, too. So will the day after and the day after that. You’re stuck with me.”
CHAPTER 29
And now these three remain: faith, hope
and love. But the greatest of these is love.
—1 Corinthians 13:13
Over the next few days, Gavin went out of his way to make sure his actions matched his words, choosing Ella’s company over that of his friends, arranging a candlelight dinner for two on the beach one night and leaving her only once—to play golf with the guys on Thursday afternoon ahead of the dinner Dylan was hosting the night before everyone was due to head home.
While the guys were golfing, Ella spent the afternoon at the spa with Hannah, Cameron and Megan. After a massage and facial, she returned to the room to dress for dinner. Gavin was in the shower when she got back. He emerged a few minutes later with a towel wrapped around his waist and came to find her on the deck.
“Hey, baby,” he said, kissing her temple as he wrapped an arm around her waist. “How was the spa?”
“Heavenly. How was the golf?”
“An exercise in frustration.”
She smiled up at him. “Seems to be the word of the week, huh?” Though they’d continued to make out every chance they got, among other things, they’d yet to actually make love.
“It’s been a great week. I’m sorry it’s already time to go home. Maybe we can come back here sometime.”
“Maybe.”
“Can we take a walk on the beach before dinner?”
“Sure. I need to grab a quick shower, and then I’m all yours.”
“I like the sound of that. All mine.” He leaned in to kiss her. “Don’t keep me waiting too long. I’ve already had to be without you for hours today.”
He was wearing her down. There was no way to deny the heady feeling that overtook her whenever he said things like that or looked at her in that particular possessive way. Tonight, before they returned to their real lives and whatever awaited them there, she would make love with him. She couldn’t wait to be close to him like that again.
Ella rushed through her shower and dried her hair until it hung in waves down her back. The tropical humidity would undo the work of the straightener, so she didn’t bother, leaving it to curl naturally. She dressed in a floral halter dress and slipped her feet into a pair of wedges. A coat of lip gloss finished off her outfit. She emerged from the bathroom to find Gavin dressed in a yellow polo and plaid shorts. He was so handsome, and despite the ups and downs they’d encountered, he still took her breath away.