straight. For another, she knew he had to be a military guy and that inspired a certain level of confidence. Especially here, in a town full of his peers. Plus, he hadn’t dragged her out onto the dance floor for the obvious bump and grind that some couples engaged in. All they’d done was talk, even when she’d been thinking wickedly explicit things about him back in that bar...
“It’s beautiful here,” Mark observed suddenly, face turned up to stargaze. They passed sweat-slicked men engrossed in a volleyball game under a flickering fluorescent lamp.
“And so warm.” She shivered as she said it, savoring the kiss of the Gulf breeze on her skin.
“You want to go for a walk?” He dropped his gaze back to her and she appreciated that he hadn’t simply shuttled her off to a hotel room after their suggestive game.
She needed to catch her breath.
“I’d like that.” Her heart beat a strange tempo when he slid his fingers from her chin and along her cheek, tracing the sensitive skin there, his gaze never leaving hers.
There was a brief silence, interrupted by the cry of gulls hovering over them. Mark looked at her for a few drawn-out seconds, the heat in his eyes making her shiver. Then he reached out a hand. “Let’s go this way.”
His fingers twined with hers and goose bumps rose on her arms as they strolled to the water.
Ahead of them the surf pulsed, rushing and foaming on the sand. Beach roses lined their path down to the shore, the smell faint and sweet in the salty air. She looked up at the sky. So many stars, it seemed like a celebration, a fireworks display just for them.
She slid a sideways glance at him, taking in his chiseled profile. Noted the firm set of his jaw, his straight nose and strong brow. Features that exuded authority. Confidence. Security. The kind of face you’d want to see if you needed rescuing.
Her grief for Jeff fell away under the solid presence of Mark walking beside her. And she needed that tonight. Something about him made her feel different. Stronger. Sexier.
If she scurried back to her hotel room, she knew exactly what to expect. Nothing. Yet out here, with the wind gusting off the water, seabirds calling, salt water misting her face, a deep hunger stirred inside her. A wild thirst for the unknown.
Crazy or not, this was what her brother had wanted for her. To experience life on a large scale, well beyond the neat world she’d organized for herself back in Idaho.
Suddenly, warm water rushed across her feet and over her ankles. She gasped and stepped closer to shore then stopped when Mark’s arm came around her. He turned her toward him. Her hands landed on his lean waist, her fingers grazing his contracting stomach muscles beneath the crisp cotton of his T-shirt.
“I didn’t think the water came up this far.”
“The tide’s rising.” His voice was thick, distracted, as heat flared in his eyes.
“Oh,” she mumbled, her mouth dry, her body warm.
He reached out and stroked her hair, his gaze full of promise and something more. “Are you sure you want to keep going?”
She understood what he was asking her. Appreciated that he’d given her some time to think. To be certain about the attraction and where it was headed.
But even with the fresh air to clear her thoughts, she still wanted him. Still craved the chance to feel all that warm male strength around her before she embarked on the most dangerous adventure of her life.
“Absolutely.” She slid her hand up his abdomen, teasing the hard ridges that moved and shifted beneath her touch. His chest rose sharply when her fingers rested on his pecs. Exhilaration forked through her.
“Cassie,” he groaned, stepping closer so that her feet brushed his in the shifting sand.
She rose on her toes and cupped her hands around the base of his neck, pulling his mouth to hers.
Bodies fusing at the same moment as their lips, nerve endings fired faster than the incoming tide. Hip to hip, breast to chest, her body curved into his, molding around all that hard, hot muscle. Pleasure tingled along her nerve endings, making her wriggle closer and sigh into his kiss.
She felt a low groan vibrate through his chest, but she didn’t hear it, the rush of waves drowning out everything else. Her breath caught at the back of her throat, her senses heightened. Every facet of the kiss imprinted itself on her consciousness, burrowing into her memory as if it would never leave.
He placed his hands on either side of her temples and kissed her gently, easing back ever so slightly. He traced her lips slowly with his tongue, then sucked on her lower lip in a way that made tension coil between her thighs. She wanted him. Wanted this.
But they were still too close to the bar.
Breaking the kiss, she whispered against his mouth, “Should we find somewhere more private?” Her dress rode up where she leaned into him, the denim on his thighs caressing her bare legs in a way that made her ache.
“Definitely.” Turning, he peered into the dark and pointed toward a sandy mound covered in sea oats with a shadowed area at the base.
There were no buildings. No lights.
“Let’s check it out.” She was already pulling him across the beach, calculating how fast she could have him all to herself. And then another thought occurred to her.
“Wait.” She stopped, kicking up sand as she spun. Her hand caught him midchest, halting him, too.
“I’m going to honor your wishes, no matter.” He sucked in a deep breath. “But I gotta say, I’d hoped we passed the ‘wait’ stage a while ago.”
“Me, too.” She licked her lips. “But I don’t have anything—that is, protectionwise—with me.”
“No worries.” His teeth flashed white in the darkness. “I’ve got that covered.”
Giddy relief lit her up inside and her smile matched his. A laugh bubbled up and she dragged him toward the sandy dunes. They reached the privacy of the sheltered area, where he stifled her laughter with hungry kisses, his hands entwined in her hair, his mouth warm on her lips. She kissed him back hard, not hesitating even when they heard voices from a boat out on the water, the dunes and sea oats hiding them from view. The space provided a private, intimate hideaway.
Closing her eyes, she tunneled her hands under his shirt, giving in to the insistent rush of pleasure that had started with the first accidental brush of their bodies. Now she could touch him. Taste him.
Their kisses grew deeper, more urgent. She wanted to feel his bare skin against hers, so she dragged his shirt up and off his broad shoulders. She opened her eyes to see what she’d unveiled.
So. Fine.
Her hands moved to his waist, resting on the band of his jeans, ready for more. But then he stepped into her, his kiss hotter. Harder. She could feel how much he wanted her and she shifted her hips to cradle that hard length against her softness. Things were escalating fast and that’s just what she wanted. More. Faster.
Mark.
*
